It is not easy to realize that this spring/summer our rivers are going to experience a minimal amount of snowmelt because there is not any snow to melt.

If you look at the data it is very obvious to see that high snowmelt years result in a favorable ratio of smolt to adult returns for the smolts that out-migrated on that high snow melt year.

We have already seen minor spats between the BPA and NMFS and various Indian tribes regarding water releases and power supplies this winter.

The BPA has announced that if they are required to follow all regulations required under the ESA regarding water releases and power reduction on the Columbia River, blackouts will be an occurence this summer as well as even higher power rates.

As serious fisherman who love our salmon and steelhead so very much but also as consumers of electricty, do you feel that BPA shall follow all those regulations and threaten us with blackouts or should we now give up on this winter and sacrifice a year class of salmon and steelhead in the name of power?

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Ryan S. Petzold
aka
Sparkey and/or Special

[This message has been edited by RPetzold (edited 02-14-2001).]