It’s been nearly 20 years since Patagonia teamed up with Save Our Wild Salmon to take on what seemed like the impossible: remove four dams on the Lower Snake River to clear a path for Idaho’s iconic salmon. Today, we’re closer than ever to making it all happen. And Patagonia has remained an unwavering ally.

So, why these fish? Why these dams? Snake River salmon have the most epic of all migrations — swimming further and climbing higher than any salmon on Earth. And as noted by Steven Hawley in Patagonia’s Environmental Essay — with climate change bearing down, saving these high-elevation fish is the West’s best shot at saving salmon.

From “The Idaho Tide” by Steven Hawley:

Late summer’s low flow barely bumped our kayaks down one of the main veins draining the vast wilderness of north-central Idaho, delivering us to the mouth of a place I’ll call Bigfoot Creek. The thin skin of water over rock made the prospect of a 10-mile side canyon hike sans socks seem like a better idea than sticking to some lame compulsion to make miles on the water. Besides, it would be worth the blisters if we got to see chinook salmon finning in a clear, deep pool we knew lay up there. Before we’d even tightened the straps on our sandals, we startled three napping wolves from their creekside beds along the Bigfoot. The looks on their faces gave the impression they were as surprised as we were.

Wolves are thriving in the Idaho woods for the same reason salmon should be – lots of protected, healthy habitat. But it’s the fish whose presence triggers the larger ecological ripple. Salmon tend to wander a bit farther than wolves. In 2003, an Idaho steelhead was caught in the Pacific near the Kuril Islands in northern Japan. Fattening on the bounty of the sea makes salmon the building blocks of forest ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest and until recently, the region’s rivers were the highways that delivered them to and from the trees. More than a hundred vertebrates, from the tiny Trowbridge’s shrew to wolves to the more cumbersome killer whale depend on the sustenance salmon provide. Decomposing salmon bodies provide ocean-derived nutrients for soils that nurture old-growth forests.

To honor salmon’s vital ecological contribution as well as their uncanny endurance and navigational skills, a 5,000-square-mile swath of Idaho, Oregon and Washington (reserving Hell’s Canyon, all the forks of the Salmon and the Selway Rivers) has been blessed with federal protection. Visionary Idaho senator Frank Church didn’t set aside the Idaho portion of this Connecticut-sized area just for wolves or whitewater junkies. He did it for the salmon, and made sure this rationale was included in the language of his landmark 1968 wilderness bill. It became law, and the effort eventually spawned tribute to its sponsor. The largest piece of this salmon sanctuary is now known as the Frank Church Wilderness. Alas, over the past four decades, too few salmon have made it to the Church on time.

The sin lies not in the wilderness, but in the dammed. Wild Idaho waters feed the Snake, which eventually joins the Columbia. These two rivers have been transformed into a series of eight slackwater impoundments behind as many obstructions in the long, slow ride between Lewiston, Idaho, and Portland, Oregon. For nearly two decades, a growing constituency of fishermen, farmers, business leaders, brave politicians and conservation groups like Save Our Wild Salmon have been backing a modest proposal: Take out half the dams. Just the four smaller ones on the Snake. With the grim prospect of climate change posing an added threat to the myriad Pacific ecosystems, many of which rely on salmon as a keystone species, removing the dams has become a mission that’s moved beyond regional borders.

Ken Balcomb is the director for the Center for Whale Research on San Juan Island in Puget Sound. It’s a long way from here to Lewiston, but Balcomb sees the connection. He’s spent most of his time tracking the resident killer whales that cruise the sound in summer. He knows that chinook are whale food. The health of these orcas and that of the chinook population in the nearby ocean neatly track each other. Unfortunately, it’s a track leading toward extinction. Orcas joined Snake River chinook on the Endangered Species list in 2006. “There used to be this huge biomass of chinook in the ocean, produced by all the rivers of the Pacific Coast; the Columbia was the big horse of all those,” Balcomb told me. “We’re down to less than one percent of historic abundance. Climate change doesn’t look good for salmon in the Klamath or the Sacramento. But there’s a lot of intact habitat left on the Snake. It’s our best shot. I think any reasonable biologist will tell you the only way to take advantage of it is to tear out the dams.”

In the pristine water above the dams, predators abound. Back on Bigfoot Creek we watched a black bear sow and her two cubs splashing about, the mama submersing her head in the creek looking for a quick snack. Her behavior made us all the more hopeful a few chinook would be waiting up at the pool. More wild luck: guarded by weathered granite spires, a dozen big kings patrolled blue-green water so clear you could make out the spider-web pattern of cracks in specific boulders at the river bottom. Basking in the last blast of summer heat with all eyes on the water, it was easy to imagine we were 700 miles out in the tropical Pacific rather than that distance from its colder gray shores.

