Idaho Rivers United

Soon, the U.S. Forest Service is expected to release a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Draft Record of Decision (ROD) for the Stibnite Gold Project in Valley County, Idaho.

The Stibnite Gold Project is a massive gold mine proposed in the headwaters of the East Fork of the South Fork Salmon River adjacent to the Frank Church–River of No Return Wilderness Area. The area within and surrounding the proposed mine is part of the Indigenous homelands of the Nez Perce Tribe who have reserved the right to fish, hunt, gather, and pasture at traditional places in their 1855 Treaty with the United States.

The project poses both short- and long-term threats to Tribal interests, water quality, salmon and bull trout; wolverines and other wildlife, and human health.

Sign up for our newsletters and stay informed about the status of the Stibnite Gold Project and ways they can support our organizations’ efforts to !

PC:

Idaho Rivers United and 94.9 The River radio station are partnering to host an end of float season Boise River Clean-up on Saturday, September 7, 2024 with an afterparty to follow.

Volunteers will meet IRU staff at Payette Brewing located at 733 S. Pioneer Street at 10AM. From Payette Brewing you will head out to clean an assigned section of the Greenbelt. Clean-up ends at 12PM and we will all meet back at Payette Brewing for an afterparty hosted by 94.9 The River.

To join us for this fun, family friendly event, please fill out the VOLUNTEER WAIVER on our website at www.idahorivers.org/volunteer-waiver or link in bio.
Special thanks to our sponsors & Payette Brewing for hosting us. Thank you for joining us to keep the Boise River clean!

PC: IRU @94.9theriver

ATTENTION - SAWTOOTH SALMON FEST IN STANLEY IS CANCELED.

After seeing winds change and fires move in the last 24 hours in the Stanley area, IRU and the Sawtooth Association have decided to CANCEL Sawtooth Salmon Festival.

If you’re in the area or at Redfish Lake and want to learn about salmon we will have fish experts at the Museum and the Redfish Lake Visitors Center. Please share this widely with contacts who were planning on attending the events this weekend.

For more information to https://custercountyidaho.org/departments/executive/emergency-services/.

Thank you for understanding, safety is our first priority.
Stay safe,
Idaho Rivers United & the Sawtooth Association

Have you ever seen WILD salmon spawning in some of the most pristine habitat in the world? It's one of the most amazing experiences and reminds us why we're fighting so hard to protect this iconic, keystone species.

Come to our FREE Sawtooth Salmon Festival this weekend in in the Sawtooth Mountains valley in beautiful Stanley, Idaho (Saturday, 8/24) and you'll have the chance to witness one of the greatest migrations! Our staff and fish experts will be there to give you a tour to see salmon and celebrate them.

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING: Statement on behalf of Idaho Rivers United and the Sawtooth Association for Sawtooth Salmon Festival 2024:

As many of you know there are multiple wildfires in the state and Stanley area, with smoke impacting air quality and road closures. Our organizations, who are hosting this annual event in Stanley on Saturday, August 24th, are advising that attendees be flexible and nimble with travel plans and health needs during this time period due to smoke conditions.

We will still host this event – yet it might change as weather and air conditions continue to evolve in the next few days. Please understand that we are doing our best to put on and ensure a great event, and that we want everyone to stay safe. Please check our website, social media and other travel information to stay informed. We still hope to see you there and thank you for understanding that mother nature is ultimately in control. Thank you!

PC: IRU staff

It’s time to let go of the fear of change. It is brother salmon’s turn, not ours anymore.

Our connection to salmon runs stronger than dams, and it is this connection to the natural world that we have to remember is most important. As life continuously asks us to live and work at a faster pace, it’s critical to slow down and think about our actions. Do we want to let a keystone species go extinct on our watch, or do we want to move into the future of new energy sources and restore the lifeblood of our planet – rivers?

PC: ID Fish & Game

Hey friends! Are you signed up to get the IRU newsletter, The Currently? IRU's monthly e-newsletter keeps you informed on our river conservation news, events, and stories from around the state and region. We're asking all of our supporters this month to spread the word, sign up and grow our conservation community.

You may notice a few things look a bit different on our newsletter and website, and we're excited to roll out new ways to share our work and get you involved.

Whether you're a new or seasoned Currently subscriber, thank you for being here. Our work is not possible without your support, and all of us at IRU truly appreciate you – our community of river stewards, advocates, and voices near and far are who make it all possible.

