Conservationists, Recreationists Question Re-Investment in Century-old Dam on Similkameen River
In advance of a public hearing, Washington Wild joined ten conservation and recreation groups who signed onto a letter to the Okanogan Public Utility District raising concerns about the economic, legal and conservation impacts of the re-investment in this century-old dam on Similkameen River. The project would cost $40 million to build, would cost more to operate […]
Proposed Dam on North Fork Snoqualmie River Withdrawn
Black Canyon Hydro LLC announced that it was withdrawing its application for the Black Canyon Hydropower Project. This project would have constructed a new dam on the North Fork Snoqualmie River, severely impacting native rainbow and cutthroat trout, posing a risk to the City of Snoqualmie’s water supply, and irreversibly harming a world-class kayak run. […]
One Hundred Organizations Oppose Threats to Wild Rivers
Nearly 100 conservation organizations, including Washington Wild wrote a letter to members of the U.S. Congress opposing new legislation (S. 1236) that would overturns a century’s worth of checks and balances over the federal management of water resources, and more than 40 years’ worth of protections for natural resources impacted by hydropower dams. The proposed legislation […]
Local Stakeholders Celebrate Alpine Lakes and Illabot Creek Designations
On December 19, 2014, President Barak Obama signed into law legislation adding more than 22,000 acres of underrepresented low-elevation forest to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and designating nearly 40 miles of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie and Pratt Rivers under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. In the same omnibus legislation a separate bill to designate 14 miles […]
Conservation Groups Seek Stronger Protections for NW Rivers
Thirty-six conservation organizations, including Washington Wild and American Whitewater submitted comments to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council on its Draft Amended Fish and Wildlife Program. The Council’s Fish and Wildlife Program is the largest fish and wildlife recovery program in the U.S., designed to protect and enhance fish and wildlife in the Columbia Basin, […]
Dam proposed for South Fork Skykomish Would Be Economic Loser
A new economic study of the controversial Sunset Falls Dam on Washington’s South Fork of the Skykomish River, reveals the power generated at the proposed site would cost 2.3 times more than the Snohomish County Public Utility District (SnoPUD) estimates. Rocky Mountain Econometrics (RME), an economic, business and energy consulting firm in Boise, Idaho, evaluated […]
Watershed Restoration near Wild Sky Wilderness Approved
The Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest approved a proposal to decommission and remove 10 miles of old decaying logging roads located adjacent to the Wild Sky Wilderness. These roads no longer provide recreational access but pose aquatic risks to the Harlan Creek watershed. Washington Wild, along with three other organizations, submitted comments on the Environmental Assessment […]
80 Organizations Urge Federal Government to Say No to New Dam Construction
Today Washington Wild joined 79 other organizations on a joint letter to the Department of Energy (DOE) coordinated by Hydropower Reform Coalition concerning the economical, ecological,and social impacts of new dam construction. The letter was sent in response to the DOE’s November 2016 Request for Information “Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Development of Hydropower in […]