Dam Woes

Dam Woes

They say prior to settlement of the Pacific Northwest ten million salmon made their way up the Columbia and Snake rivers in order to spawn. Now they say due to dams in the region spawning salmon have been reduced to ten thousand. We're also talking about a period of time spanning more than one hundred and seventy years. A lot has changed in that amount of time. Buffalo as well as wild horses used to roam the plains by the thousands; humans and animals alike were able to traverse the countryside without being hindered by fences. Should we remove all fences along with the dams? How about removing all power lines, train tracks, freeways, and airports; all of these have been cited as culprits in as far as endangering wildlife populations. Probably not a practical line of action, any more than the removal of all dams. Water from these rivers doesn't only support salmon, it provides an elaborate irrigation system for over 240,000 acres of farmland and wildlife preserves along with inexpensive power to rural and urban populations. There has to be a solution that will save the dams and the salmon, but I'm darned if I can come up with one.
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