All articles tagged with #columbia river
Swimmer's itch, a skin rash caused by parasites from infected snails, has been reported in the Tri-Cities area along the Columbia River. It is not contagious and typically resolves on its own, but precautions such as avoiding marshy areas and showering after swimming are recommended.
President Trump withdrew the U.S. from a 2023 agreement aimed at restoring salmon populations in the Columbia River Basin, citing concerns over energy resources and climate change, despite opposition from tribes and environmental groups who see it as a setback for fish conservation and regional progress.
The Biden administration has committed over $200 million to fully fund Native tribes' plans to reintroduce salmon in the upper Columbia River basin, more than 80 years after the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam rendered the fish extinct in parts of Washington, Idaho, and British Columbia. This unprecedented federal support is a course correction from previous resistance by some federal agencies to tribal salmon restoration efforts. The tribes' long-term plan involves building hatcheries, releasing fish into waters above the dam, and developing techniques to pass fish safely around the dams. The agreement also recognizes the federal government's violations of tribal fishing rights and aims to rectify past wrongs.