Synopsis
How do we restore salmon spawning habitat in the Upper Salmon watershed without harming the ranching communities that rely on the river? The answer lies in locally-driven collaboration. In this episode, we explore the decades-long community effort to restore spawning grounds for Columbia Basin salmon by letting landowners take the lead. Back in the 1990s the hurdles seemed so insurmountable, rancher Merrill Beyeler likened the task to making pigs fly. Hundreds of miles upstream of where the Columbia pours into the Pacific Ocean, along the Lemhi River in Idaho, Beyeler and a huge group of partners have figured out how.
Links and references from Can Pacific salmon and Idaho ranchers share the river?
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Story Map: Upper Salmon River Basin Idaho Water Transactions Program
Nature: Climate change threatens Chinook salmon throughout their life cycle
The Land Report story on landowner and WLA board policy chair Tom Page
Story Map from the Upper Snake River Tribes Foundation: Loss of Salmon and Steelhead in the Upper Snake River Basin
Credits
Working Wild U is a production of Montana State University Extension and Western Landowners Alliance with support from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation and you, our listeners.
This episode was written and produced by Zach Altman with support from our hosts, Jared Beaver and Hallie Mahowald.
Louis Wertz and Jared Beaver are our Executive Producers. Music is from Artlist and Blue Dot Sessions.
Special thanks to Merrill Beyeler, Tom Page, Daniel Bertrum, Lane Justus, and Erik Kalsta.
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