After more than a year of work, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council on July 19 released a draft 2020 addendum to its 2014 Fish and Wildlife Program and scheduled a series of public hearings throughout the region to get feedback on the document. Read more

Led by NOAA Fisheries, a group of stakeholders released their final report outlining a plan for recovery of all Columbia Basin salmon and steelhead, which includes provisional numbers needed to recover 24 stocks of Columbia Basin salmon and steelhead to "healthy and harvestable" levels. Read more

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is proposing to partner with states and pay 70 percent of the costs to implement a rapid response plan to eradicate zebra and quagga mussels if the invasive species are found in Washington, Oregon, Idaho or Montana. Read more

An economic analysis conducted for a Seattle philanthropic organization concluded that the economic benefits of removing the four lower Snake River dams would far outweigh the costs. Read more

To some, a new report by ECONorthwest demonstrates that if a monetary value is given to restoring the environment, the economic benefits of removing the lower Snake River dams would more than exceed the costs. Read more

After revising cost estimates, beefing up financial assurances, getting extensions from funding sources and changing its timeline, the Klamath River Renewal Corporation is again asking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to transfer the license for four lower Klamath River Dams so that … Read more

State and tribal officials in Montana have stepped up efforts to prevent quagga and zebra mussels from becoming established in the Columbia Basin, and are asking for additional help from other states and the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. Read more

Fish biologists working to recover Snake River sockeye say this year's low return--likely to be even smaller than pre-season forecasts--is another bump in the endangered salmon's long road to recovery. Read more

Two conservation groups are asking a Multnomah County judge to send a water quality certification for the Hells Canyon Complex back to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality with directions to act within the law. Read more

A hatchery program to restore white sturgeon above Grand Coulee Dam some 15 years ago was initially so successful that agencies are now turning to anglers to remove some of the offspring the program first produced. Read more

A bill that would require the Bonneville Power Administration to compensate the Spokane Tribe of Indians for land lost with the construction of Grand Coulee Dam passed the U.S. Senate on June 28 and was sent to the House Committee on Natural Resources for consideration. Read more

Hoping to prevent water temperatures at Lower Granite Dam from rising above 68 degrees Fahrenheit, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been spilling water at Dworshak Dam on the North Fork Clearwater River, which holds back significantly cooler water compared with the lower Snake River. Read more

U.S. District Court judges in two separate lawsuits have granted unopposed motions to pause further proceedings to allow for agency actions. Read more

Jeremy Red Star Wolf, a Umatilla tribal leader, was elected as chairman of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission for 2019-2020. He was sworn in at the commission's July meeting, replacing Ryan Smith of the Warm Springs Tribe, who is now CRITFC treasurer. Wolf also served as CRITFC … Read more