Posts Tagged ‘Dams’
Government Actions Will Harm Endangered Southern Resident orcas
Recent government actions in the Pacific Northwest are moving projects forward that would significantly harm the critically endangered Southern Resident orca community that lives off the western coasts of Canada and the United States. Despite objections from WDC and partner organizations, the US Navy is planning to implement their Northwest Training and Testing plan, which…
Read More#MigrationNation – Salmon and Clean Energy
The four Lower Snake River dams have impeded access to salmon’s historic spawning grounds for decades. Removing these dams is the best chance to help restore this vital salmon run, an important food source to the critically endangered Southern Resident orcas. In this week’s #MigrationNation, we’re sharing an op-ed from our partners in the Northwest…
Read More#MigrationNation – In Memory Of
As WDC’s office in North America enjoys the Thanksgiving holiday season with family and friends, we would like to take some time to honor the members of the critically endangered Southern Resident orca community who were lost this year. Southern Resident orcas are incredibly social and family-oriented, and most offspring, both male and female, stay…
Read More#MigrationNation – A New Chance to Act
The Southern Resident orcas are starving to death. This unique orca community is down to just 80 individuals in the wild. We’ve lost two important adult females – the young, reproductive-aged J28, and the matriarch J14 – and one young calf just since the end of summer. As wild salmon populations continue to decline in…
Read MoreSuperpod Recap: Orcas in the Northwest
I recently returned from beautiful San Juan Island in Washington State, attending the 5th Superpod orca symposium – my third time attending and presenting on WDC’s work to protect orcas around the world. Superpod continues to grow every year, with more speakers from diverse fields and an increasing audience of “orca-holics” from all over the world. …
Read MoreMatriarch of Southern Resident orca community missing
In troubling news out of the Pacific Northwest, the Center for Whale Research announced this week that one of the critically endangered Southern Resident orcas, Samish (J14) is missing and is presumed dead. Samish is a 42-year-old matriarch in J pod, well-known to orca researchers and whale watchers in the area. For these tightly-knit, family-oriented…
Read MoreThe Klamath Undammed – a win for endangered orcas
April 6, 2016: A win for the endangered orcas After nearly a decade of negotiations and multiple efforts to have legislation passed by Congress, PacifiCorp, the company that owns four dams on the Klamath River of Oregon and California, has signed an agreement to remove the four Klamath River dams by 2020! The critically endangered…
Read MoreOne of new Southern Resident orca calves missing
WDC is saddened to share the news from our colleagues at the Center for Whale Research (CWR) that newest calf in the critically endangered Southern Resident orca population, J55, is missing and presumed dead. J55 was first seen in mid-January swimming with the J14 family group. His or her mother was never confirmed, as the…
Read MoreMayday Monday – Depleted Salmon Stocks
Primary Threat #1: Depleted Salmon Stocks The fates of Resident orcas in the Pacific Northwest and their salmon prey are one and the same. The extent of this relationship is reflected in an old tribal adage, “no fish, no Blackfish.” The availability and abundance of salmon is the most influential threat to the Southern Residents’ recovery.…
Read MoreWas 2015 the last chance for restoring the Klamath?
Sadly, another year has ended with no Congressional action on the Klamath agreements, and this time it spells serious trouble for the future of this historic compromise. A key component of the Klamath agreements is the removal of four dams on the Klamath River, a much-needed step to help struggling salmon populations in California, especially…
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