Freespool,

Thank you for your effort. I'm sure there is something you could teach me about hydro that I don't already know, but I haven't read anything yet. I'm not a know-it-all, but hydro, ESA, and salmonid ecology are subjects I'm fairly familiar with. I also know some of the players, maybe some of the same ones you do. I know Lori Bodi mentioned in the editorial and even knew her back when she worked for the "good" guys. Not someone I enjoy seeing on the "other" team.

Anyway, I don't understand why you can't see in your eternal pissing match with Aunty M that you both share most of the same values. I don't think she'd mind seeing the lower Snake R dams come out or be breached - I wouldn't. But she is also well read, and thinks that political influence will prevent it. I don't claim to know, but I think she's right based on the record of four presidential administrations. Three presidents have been very clear that the lower Snake dams are not part of the recovery equation, which could be interpreted as the political opinion has already trumped any biological opinion.

I think we're going to get whatever level of recovery is possible with the dams in place. Not to sound an alarm, but if you're watching all of the Columbia, you'll note that the mid-C non-federal dams are getting ever nearer their required fish passage performance standards. Some of that is due to spring spill, and a lot is due to techno fixes. And it makes the federal dams look bad. I think that's a good thing, because it empirically demonstrates that BPA/Corps/BOR aren't doing anywhere close to the best job possible, and provides leverage to make them improve. And if some of those improvements come about by removing lower Snake dams, great, I'll applaud, but understand, I'm not holding my breath. Have you ever met the God Squad? I have, and even when there is a Democratic administration, you'd never guess it dealing with those folks. Kinda' like Aunty says, those folks just don't care the way we do. Their yardstick for measuring the environment is as different as night from day compared to ours. Politicians are not our friends in this effort, to wit: Murray and Cantwell as also mentioned in the editorial.

Sg