Giant Salmon Takes to the Road

For Immediate Release

April 15, 2008

Contact:
Emily Nuchols
emily@wildsalmon.org

Allen Harthorn
Friends of Butte Creek
allen@buttecreek.org

Dwindling Salmon Returns on West Coast Rivers, Plight of Fishermen Drives Renewed Push for Long-term solutions – Including the Removal of Four Lower Snake River Dams

WHAT: A coalition of commercial and sports fishermen and conservationists will arrive in Chico Friday to highlight the plight of Northwest salmon and the ongoing woes of the West Coast fishing industry. The road show features FIN, a two-ton, 25-foot steel and fiberglass salmon on wheels that is accompanying the coalition on their national tour to raise public awareness and advocate for long-term solutions to the salmon crisis. The tour will visit a number of California cities before a cross-country trip ending in D.C. The road show is urging elected officials to take steps necessary to protect and restore endangered salmon, including enacting long-term solutions such as the removal of the lower four federal dams on the Snake River.

WHO: Save Our Wild Salmon coalition: American Whitewater, Conservation Alliance, Federation of Fly Fishers, NW Energy Coalition, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, Patagonia, Sierra Club, Slow Food USA, Trout Unlimited.

WHEN: Friday, April 18, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

WHERE: Friends of Butte Creek will be hosting the giant salmon in Chico. The salmon will migrate up Big Chico Creek and back to downtown for a short visit. The expedition will continue on to Durham for a visit with the Durham Elementary students who have been involved in the Salmon in the Classroom program for many years. Children can actually climb inside the salmon to view educational materials.

After some time with the students, the salmon will migrate up Butte Creek to celebrate the return of the threatened Spring Run Chinook Salmon. Wild Butte Creek Spring Run Salmon are the only California run that is doing well. After the Butte Creek trip the salmon will continue back to Chico to raise a pint at Sierra Nevada Brewery and send FIN on her way. The complete route will be posted on the Friends of Butte Creek website at www.buttecreek.org.

WHY: The Save Our Wild Salmon national road show is focused on the need for political leadership to reverse the dramatic decline of wild salmon runs in the Northwest and on the West Coast. The road show’s Portland stop comes on the heels of last week’s meeting of the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC), which set catch quotas and canceled the Chinook salmon fishing season off the coasts of Oregon and California because of this year’s collapse of Sacramento River runs. Visiting more than 25 cities, the road show will rally new support for protecting Snake River salmon, the major tributary of the Columbia River - once the world’s most productive salmon river. Science shows that lower Snake River dam removal is essential to the protection and recovery of Columbia Basin salmon runs and will become even more important in light of global warming and other environmental factors. West Coast fishermen often ply the same fishing grounds so a significant decline in runs on one of these major salmon rivers impacts the livelihoods of fishermen and their communities up and down the coast.

PHOTO/VIDEO OPPORTUNITIES: FIN, a 25-foot steel and fiberglass fish, with children climbing and exploring the educational murals inside. Check out the blog.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: The Friends of Butte Creek are continuing the celebration of the return of the Wild Spring Run Chinook of Butte Creek on Saturday with the 2nd Annual Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival at the Paradise Performing Arts Center. A children’s matinee will begin at 2 pm and the evening program starts at 6 pm. The “Best of the Fest” film, The Edge of Eden, Living with Grizzlies, will be shown at both program, 3:30 at the matinee, and 8:30 during the evening. Refreshments, raffle items and lots of inspiration will be available. Full details are available at the Friends of Butte Creek website.

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