The view from the other side
August 9, 2007
I took this photo last winter while driving through eastern Washington, on the high, arid plains above the Snake River. There were several farmer’s barns displaying the “Save Our Dams” signs throughout the wheatfields of the Palouse.
There’s no doubt that the dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers are the worst thing that ever happened to salmon and steelhead in the area and when the call came up to breach some of them, I was all for it.
However, the picture becomes a little less cut and dry when you see the other side of things…
When you see it from this angle, you better understand how a lack of water would seriously impact the lives of farmers who put food on their tables by growing wheat; how they’re just like us — just trying to make a living and provide for their families.
Believe me, as someone who makes a living off of anadramous river fishing, I have felt (and continue to do so) the severe effects of agricultural water diversions on my salmon, striped bass, shad and steelhead populations…so I’m not jumping on the “Save the Dams” bandwagon — not even close. In fact, I still think breeching the dams and tearing others out completely is the ticket to giving our anadramous fish a fighting chance to survive.
However, after seeing these farmers’ signs, it just makes me think a little more about how the answer to all this isn’t quite as simple as I once thought…
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