Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - August 11, 1997
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Gov. Locke calls today's endangered listing of steelhead a wake-up call

OLYMPIA - Gov. Gary Locke today called the listing of some Washington wild steelhead runs for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act a wake-up call. He urged decisive action to restore and enhance wild steelhead and salmon runs.

The National Marine Fisheries Service today listed upper Columbia River steelhead as endangered and Snake River steelhead as threatened with extinction. They were among 10 listing decisions from the federal agency for wild steelhead in Oregon, Idaho, California and Washington.

The federal listings are the first of several expected for Washington wild salmon and related fish over the next year and a half. The National Marine Fisheries Service today delayed until February a decision on whether to list lower Columbia wild steelhead for protection.

"We have a tremendous stewardship challenge ahead," said Locke. "No one wants to see the last wild steelhead and salmon runs die. We must work with our neighboring states, the tribes, local communities and private landowners to make our rivers and streams places where fish can thrive once again.

"Healthy wild salmon and steelhead runs are vital to our economy and our quality of life," Locke added. "If we don't act ourselves, the federal courts are likely to take control over every decision that could affect the rivers and streams where wild salmon and steelhead live. We would lose control over our own destiny and our utilities. Businesses and private landowners would lose certainty over their future."

Locke announced he is collaborating with Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, Idaho Gov. Phil Batt and California Gov. Pete Wilson in a new effort to restore wild steelhead runs. The four states have begun to develop wild steelhead restoration plans modeled after Oregon's successful plan for coastal salmon.

"Oregonians on the coast already are working hard to restore coho salmon," said Gov. Kitzhaber. "Restoring our steelhead runs, which extend through much more of the state, will take an even greater effort. I am very pleased to cooperate with our neighbor states in this effort, and I am confident we can restore our fish populations faster through our voluntary, collaborative plans."

Locke was joined at a news conference by Washington's Fish and Wildlife Director Bern Shanks, Fish and Wildlife Commission Chair Lisa Pelly, Commissioner of Public Lands Jennifer Belcher, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission Chairman Billy Frank and Washington Forest Protection Association Executive Director Bill Wilkerson.

"These listings underscore the importance of the state's Wild Salmonid Policy that is due for adoption this year," said Shanks, director of Fish and Wildlife. "This policy will serve as the road map for rebuilding all our wild steelhead, salmon and trout stocks. Most importantly, the policy's goal is to return these stocks to healthy, sustainable levels, not just to avoid the minimum standards of the federal Endangered Species Act."

"We must work together to find the answers to all of our natural resource management problems and challenges to the integrity of our wildlife and fish habitat," said Frank, chairman of Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission.

Gov. Locke noted a variety of programs already are under way that will help restore troubled wild salmon and steelhead runs. He praised Murray Pacific, Plum Creek Timber, Port Blakely Timber and Commissioner Jennifer Belcher for completing habitat restoration plans for approximately two million acres of timberland.

Mid-Columbia River public utilities are in the final stages of habitat conservation plans for their area and the Seattle Water Department is finalizing its conservation plan for the Cedar River, the governor noted.

"These are the kinds of efforts we now must move toward with urgency statewide," said Locke. "We must act to save the salmon, the icon of the Northwest."

Bill Wilkerson, executive director of Washington Forest Protection Association said "We're thrilled that Governor Locke is stepping forward taking a leadership role in habitat protection. The forest products industry will work very hard with the governor to develop solutions that allow us to continue to grow trees and at the same time rebuild our salmon and steelhead runs."

Commissioner Jennifer Belcher said, "The state and some timber companies have made a tremendous effort to assure habitat protection in our forests. It's time for other landowners to join with us. It's going to take all of us together to make this work.

"The ecosystem standards we've adopted for state-owned agricultural and grazing lands are good standards that help salmon and steelhead, and the fish will have a better chance of survival if other agricultural landowners would adopt them voluntarily," Belcher continued. "In order for landowners, communities and industries to work together to save our fish, it's very important for the federal government to issue good, clear guidelines so we know what it is that we're prohibited from doing."

In California's San Joaquin Valley, irrigators lost 25 percent of their water in one federal court case fighting the Federal Endangered Species Act. In another California case, several irrigation district contracts to receive water were revoked and land managers were required to address Endangered Species Act issues. In Oregon's Klamath Basin, a federal court ruled that water had to be managed to benefit a listed species. Here in Washington State, a recent National Marine Fisheries Service action restricted the continued development of state issued water rights.

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