Salmon Sensibility
I find it hard to believe that the only way to make progress on one issue is to regress. I'm Jeff Keane; I'll be back in one minute to explain that statement.Regressing by eliminating functional structures seems to be the only way to solve a controversial concern radical environmentalists are obsessed with. The concern is the worry there are not enough salmon in the Pacific Northwest and that the different sub-species will become extinct. Every time these so-called conservation groups have to get to a bottom line statement, it's the same - tear out the dams. It doesn't matter that these structures provide the environmentalist's precious "green" power, control destructive floods, and provide water to irrigate crops that feed our growing population. Sure, those rivers were a picture of natural beauty, but a society cannot survive on beauty alone. I wonder if the dams had not been built and crops not raised from the stored water, would there be any salmon left, for surely they would have to be considered a major food source. The dams are a testament of our ingenuity to provide food, fiber, energy and even recreational opportunities for our nation. If we can build structures that contain powerful rivers, I know we can build whatever it takes to allow salmon to safely pass the dams, whether migrating to oceans or returning to spawn. I would encourage the radical dam-hating groups to involve their energy and seemingly endless funds to help create facilities that would actually save salmon. I believe you would gain more respect by building for salmon's future rather than destroying for the species possible future. I'm Jeff Keane.
