Pacific Northwest Salmon Dams USAGM
Metadata
- Pacific Northwest Salmon Dams USAGM
- August 2, 2022
- Content Type Package
- Language English
- Transcript/Script English USAGM SHARE ((PLAYBOOK SLUG: PACIFIC NORTHWEST SALMON DAMS HEADLINE: Indigenous Communities Pushing for Dam Destruction to Boost Salmon TEASER: Supporters say dams benefit farmers and renewable energy PUBLISHED AT: 08/02/2022 AT 9:45 BYLINE: Natasha Mozgovaya CONTRIBUTOR: DATELINE: Along the lower Snake River, Washington state VIDEOGRAPHER: Natasha Mozgovaya VIDEO EDITOR: SCRIPT EDITORS: SKS, Holly Franko VIDEO SOURCE (S): All VOA PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO _X_ TRT: 2:35 VID APPROVED BY: Reifenrath TYPE: TVPKG EDITOR NOTES:)) ((INTRO:)) [[Conservationists and Indigenous communities in the U.S. Pacific Northwest are pushing for the destruction of four dams along the lower Snake River in Washington state to help spawning salmon. Dam supporters say they are important sources of renewable energy and irrigation for local farms. VOA’s Natasha Mozgovaya has our story from Washington state’s lower Snake River. ((NARRATOR)) Crafted by Lummi Nation master carvers, the Spirit of the Waters totem pole traveled more than 4,000 kilometers through the U.S. states of Idaho, Oregon and Washington to raise awareness about declining numbers of salmon. Lummi woodcarver Douglas James. ((Douglas James, Lummi Nation Master Carver)) “We'll see the salmon disappear in the next 10 years. They'll be gone if we don't step up and do something to remove them dams so they can get to their natural spawning grounds.” ((NARRATOR)) Those natural spawning grounds are behind four lower Snake River dams in Washington State. A draft report by the White House Council on Environmental Quality says breaching them is “essential” to salmon migration. That could cost more than $10 billion and would eliminate hydroelectric turbines that generate four percent of the region’s energy. The Northwest Energy Coalition includes environmental and civic groups along with utilities and businesses in the U.S. and British Columbia. Coalition Executive Director Nancy Hirsh says the dams’ hydroelectric output is important but replaceable. ((Nancy Hirsh, NW Energy Coalition Executive Director)) “The potential to grow our renewable energy base beyond and build on the foundation of the hydropower system with the next generation of renewable energy resources is great.” ((NARRATION)) Dam supporters argue renewable energy and irrigation for local farms do not conflict with salmon welfare. Congressman Dan Newhouse introduced legislation to protect the dams. ((Rep. Dan Newhouse, Republican)) ((Zoom)) “The dams and the salmon can coexist. We invest a lot of time, money and effort and resources to make that happen. We have for many, many years, and those investments are paying off. To me, that says very clearly that the dams are not the problem.” ((NARRATOR)) Existing conservation investments include fish ladders to help migrating salmon get over the dams and fish hatcheries to boost their numbers. Ace Trump manages the hatchery at Lyons Ferry. ((Ace Trump, Lyons Ferry Fish Hatchery Manager)) “We collect adults and bring them back here to spawn. And then as the females arrive, we'll take the eggs, and we'll fertilize from the males, and then we will incubate the eggs. We hatch them out and then bring them outside and start feeding them.” ((CORRESPONDENT ON CAMERA)) A dam on the Elwha River was removed 10 years ago. Today the river flows unimpeded from the Olympic Mountains to the Strait of Juan de Fuca with salmon numbers rising and local Indigenous communities helping to replant vegetation. Natasha Mozgovaya, VOA News, Washington state
- Transcript/Script USAGM SHARE ((PLAYBOOK SLUG: PACIFIC NORTHWEST SALMON DAMS HEADLINE: Indigenous Communities Pushing for Dam Destruction to Boost Salmon TEASER: Supporters say dams benefit farmers and renewable energy PUBLISHED AT: 08/02/2022 AT 9:45 BYLINE: Natasha Mozgovaya CONTRIBUTOR: DATELINE: Along the lower Snake River, Washington state VIDEOGRAPHER: Natasha Mozgovaya VIDEO EDITOR: SCRIPT EDITORS: SKS, Holly Franko VIDEO SOURCE (S): All VOA PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO _X_ TRT: 2:35 VID APPROVED BY: Reifenrath TYPE: TVPKG EDITOR NOTES:)) ((INTRO:)) [[Conservationists and Indigenous communities in the U.S. Pacific Northwest are pushing for the destruction of four dams along the lower Snake River in Washington state to help spawning salmon. Dam supporters say they are important sources of renewable energy and irrigation for local farms. VOA’s Natasha Mozgovaya has our story from Washington state’s lower Snake River. ((NARRATOR)) Crafted by Lummi Nation master carvers, the Spirit of the Waters totem pole traveled more than 4,000 kilometers through the U.S. states of Idaho, Oregon and Washington to raise awareness about declining numbers of salmon. Lummi woodcarver Douglas James. ((Douglas James, Lummi Nation Master Carver)) “We'll see the salmon disappear in the next 10 years. They'll be gone if we don't step up and do something to remove them dams so they can get to their natural spawning grounds.” ((NARRATOR)) Those natural spawning grounds are behind four lower Snake River dams in Washington State. A draft report by the White House Council on Environmental Quality says breaching them is “essential” to salmon migration. That could cost more than $10 billion and would eliminate hydroelectric turbines that generate four percent of the region’s energy. The Northwest Energy Coalition includes environmental and civic groups along with utilities and businesses in the U.S. and British Columbia. Coalition Executive Director Nancy Hirsh says the dams’ hydroelectric output is important but replaceable. ((Nancy Hirsh, NW Energy Coalition Executive Director)) “The potential to grow our renewable energy base beyond and build on the foundation of the hydropower system with the next generation of renewable energy resources is great.” ((NARRATION)) Dam supporters argue renewable energy and irrigation for local farms do not conflict with salmon welfare. Congressman Dan Newhouse introduced legislation to protect the dams. ((Rep. Dan Newhouse, Republican)) ((Zoom)) “The dams and the salmon can coexist. We invest a lot of time, money and effort and resources to make that happen. We have for many, many years, and those investments are paying off. To me, that says very clearly that the dams are not the problem.” ((NARRATOR)) Existing conservation investments include fish ladders to help migrating salmon get over the dams and fish hatcheries to boost their numbers. Ace Trump manages the hatchery at Lyons Ferry. ((Ace Trump, Lyons Ferry Fish Hatchery Manager)) “We collect adults and bring them back here to spawn. And then as the females arrive, we'll take the eggs, and we'll fertilize from the males, and then we will incubate the eggs. We hatch them out and then bring them outside and start feeding them.” ((CORRESPONDENT ON CAMERA)) A dam on the Elwha River was removed 10 years ago. Today the river flows unimpeded from the Olympic Mountains to the Strait of Juan de Fuca with salmon numbers rising and local Indigenous communities helping to replant vegetation. Natasha Mozgovaya, VOA News, Washington state
- NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
- Network VOA
- Embargo Date August 2, 2022 10:29 EDT
- Byline Natasha Mosgovaya
- Brand / Language Service Voice of America