Sign up at the link in our bio or at www.idahorivers.org/email-sign-up.

PC:

Thank you, Sen. PattyMurray, for your leadership to draft and unanimously pass the Energy & Water Appropriations Act w/o the anti-salmon BPA rider and w/ funding for programs that benefit salmon and steelhead!

ACT NOW: Take action in our bio or at www.idahorivers.org/take-action to oppose harmful bill language that threatens salmon. The Section 513 rider threatens salmon recovery and the federal government’s obligations to Tribes in the Columbia River Basin. The recent Tribal Circumstances Analysis highlights the deep harm caused by the Columbia River hydro system. Let’s ensure the U.S. honors our moral and legal responsibilities to Northwest Tribes.
Graphic:

Please join us for the 30th Annual Benefit for our Rivers & celebrate the legacy of IRU’s river conservation success!

Get tickets (in our bio!) and save the date for our in person celebration at Barber Park Education & Event Center in Boise on October 17th. Catering from and an open bar!

Learn more about the event at www.idahorivers.org/annual-benefit and stay tuned for event details. Reach out to [email protected] if you’d like to be on an auction committee planning committee or have questions.

See you there!

Watercolor art by the talented IRU board member

Here's a quick breakdown of a dammed Snake vs. free-flowing Salmon River:

The Problem - Lower Snake River Dams:
🌊 The 1,078 miles of the Snake River flow through Wyoming, Idaho, and Washington state making it the ninth longest river in the United States and has been occupied by First Nations for time immemorial. However, 140 miles of the river is throttled by four dams on the Lower Snake River. This creates a large reservoir upstream of each dam and narrows the river downstream. The negative impacts of these dams is multifold: pushing salmon runs to extinction, driving heat pollution into the river, and creating harmful toxic algal blooms that make the river unsafe for people, pets and wildlife.

The Solution – A Free Flowing River:
🌊 Riverside communities that are built on Idaho’s recreation economy are suffering. Over the last 30 years, the best available science has consistently demonstrated that the four Lower Snake River Dams are the greatest contributors to the loss of Idaho’s salmon, and therefore contributes in decline of fishing tourism. The Lower Salmon River provides critical habitat for Endangered Species Act-listed anadromous salmonids and supports other native fish species such as white sturgeon, westslope cutthroat trout, and lamprey.

PC: IRU staff

Save the date and join us for the ultimate Boise River clean-up! Idaho Rivers United and 94.9 The River radio station are partnering to host an end of float season clean-up on Saturday, September 7, 2024.

🌊 Volunteers will meet IRU staff at located at 733 S. Pioneer Street at 10AM.

🌊 To join us for this fun, family friendly event as an individual, group, or organization, please fill out the volunteer form at the link in our bio or on our home page at www.idahorivers.org.

🌊We will be providing you with the supplies needed to clean the banks of the Boise River and the clean-up will go from 10:30-12:00 PM. Following the cleanup all volunteers are invited to join us for an afterparty at Payette Brewing from 12PM - 2PM, all volunteers that participated in the event will be entered in to win raffle prizes – must be present to win.

PC: IRU .Lifestyle

We're getting excited for Sawtooth Salmon Fest coming up on August 24th! Mark your calendars and join us as we boogie down to the and opener @!

"Keeping Americana alive in an Indie Rock world. David Henry brings elements of country, folk, rock, and soul. Full free melodies, driving rhythm, and fiery songwriting make Mr. Henry puts on a great show."

"Bread & Circus play melodically stout, catchy yet kitschy boogie rock music with a pinch of white bread soul - rolled out and played with an improvisational style all their own. Originally composed songs played in earnest and always with honesty jam-packed with a creative and expressive nature."

See you there for this FREE family friendly event. More info at www.idahorivers.org/sawtooth-salmon-festival.

One of IRU's amazing board members just did a South Fork of the Salmon River lap – congratulations to loving this place and paddling it again and again !

"This was my 27th SFS trip and the best one yet! Great paddlers and rapids. This river deserves all the protection we can give it," she said.

To learn more about IRU's work to protect the South Fork, go to www.idahorivers.org /stibnite and why we must all speak up to stop Perpetua Resources' destruction and lies to the local communities. You can also take action for mining reform at www.idahorivers.org/take-action.

