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CONCLUSION 



If we do not act now we will we stand to lose much of what makes the Pacific Northwest 

 unique. We will lose a significant aspect of our region's sustainable economy. The 

 Pacific Northwest salmon are an indicator of our regional watershed health. Their loss 

 will surely be followed by a number of other less visible riverine and riparian organisms. 

 If we do not act we will be mandated to action as a society by provisions of the 

 Endangered Species Act. Salmon species will be listed as endangered and recovery 

 plans will be developed and implemented to recover and restore their critical habitat. We 

 can either go forward with a proactive plan or wait and find ourselves facing a more 

 significant crisis. We will end with the loss of species, loss of jobs, and a loss to future 

 generations. 



We do not have adequate scientific or management infrastructures to deal with the scale 

 of the crisis at hand. We need a new interdisciplinary, inter-agency and inter-university 

 regional initiative where watershed- level issues can be defined and solved. New 

 professional resource stewards need to be trained. We have the collective expertise in 

 our universities, local, state, and federal agencies, Indian Tribes, private industry, local, 

 and state governments necessary to pursue a regional watershed effort. 



Our watersheds, if provided with adequate protection and nurture, will supply us with 

 many ecological services into the future. We can leave our children a regional legacy of 

 ecological health based upon ecosystem restoration and the sustainable use of our rivers, 

 streams and watersheds. Finally, understanding and integrating human activities into the 

 watershed management process must be achieved if the region is to attain any form of 

 sustainability (Ruckelshaus 1989, Naiman 1992). 



Robert J. Naiman 



Director, Center for Streamside Studies 



Kevin L. Fetherston 



Center for Streamside Studies 



Address: Center for Streamside Studies 

 AR-10 



University of Washington 

 Seattle. Washington 98195 



Telephone: (206) 543-6920 

 FAX: (206) 543-3254 



Acknowledgments. The authors would like to thank Dr. Rick Edwards and Jennifer 

 Sampson for their constructive comments on this manuscript. 



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