Following Dam Removals & Bypasses, "Stunning" Recovery For Alewife Populations In Multiple Maine Rivers

[2naSalit]

7. Pacific Salmon...

Are considered a keystone species, for the reasons mentioned about the Alewife, they feed the forests of Idaho and Utah. No other species bring ocean derived nutrients that far inland, nutrients essential for healthy forests from microbial communities up the food chain to grizzly bears, the top carnivore. Even the trees and pther flora are fed by the salmon return.

One of the reasons, besides other human encroachments, inland forests of the northern Rockies are suffering from diseases and pestilence is due to the dams on the Columbia River. The flora benefit from the leavings after animals have eaten and spread fish remains all over the place, the nitrogen and phosphates from the ocean are crucial to forest health. They don't get that far inland any other way.

I fought, for years, to have them removed, along with thousands of other concerned citizens.