PC: Roger Goth & Devon Barker

Join IRU at Pettit Lake at 10am to kick off Sawtooth Salmon Festival on Saturday, August 24th!

Sockeye salmon sometimes spawn naturally in Pettit Lake, Idaho, which is located in the Sawtooth Basin. Sockeye salmon swim 900 miles from the Pacific Ocean to reach the basin, climbing over 6,000 vertical feet in the process. Historically, around 50–60% of sockeye that cross Lower Granite Dam eventually make it to the Sawtooth Basin. However, in 2021, no sockeye salmon were able to swim back to Pettit Lake due to high water temperatures on the Snake River. In these hot waters, sockeye can become susceptible to parasites and stop migrating, eventually perishing.

Shoshone-Bannock Tribes have both worked on projects to help sockeye salmon in the area. Meet us there to learn more about the work happening to restore sockeye populations to central Idaho.

PC: IRU staff

We'd like to give a huge thanks and shoutout to our partners ! They are an incredible conservation organization that IRU has worked with for years, and involved in our salmon recovery coalition.

In late June, their pilots took reporters, policy makers, and NGOs for flights over the Lower Snake River dams to discuss clean energy solutions and to see how the federal hydro-system creates large stagnant reservoirs that elevate river water temperatures. This can be lethal to cold-water fish, such as salmon and steelhead. The longer and higher temperatures rise above 68°F the greater the harm to salmon and steelhead.

We're looking forward to the next round of flights and are incredibly grateful to work with everyone ! Thank you!

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A WIN AGAINST STIBNITE MINE! IRU and our partners are thrilled to share this good news as we continue to fight Perpetua Resources to protect this watershed.

On July 11, 2024, the Boise National Forest released a letter to the general public announcing that the Forest Service has withdrawn its approval of Perpetua Resources’ Burntlog Route Geophysical Investigations Project.

Perpetua Resources has identified the Burntlog Route as its preferred access route to the controversial Stibnite Gold Project, a proposed open pit cyanide vat leach mine underneath the riverbed of the East Fork South Fork Salmon River.

“We are pleased to see that the Forest Service has withdrawn approval of the Burntlog Geophysical Investigations Project,” said Julia Thrower of Mountain Top Law, who represents the conservation groups. “The option of accessing the proposed Stibnite Gold Mine via the Burntlog Route should be analyzed in conjunction with the overall mining operation rather than as a stand-alone project.”

Our full press release can be found at www.idahorivers.org/press-releases titled, "Forest Service withdraws approval of Perpetua Resources’ Burntlog Route Geophysical Investigations Project."

PC:

ACT NOW: Oppose harmful bill language that threatens salmon!

The Section 513 rider threatens salmon recovery and the federal government’s obligations to Tribes in the Columbia River Basin. The recent Tribal Circumstances Analysis highlights the deep harm caused by the Columbia River hydro system. Let’s ensure the U.S. honors our moral and legal responsibilities to Northwest Tribes.

Graphics:

NEW TAKE ACTION ALERT FOR SALMON TO CONTINUE TO HOLD BPA ACCOUNTABLE!

The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) is rushing a decision that would fracture any potential single energy market across the West. Major utilities, clean energy advocates, salmon supporters, and many stakeholders agree that coalescing around a single connected, independently governed Western energy market would unlock the clean energy resource potential of the region, and maintain an affordable and reliable energy system in the midst of increasing electricity demand and a changing climate.

This decision would represent a huge missed opportunity for what a single, unified energy market could provide - namely offsetting hydropower generation in the Northwest, and easing pressure on salmon and other native fish in the river.

Ask BPA for more information on its markets decision and to delay their process until all information on both markets is fully available and a complete analysis is made public. This is a critical component in the effort to replace the energy services the lower Snake River dams provide while delivering a clean energy future to the region.

Link is in our bio or visit www.idahorivers.org/take-action. Thank you for speaking up for salmon and steelhead!
PC: IRU

🌊 Have you gotten your raft raffle tickets yet? You could win a sweet new boat from ? Our friends and are throwing down again, and all proceeds support us at Idaho Rivers United.

