Pinkham said the Nez Perce Tribe is concerned about how the debate surrounding the breaching of the four lower Snake River dams is characterized. Those who are opposed to breaching the dams say save the dams and save the salmon, but never speak on behalf of the fish. This falls far short of the struggle. Regarding the economic impacts of breaching the dams versus saving the salmon from extinction, Pinkham said the dams in question were built primarily for navigation and the shipping of grain in the Lewiston port. Pinkham said the dams do provide some irrigation benefits and produce less than five percent of the region's power supply and that there would be some impact in these areas.
People say that breaching the dams is the simple answer.
Pinkham said it's time for political leaders to make the tough decisions involving environmental resource conservation, before it's too late and we are unable to reverse the noxious consequences of past management policies. It's got to be political leadership, not science and economics. I believe it's a moral issue. Well if they did they obviously failed. Let's rebuild this Mother Earth.