Idaho’s anadromous fish need help that communities working together can provide. The cumulative effects of warm water temperatures, sediment laden spawning beds, stagnant reservoirs and hazardous dams combined create a near impossible environment in which anadromous fish can continue to survive.
A future world without wild salmon and steelhead migrating from rivers and streams in the central Idaho mountains to the ocean and returning later to spawn and to renew the life cycle again and again is simply not acceptable. Extinction of anadromous fish species is not a legacy we want to give to our children and grandchildren. Pools empty of salmon and steelhead, where the fish once numbered in the hundreds is not an option.
Community spirited Idahoans have demonstrated their hope for the future and their dogged perseverance working to circumvent a dire scenario such as described above. Hundreds of people have volunteered thousands of hours working to restore native riparian habitats along rivers and streams, which teemed with anadromous fish not so long ago. Most of this work so far has gone unsung.
Kirsten Severud is one of many veteran volunteers who have worked doggedly to help heal the land. Kirsten recently made another important contribution when she wrote the following paper, “Riparian Restoration of the Little Salmon River” (660 KB PDF file), which provides a brief history of our riparian restoration efforts.
Also see further information in the Reference Library.