🌊 Check out the boat specs of the bigger, younger brother of the Maravia Lil Wave:
- Perfect for tight squeezes and great for big water
- Lightweight & Sporty
- Made with durable class VI PVC fabric
- Welded Thermofused Seams (no glue)
- Seamless Encapsulation
- Tough Urethane Coating
- Dropstitch Self Bailing Floor
- 10 year limited Warranty

🌊 Tickets start at $10 and you can get some by buying some sweet merch, beer, or just the ticket ! Hit the link in our bio or visit www.idahorivers.org/swag to get yours and cheers to our rivers!
PC:

Hey Boise area river lovers! Join IRU for our various Boise River clean ups this month. Thank you for keeping our home river clean and enjoyable for everyone.

🌊 July 17th from 6-8pm - Adopt-the Greenbelt! Our adopted section of the Greenbelt runs through the heart of downtown from Capitol Boulevard to Broadway Avenue.
🌊 July 24th from 6-8pm with Lead River Steward Kayla is organizing Boise River clean-ups that will start at the Greenbelt parking lot at the corner of Marigold & Glenwood in Garden City, ID
🌊 July 27th fromm 10:30 am - 12:30 pm with URS Lead River Stewards Madeleine and Kendall. Meet at the Greenbelt parking lot at the corner of Beacon & Parkcenter Blvd.

**Note: Madeleine and Kendall will also be conducting a water quality test prior to the start of the clean-up at 10:00AM and are inviting you to join and learn about the health of the Boise River. To sign-up please visit www.idahorivers.org/volunteer or the link in our bio to fill out the form. Please email questions to [email protected].
PC: IRU staff

IRU and our parters coalition are working together to "Clean Kilgore" and stop a mining project from destroying an incredible landscape, wildlife habitat and destruction to waterways about 60 miles west of Yellowstone National Park. An open-pit, heap-leach, cyanide gold mine in the Centennials threatens the cold, clear creeks that begin in the foothills. These creeks recharge the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer, which is the only source of clean drinking water for 300,000 people in Rexburg, Idaho Falls, Twin Falls, and the
surrounding communities.

"The Kilgore Gold Exploration Project threatens the landscape forever and would pollute this quiet corner of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem with toxic, industrial mining waste," said the coalition's report. "The rivers and aquifer that support and sustain the mighty agricultural economy of Idaho and provide clean drinking water supplies to communities for miles and miles downstream."

Without action, foreign-owned Excellon Resources will make this landscape unrecognizable. The financially unstable mining corporation has the go-ahead to build 10 miles of new roads, 140 drill pads, and 420 exploration drill holes on the mountainside above West Camas and Corral Creeks. Together, we can stop the Kilgore Project and protect this unspoiled piece of the Centennial Mountains for generations to come by the local citizens saying no to cyanide and Congress putting our outdoor heritage first.

Stay tuned as we continue to work on this project and visit protectkilgore.org for more information.
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Join IRU and our artist in residence for a Salmon Sip n' Paint Night in Stanley, ID on Friday, August 23rd the night before Sawtooth Salmon Festival!

One ticket to sip ‘n paint a salmon with professional artist Stacey Barker of Barking Goat Studios. Ticket includes materials, instruction and one beverage of choice. Thanks to Sawtooth Spirit for hosting us!

Idaho is home to 107,651 miles of river, and Idaho Rivers United is the only conservation organization in our state focused exclusively on the health and protections of our incredible river resources.

Our rivers are one of Idaho’s most cherished assets and should remain protected, healthy, and wild. We work to increase river protections throughout the state through increasing Idaho’s Wild & Scenic River designations, water policy, education, and advocacy.

If you love a river, join us! www.idahorivers.org/join
PC: IRU staff

🇺🇸 Happy 4th of July from IRU! 🇺🇸

A friendly reminder to always wear your PFDs (dogs too!) and to recreate and enjoy the weekend responsibly. Respect the river - she is and always will be stronger that us. From our crew to yours, have fun and be safe on the water everyone!

PC: IRU staff

“One final paragraph of advice: do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am - a reluctant enthusiast....a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it’s still here. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much; I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those desk-bound men and women with their hearts in a safe deposit box, and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this; You will outlive the bastards.” ― Edward Abbey

(Don't worry - we're still at our desks as FULL time crusaders fighting for our rivers, but also getting out there and enjoying them).
PC:

Calling all Middle Fork of the Salmon River guides! Check out this new, awesome citizen science program where you can help preserve the MF by doing an "adopt-a-camp" and documenting camp sites on the river.

