All of us in the Pacific Northwest want to preserve wild
salmon. Whether motivated by economic, recreational, or conservation concerns,
we all recognize Pacific Northwest salmon as a national treasure and appreciate
that salmon are critical to our economy, environment, and culture.
We have committed to a bipartisan, regional effort to fully explore salmon
issues and identify potential solutions. As we move toward these goals,
we want to ensure that we hear from all affected parties in a fair and
open manner.
In October of 2005 we held public meetings in Vancouver and Tacoma regarding
the impediments to returning adult salmon and steelhead. These meetings
had a broad array of participation from government agencies, tribal interests,
harvesters, sport fishermen, interest groups, and experts. Three more were held in 2006.
These meetings have proven invaluable in further educating us on the different
needs of the many stakeholders. However, there are still many people with
concerns, ideas, and information whom we have not yet heard from. Unfortunately,
time constraints prevent us from hearing from everyone in a public forum,
so we invite people to submit written comments to us.
Preserving Pacific Northwest wild salmon is a vast, complicated issue.
We sincerely hope you will take the time to share your written thoughts
on this issue with us.
Sincerely,
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Rep. Norm Dicks |
Rep. Greg Walden |
Rep. Brian Baird |
Previous meeting transcripts:
Vancouver Meeting - October
11, 2005 (5 meg- PDF File)
Puget Sound Meeting - October
12, 2005 (5 meg- PDF File)
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