First let me state Rob and Surecatch that I am quite a consvervationist myself, but I truly love to play the devil's advocate. I agree with everything Surecatch said, but how many environmental groups speak that way? PETA does not want people to eat animals "but kill them humanely".... They want ALL killing/eating of animals to stop. This is true of most "environmental" groups. My fear is not of losing the Snake River Dams as they are mainly for transportation. But one must ask, how many more diesel-chugging-polluting 18 wheelers will crowd our highways to make up for the lost barge transport? I also am fully convinced that there are groups out there that will have their fire fueled if the Snake dams are removed and will then start working on others (including the Columbia Dams). Like I said before, if everything else is tried and fails, then do what you must. But allowing the fish to continue to be taken with non-selective means such as gillnetting while screaming for the dams to be torn down is so clearly assinine. That is not the "common sense" approach that you speak of Surecatch..... That is equal to say making it illegal to own a wooden house, but still allowing clearcutting for firewood.......

MC