Tippets: False Carbon Neutrality of Hydropower, LGN Project Proposed on the Skeena, Mining on The Smith River, Benefits of Wood in Habitat Recovery

October 12, 2016 By: Erin Block

  • Once praised as a carbon neutral power source, Washington State University researchers have learned that reservoirs behind hydroelectric dams “produce much more methane, a potent greenhouse gas, than previously understood.” Via The Seattle Times.
  • The Canadian government has approved a $36 billion liquefied natural gas project just south of Prince Rupert, British Columbia. The project has raised concerns with First Nations and environmentalists, as “The export terminal would be built at the mouth of the Skeena River, a delicate wild salmon habitat on the second-largest salmon river in BC,” reports Hilary Beaumont via Vice.
  • The Smith River runs from southwestern Oregon to the California coast and holds some of the best steelhead habitat around. However, the river is threatened by mining proposals from foreign investors. Voice your opinion in favor of protecting this river and fish population.
  • Wood plays a large part in the health of stream ecosystems for salmon. A recent article by Emily Howe and Erica Sloniker details work being done by The Nature Conservancy for Pacific Northwest salmon. “Once in the water, large wood initiates log jams that in turn increase natural scour, create new pools and deepen existing ones, provide slow-water refuge for juvenile fish, create gravel beds for nesting, trap nutrients in streams, and increase food availability.”