Federal Advocacy Issues

Of the four directional themes that drive the policy efforts of the Association, it is the monitoring of legislative issues that may adversely compromise the organization’s mission that demands the greatest attention and focus by staff and the Board Directors.

Note some of the issues at the federal level that the Association actively monitors and takes action:

FEMA Floodplain Insurance - The summer of 2009 saw the Association elevate its attention to the Federal Management Agency’s role in hampering recovery of Oregon’s salmon and steelhead by continuing to issue Federal Flood Insurance in direct violation of the Endangered Species Act.  As a result, the Association joined three other wildlife conservation organizations and initiated litigation in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon to compel FEMA to comply with the law and protect Oregon’s salmon and steelhead.  Intact floodplains provide critical flood storage capacity, protect water quality and provide habitat for fish and wildlife.  The Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires that federal agencies, in consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), ensure that federal agency actions do not jeopardize threatened and endangered species or destroy the habitat upon which these species depend for survival and recovery.

Note the background of this issue as covered in a June 25, 2009 press release by the Audubon Society:

“Oregon's floodplains are being developed at an alarming rate despite the well documented importance of protecting and restoring these areas both for the protection of critically endangered species of salmon and steelhead and to protect human health and safety.  By issuing federally subsidized insurance for buildings in flood-prone areas, through the  National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides insurance that is generally not available on the private market and directly enables the continued development of Oregon’s floodplains. In providing this insurance, however, FEMA has violated federal law by failing to consider the impact of the resulting development on federally threatened and endangered species, according to the Audubon Society of Portland,  Northwest Environmental Defense Center,  National Wildlife Federation, Willamette Riverkeeper and The Association of Northwest Steelheaders."

Other Federal issues followed by the Association are noted below (see the websites for more information):

Climate Change - An overwhelming majority of the world’s scientists agree that human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas in power plants, factories, and cars, have been causing excessive amounts of carbon dioxide and other gases to build up in the atmosphere. As a result, the Earth’s atmosphere is rapidly heating up. This global warming is doing more than raising the Earth’s average surface temperature. It is disrupting the planet’s climate system, changing regional temperatures, causing sea levels to rise, and shifting rain and snowfall patterns around the world and across the United States, including the Pacific Northwest.

Like many regions, the northwestern United States is already beginning to feel the effects of global warming. Scientists project that, without a significant reduction in the pollution that is contributing to global warming, the Pacific Northwest could face even less winter snow accumulation, earlier peak spring streamflows, lower summer streamflows, and elevated stream temperatures — all within just a few decades. Given the region’s dependence on snowpack as the primary source of inflow to its surface water supplies, global warming is likely to dramatically alter the Pacific Northwest’s rivers.

Water temperatures are among the most important factors affecting the health of cold-water fish. When streams get too warm, the fish can experience slower growth rates, lower oxygen levels in the water, and greater susceptibility to toxins, parasites, and disease. Ultimately, if water temperatures stay too warm for too long, the river may no longer provide suitable habitat for cold-water fish.

In general, areas where the average daily air temperature in the warmest summer months is greater than 69.8° F (21° C) have been found to be the “thermal limit” for most adult salmon, steelhead, and trout species.  Scientists at the University of Washington have shown that a 3° F rise in average August temperatures in the region could cause up to 20 percent of the streams in the Columbia River Basin and coastal watersheds of Washington and Oregon to become too warm for salmon, steelhead, and trout. Based on recent global warming projections, a 3° F rise in temperature is plausible by 2040 and if this occurs, these noble fish will become extinct.

Other quick anecdotal observations on the impact of climate change on fisheries include but are not limited to the following:

  • Low summer flows on coastal streams have caused high temperature and reduced oxygen killing spring and summer Chinook and summer steelhead while making them less successful at breeding.
  • Warmer water on the John Day River have impacted salmon steelhead smolt which  historically, have migrated through the lower stretch of this river before it warms up while the small mouth bass that reside there are still somewhat dormant.  Warmer water sooner in the year will have the bass actively feeding and intercepting more juvenile salmon and steelhead.
  • Willamette harbors pathogens become more abundant and active as temperatures climb.  Historically, smolt move down river before the water reaches levels of these diseases to be a significant threat.  Warmer water sooner will cause many more out-migrating fish to become infected.
  • The Columbia River is now getting so warm that in-migrating salmon and steelhead must seek refuge in tributaries along the way to find cooler, more survivable waters.  Many more Oregon streams and rivers are near the tipping point for turning productive salmon and steelhead habitat into hostile waters.  

For more information on climate change, go to the following websites:

www.targetglobalwarming.org/fishoutofwater
www.nwf.org/congressandglobalwarming
www.nwf.org/climateaction
www.nwf.org/congressandglobalwarming