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In shOTt, almost every segment of societv' has been affected by and pays heavy direct and mdirect ecological, financial, 

 and )ob-related costs for the degradation of the regions nvenne systems, fishenes and nvenne biodiversity, whether they 

 are aware of it or not. 



THE CAUSES OF THE PROBLEMS: Although the media has generally focused the problems on mamstem Columbia 

 dams, these types of broad rangmg problems cannot be blamed exclusively on dams, nor on excessive fishmg, or on 

 predatorb such as sea lions. Over 175 of the 214 at nsk sahnomds spawn outside of the Columbia basm, most m coastal 

 nven; unaffected by dams. Most of these species are not subject to commercial harvest. Poor ocean conditions, dams and 

 overharvest would not explam the vast number of npanan species or resident fish such as Bull Trout that are at nsk. 



The cumulative degradation of watershed ecosystems and the loss of nvenne habitat is the single most consistent 

 contnbutor to the dechne of the region's fishenes and nverine biodiversity. 



The cumulative result of the many human unpads on nvenne systems has been called "ecosystem simplification": huge 

 reductions m the life-supportmg complexity and diversity of watershed and nvenne ecosystems and habitats. 



In bnef, nvenne ecosystem and habitat simplificahon relates to: 1 ) changes m water quantity or flow due to irrigation 

 and other withdrawaU. 2) the modification of channel and npanan ecosystem morphology caused by dammmg, 

 reservou^. ehannehzadon, drainage and fiUmg of wetlands, and dredgmg for navigation, 3) excessive nonpomt-source 

 pollution, mcludmg erosion and sedimentation caused by damagmg land-use practices, mcluding agnculture, forestry, 

 and urbanization, 4) the detenoradon of substrate quahty or sUbility, 5) the degradation of chenucal water quality 

 through the addition of point-source contammants, 6) the dechne of native fish and other species from overharvest and 

 mtentional or accidental poisonmg. and, 7) the mtroduction of exotic species. 



Loss of Physical habitat: Many scientists have Imked the future of the regions native fishes directly to the changes m 

 the management of federal forests and other lands across the region. Loss of physical complexity m lowland nvers which 

 pnmanly flow through pnvate lands is extensive. Virtually all lowland nvers throughout the region have been 

 umversally degraded through channehzation. dikmg, leveemg, revettmg and nprappmg and excessive water withdrawals, 

 thereby discormectmg the nvers from theu- floodplains and groundwater systems. An estimated 70-90% of natural 

 npanan (streamside) vegetation, vital to maintainmg the mtegnty of nvenne ecosystems and biodiversity, has ah-eady 

 been lost due to human activities. Seventy percent of the region's nvers have been impaired by flow alteration. 



Loss of pnvate land lowland habitats has placed much of the burden of mamtammg the health of both nvenne 

 ecosystems and biodiversity on the federal forest lands m the region. While federal forest habitats have also been 

 degraded, the best remammg habitats are found m the federal forests pnmanly m unroaded, steep watersheds dommated 

 by old growth forests. 



Even on the federal forests nver reaches are degraded. Recent research has documented that fish habitat on National 

 Forests and other lands currently has fewer pools, higher fme sediments m spawmng gravels and fragmented npanan 

 vegeution than is healthy. For example, the number of large deep pools m many tnbulanes of the Columbia nver have 

 decreased m the past 50 years m resurveys completed between 1989 and 1992 by Forest Service researchers. Overall 

 there has been a 30 to 70 percent reduction m the number of large, deep pools ( >6ft. deep and > 50 yd surface area) 

 on National Forests withm anadromous fish m the past 50 years. A similar trend has been found m streams on pnvate 

 lands m coastal and eastern Oregon, Washmgton, and Idaho where large deep pools have decreased by 60-80 percent. 

 Large pools are unportant for anadromous fish as holdmg areas for adults for spawning, refuge from drought and wmter 

 icmg, mamtenance of fish commumty biodiversity and juvenile fish rearing areas. 



The primary reasons for these losses are mcreased sediments, loss of stream sinuosity by chaimelizaUon and loss of 

 woody debns and other pool formmg structures. Only m a few watersheds are exceptions to this trend: the Methow and 

 Wenatchee nvers in Washmgton both of which contam large roadless areas. 



