An Unlikely Solution: Article Critique
Salmon are of
great importance to many Native American tribes, including the Winnemem Wintu
tribe of Northern California. The tribe and the Chinook salmon that they
cherish have been adversely affected by the construction of the Shasta Dam. The
tribe has dedicated themselves to rejuvenating and protecting the salmon in the
McCloud River, and they have found an unlikely solution to doing so. Chinook
roe from the McCloud was introduced into a New Zealand river many years ago.
The species survived the transition to a new environment and developed into a
stable fishery. The article Tribe Travels Across Pacific to Recover Lost
Salmon Species discusses the Winnemem Wintu’s plan to reintroduce these
salmon from the New Zealand river back into the McCloud. The Winnemem Wintu’s
unique approach has the potential to solve the salmon depletion problem.
The impressive
Shasta dam was constructed from 1938-1945, during the great depression (USBR,
pg. 4). The dam created beautiful Lake Shasta, where I
enjoyed many hot summer days during my childhood. It also
provides electrical power to the area, is a safeguard against flooding, and
provides year-round water flow for California’s considerable needs.
Shasta dam has its benefits, but it also has many devastating side
effects. Some of these side effects include diminishing salmon runs and water
coverage of previously inhabited land, including the Winnemem Wintu’s village.
Since the construction of Shasta dam, 15 of the 18
historical Chinook runs have vanished, including that of the McCloud River. The
article also argues that the Sacramento River salmon that have survived to this
day are not as healthy as they once were due to poor river management and dangerous
contaminants in the water. Without intervention, Chinook may become completely
extinct from the region. Removal of the dam is something that the article does
not discuss, but it would be the most effective way to bring prosperity back to
the salmon. Unfortunately, the dam’s benefits are too important for its
destruction to be seen as a likely solution. Therefore, alternative options
must be explored in order to save the salmon.
The Winnemem Wintu have been a salmon-based
community for hundreds of years, but they no longer have any salmon. They have
faced the loss of their village, their salmon, and their way of life. Most
community members are suffering with debt and low standards of living. The
tribe is devastated by the way they and the salmon have been treated by the
nonindigenous population, and are now fighting back. One of the tribe’s members
said when they first became dependent on the salmon that “it was salmon who gave us their voice, and we promised
to always speak for them in return” (Dadigan; 2011).
Before
the Shasta dam was constructed, a hatchery was built on the McCloud. The
hatchery raised McCloud Chinook and exported them to places all around the
world, including the Rakaia River of New Zealand. The tribe developed the plan
of reintroducing the Chinook from the Rakaia River back into the local
waterways. The tribe desires to bring these salmon all the way across the world
instead of introducing the local salmon from the Sacramento River; this is
because of the genetic purity and lack of disease of the New Zealand salmon.
They also believe that the salmon will be genetically inclined to follow the
same difficult spawn up the McCloud waterfalls that their ancestors did. Two
creeks would be opened up so that the salmon could bypass the dam. New
Zealand’s fishery department is in support of the plan and shares the tribe’s
goal of getting salmon back into the McCloud.
Although some people are skeptical of the
Winnemem Wintu’s plan, with enough support and luck it could become reality.
The Winnemem Wintu have lost a key element of their
culture, and are willing to go to great lengths to restore it for future
generations. They have even begun to create a documentary about their venture
to bring the salmon home. With their extreme level of ambition and motivation
to reach their goal, they may stand a good chance of achieving it. The
obstacles that stand in their way may be large, but are surmountable.
There are several obstacles hindering the
Winnemem Wintu’s plan that were discussed in the article. A proposal to raise
the height of the dam is one such obstacle. Raising the height of the dam would
submerge important parts of the potential habitat and would destroy the chances
of the salmon’s survival. Another potential problem is a proposal by PG&E
Hydroelectric Project that would affect the size and temperature of the river,
thus affecting it’s habitability. The article suggests that the largest
obstacle that the Winnemem Wintu will have to face is securing cooperation of
government agencies and other stakeholders. The Winnemem Wintu need their
assistance and support to complete every step of their plan: from creating the
salmon run to maintaining sufficient habitat throughout the years. The
government has been hesitant to begin such a partnership. Many regulations
would have to be created and a lot of work would have to be done. The
government knows, however, that action needs to be taken to improve the habitat
if any salmon are to survive in the region. Under the Endangered Species Act,
the government is required to protect and improve the native Chinook
populations. It is also realized that the tribe’s proposal would be cheaper
than the alternatives. Because of this, they are likely to comply with the
tribe’s plan. There is however, an even more prominent problem that the article
only briefly brushed over. The Chinook have been living in the Rakaia River for
over a hundred years. The habitat of the Rakaia is very different from that of
the McCloud and the species has evolved since they were introduced through
natural selection. Depending on how much they have evolved, their genetics may
not match that of the McCloud Chinook species anymore. If this is the case, the
project will not be successful.
The newspaper
article Tribe Travels Across Pacific to Recover Lost Salmon Species was
meant to be more informative than scholarly. It was written by Marc Dadigan in
August 2011, and copyrighted by California Watch. The Center for Investigative
Reporting, owns California Watch. Because The Center for Investigative
Reporting is a nonpartisan and nonprofit company, they would have no reason to
skew the information.
The article goes in depth about the lives of
the Winnemem Wintu tribe. It discusses their ceremonies, rituals, and how
their way of life has changed. It was not perfectly written, but still succeeds
at informing its readers about the interesting plan of the Winnemem Wintu tribe.
Their plan still has a chance of success, and that is enough to keep their
hopes and efforts working towards achieving it.
Bibliography
Dadigan, M. (2011, 08, 31). California Watch. Tribe
travels across Pacific to recover lost salmon species.
Shasta Unit map from River Pirate Guide Service. http://www.riverpirate.com/shasta.asp
http://www.winnememwintu.us/
U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of
Reclamation (USBR). Reclamation: Managing Water in the West. Shasta Dam: A Tour
Through Time. http://www.usbr.gov/mp/ncao/shasta/virtual_tour.pdf
