A Message from the Joint Natural
Resources Cabinet and Governor’s
Salmon Recovery Office
In January, 1999, the Joint Natural Resources Cabinet released a complete working draft of Extinction is Not an Option: A Statewide Strategy to Recover Salmon (herein referred to as the Strategy). During the past eight months the Joint Cabinet has carefully listened to what changes the public said they wanted in the Strategy, and has included those recommendations that would improve our collective efforts to recover salmon. Sections in the Strategy which referred to 1999 proposed legislation have been removed if no action was taken by the Legislature. Recent state legislation, Senate Bill 5595, the Salmon Recovery Funding Act, requires the Governor to submit this document to the National Marine Fisheries Service and to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by September 1, 1999. The legislation also requires the Governor to begin revision of the Strategy in September, 2000, through public outreach efforts
A separate volume which includes additional, detailed information not included in the Strategy document will be available in late September.
A new volume, The Early Action Plan, which identifies specific activities related to salmon recovery that state agencies will undertake in the 1999-2001 biennium, the expected outcomes from those actions, and performance measures will also be available in late September. We encourage you to visit the site for up-to-date information on these activities.
The Statewide Strategy to Recover Salmon is intended to be a guide for what needs to be done to recover salmon. We recognize that the process of salmon recovery will continue to remain dynamic as well as difficult. It will take all levels of government, business, environmentalists, and the public working together if we are to be successful. The Strategy will provide all these interests with the kinds of information they need to make informed decisions about how they want to address the critical task of restoring our salmon runs.
As many of you pointed out in your comments, saving salmon is also about preserving our watersheds, insuring we have adequate clean, cool water for fish and people, and providing the quality of life that we in the Northwest want and expect to have. And, to do all of this while maintaining a healthy and vibrant economy. This is the challenge the Strategy attempts to reflect.