The Middle Fork of the Salmon Adopt-a-Camp is a “guide lead” program that allows volunteer MF guides to keep close tabs on the natural changes of the designated camps along the Middle Fork of the Salmon River corridor. This natural resource is home to nearly 10,000 river floaters each summer and these camps take on different levels of use throughout the summer months.

Through the AAC program, the guides become stewards of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River corridor and can show hard evidence of changes or non changes to camps over time. If camps are continually over
impacted, we will then re-evaluate our great resource to find solutions to help repair or restore. If studies are only done when plant life is degraded late summer, then the full picture is not being seen. This affect could then limit these resources and possibly changing the structure of how trips are effectively run.

Email [email protected] to sign up and get involved!
Graphics: .dagny.rose

Meet another one of our 2024 River Ambassadors, Carson King - hailing from Pocatello, Idaho. Carson grew up boating and fishing with his family on the Salmon and Snake Rivers. After finishing high school, he became a river guide and moved down to Buena Vista, Colorado where he guides on Browns Canyon and The Numbers. Carson is also an avid private boater and fly fisherman which has taken him all over the west in search of wild fish and big whitewater.

Carson is a student at Idaho State University studying Environmental Science and Political Science, works in the Stream Ecology lab and studied food webs in Yellowstone NP and Big Creek on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, and has worked with the on salmon outreach.

"I have found great joy in connecting the recreation side of life with now the conservation and science side and am super excited to use my platform as a guide and wild river advocate with others in hopes to continue to protect the rivers we all love," he says. Give him a follow and stay tuned for Pocatello events!

PC:

Ask anyone who's paddled the East Fork South Fork Salmon River during spring run off what they think and you'll probably be faced with an ear to ear grin, tales of high water, camp life, and rounds of Yellow Pine golf.

Just downstream of the proposed Stibnite mine site, the EFSF is a true classic of Idaho boating. In true form, just because it's a road side run, it's known to deliver some of the best class IV+ whitewater to be found during early run off. Crystal clear water and granite rocks make it feel more akin to what you might expect to see in the Sierra's than Idaho.

We're determined to stop this mine and need your help. Take action at the link in our bio or at www.idahorivers.org/take-action

PC: IRU staff

Each month of summer we will highlight our Urban River Stewards and dates you can join them to take care of the Boise River! Here's our June lineup:

🌊 Join Lead Urban River Stewards Madeleine and Kendall for Boise River clean-ups that will start at the Greenbelt parking lot at the corner of Beacon St & Parkcenter Blvd on Friday, June 22nd (10:30 am - 12:30 pm). Madeleine and Kendall will also be conducting a water quality test prior to the start of the clean-up at 10:00AM and are inviting the community to join and learn about the health of the Boise River.

🌊 Join Lead River Steward Kayla for a Boise River clean-up that will start at the greenbelt parking lot at the corner of Marigold St & Glenwood St in Garden City, ID on June 26th (6-8 PM)

🌊 Join Lead River Steward Sam for a Boise River clean-up that will start at Veterans Memorial Park on June 27, 2024 from 5 PM - 7 PM.

Our Urban River Stewardship (URS) is a self-guided program designed to build stronger advocates for the Boise River through stewardship, education, and community engagement. Email [email protected] to sign up or learn more!

PC: IRU staff

Yesterday, on June 18th, the "Tribal Circumstances Analysis" was released which reiterates the importance of the United States' Government obligation to honor Treaty obligations and prevent salmon extinction. The Nez Perce Tribe released a press release in response to the analysis:

The comprehensive “Tribal Circumstances Analysis” report documents the devastating impacts of federal Columbia River dams on Columbia Basin Tribes and provides critical recommendations for upholding the federal government’s Treaty and trust responsibilities.

"The Tribal Circumstances Analysis is a stark reminder that the federal dams were built on the backs of our Tribal Nations and our people, and continue to decimate our salmon populations and our culture, sovereignty, and way of life.”

Idaho Rivers United stands in solidarity in support of the Tribes, as our coalition continues to urge the Bonneville Power Administration to align with the federal government's commitments to restore salmon populations to the Northwest. IRU, along with our litigation partners, will not stop working until dam removal is approved by Congress. With planning and engagement by federal agencies in the region, we can have a diverse, reliable, and clean energy grid alongside abundant runs of salmon, while meeting federal Treaty and trust responsibilities to Tribes – all to the benefit of our communities and local economies in Idaho and the Northwest.

PC: IRU