Salmon
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Science & Environment
East Fork Lewis River project aims to restore salmon habitat spoiled by Ridgefield gravel mine
A three-mile section of the East Fork Lewis River is on its way to recovery, despite concerns about future environmental restoration funding.

The president just unraveled years of work on tribal rights, salmon and clean energy. So what happens next?
President Donald Trump signed a memorandum on Thursday pulling the federal government out of a historical Columbia River management deal.

Trump upends historic Columbia River Basin agreement, bringing uncertainty to salmon recovery efforts
President Donald Trump on Thursday pulled the federal government out of what Northwest tribes have hailed as a historic agreement to recover salmon in the Columbia River Basin.

Northwest tribes say Trump’s proposed salmon budget cuts violate treaty rights
The White House’s proposed 2026 budget for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration would eliminate the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, the leading source of money for restoring the Northwest’s struggling salmon runs.
Environment
Proposed federal cuts jeopardize Pacific salmon habitat restoration, tribal rights
An internal document from the Office of Management and Budget, reviewed by KUOW, calls for eliminating NOAA’s Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, as well as national grant programs for species recovery, interjurisdictional fisheries, and habitat conservation and restoration.
Oregon Field Guide
Salmon return to the Klamath’s Oregon waters, but the river’s headwaters are still blocked
After decades of conflict, farmers and tribes say they’re working in concert to restore salmon habitat in the Klamath Basin. But two dams remain - one that blocks fish passage another that plays a key role for agriculture.

Environment
Environmental groups sue Eugene utility, alleging failure to protect Chinook salmon, bull trout
The groups argued the dam, located about 70 miles east of Eugene on the McKenzie River, has prevented endangered Chinook salmon and bull trout from migrating and blocked access to cold water.

Science & Environment
Dams, power lines and statistics: What the Bonneville Power Administration is and does
Eighty-eight years after its creation by an act of Congress, Bonneville Power is widely viewed as both an engine of prosperity in the Northwest, and — at times — an obstacle to environmental goals and economic growth.

Flatlining salmon and steelhead numbers in the Columbia Basin are a success and a cautionary tale
The rolling 10-year average return has gone up since the 1990s, but is still well short of goals set by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council.

Science & Environment
Hydroelectric dams on Oregon’s Willamette River kill salmon. Congress says it’s time to consider shutting them down
The newly signed legislation follows reporting from Oregon Public Broadcasting and ProPublica that underscored the risks and costs associated with a plan to migrate salmon past hydroelectric dams using a giant fish collector and tanker trucks.