Political Quotes

“most Americans think of the Northwest as a place of limitless natural bounty. They think of endless tracts of forest, cascading rivers, towering peaks, and abundant wildlife. More than anything else, they envision waters teaming with Pacific Salmon. I imagine, however, that people here in the Congress know better. All of you, my colleagues, and Members of the other body, have been refereeing debates over Northwest natural resources for years. More than anything, you probably think of the Northwest as the place the Northern Spotted Owl is endangered. Regrettably, I am here to talk about another crisis in natural resource stewardship: the decline of Pacific Salmon off the continental U.S. coast. Everywhere we look along the Pacific coast today, we see salmon runs in trouble. In the smallest coastal streams, to the most distant inland tributaries, returning wild salmon have dwindled year after year. Nowhere is this more pronounced than the Columbia River.”