We slaked a considerable thirst from the cold, clean water of the creek, toasting salmon, bears, wolves and whales, then made our way back to the boats. Camped that night beneath cedars on an acre of white sand we had all to ourselves, I swilled the last of that good water, thinking again of all the lives nurtured by the Bigfoot. Racked out with one eye on the rising moon, I succumbed to the sensation I’d drifted off to sleep by the sea, rising and falling on an unleashed Idaho tide.

So who else is inspiring us to live balanced, amazing lives? Lots of people.

First off there’s Jude of Epic Wheel Works. She recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of her business, and to celebrate she’s putting together an amazing bike throwdown with wheel building contests, a photo booth, limited edition t-shirts and a raffle to benefit the Bicycle Transportation Alliance’s educational program, Safe Routes to School.

We can’t express how much we love bikes and support biking culture, so we’re pretty excited about this event. Just as excited as we are about this t-shirt we stumbled across on the web this week. [Props to Cyclelogical for their humor]

Speaking of inspirations, are you familiar with Elephant Journal? If not, you should be. A fantastic media platform on all things green, sustainable and hip that’s currently looking to be 100% grassroots. They’re looking for member support, and if you believe in supporting independent media then you should hop on over and consider a subscription.

As always, we’ve had the “conservation, conservation, conservation” mantra going all week. there are so many great things going on in the cause world, here are some top picks from this week:

• “What’s Your Favorite River?” Photo Contest by Save Our Wild Salmon and Mountain Khakis
• Timeline: 70 Years of Environmental Change via New York Times
• Obama Signs Great Outdoor Initiative via The Joy Trip Project (ok, so we’re a little late on this… but we were bust actually enjoying the outdoors when it happened!)

And last but not least, as you may have noticed, it was Earth Day this week… and even though we gave a healthy “Happy Day That We Should Be Reminded To Think About Earth Every Other 364 Days of the Year” shout-out on Twitter, we still really enjoyed this video. Hopefully it inspires you to get outside this weekend!

Photo by Matt Leidecker

Save Our Wild Salmon and Mountain Khakis are running a pretty cool contest during the month of April that’s 100% focused on river love, and all you have to do in order to take part is submit a shot of your favorite river. If you do, you score the chance for a pair of MK’s newest Snake River Pant. And of course, you’ll get some much deserved fame.

If you want to submit, check out the SOS blog (hint: it’s as easy as uploading to a Flickr pool).

Good luck!

"Everything... in the photograph -- trees, bushes, all the animals and plants in the forest and the water -- contains ocean nutrients from salmon." -- Carl Safina in the LA Times. © Save Our Wild Salmon

We live in an amazing place and nothing quite drives that point home like working with people who are passionate about their causes — be they businesses, advocates or adventurers. So, we’re excited to throw our weight behind a couple of great causes: saving Snake River salmon and the Flathead. Keep reading to see what’s happening, and how you can help!

Save Our Wild Salmon has been fighting to recover Snake River salmon for two decades. Snake River salmon Snake River salmon return to the biggest, highest, coldest, best-protected spawning habitat left in the Lower 48. In the last 6 months, tens of thousands of people across the country, nearly 100 members of Congress, three former Northwest governors, hundreds of local and national businesses, thousands of scientists from around the country have called on the Obama administration to end the legal and political deadlock to save wild salmon in the Pacific Northwest. And on Sunday, writer and founder of the Blue Ocean Institute, Carl Safina voiced his opinion in the Los Angeles Times:

Two months ago, in a swift trick no one saw coming, the Obama administration embraced the Bush administration’s failed salmon plan for an even more important watershed, the Columbia/Snake River system. The Columbia and its tributaries formerly produced more salmon than anywhere else on Earth, but the once-mighty rivers now have 13 salmon stocks in danger of extinction…

The fundamental problem with the plan is that its goal seems to be to maintain endangered salmon in an endangered state rather than revitalizing them. The administration appears unmotivated to restore salmon abundance and their role in the ecology and economy. Here’s what gives the administration’s game away: The one salmon species that is already at levels low enough to trigger additional action in the new plan has been exempted from the new triggers.

Jane Lubchenco, the administration’s point person for oceans and salmon, insists that “the actions in the plan will prevent further declines.” But keeping salmon in a coma and on life support does not heal them, nor help the other species, including people, that depend on them. The likeliest outcome of a salmon strategy based on just avoiding extinction will be extinction — and not only of salmon…

"Star" -- Puget Sound's most recent addition to it's resident Orca whale population. © Howard Garrett

There’s another photograph I saw recently. Taken just two months ago where Puget Sound meets the Pacific, it shows a new orca calf emerging from the water atop its mother’s back. The scientists from the Center for Whale Research who track orcas named her Star, hoping she will guide another seemingly intelligent mammal — us — to restore the salmon abundance she will need to become a mother herself 13 years from now. May she inspire the Obama administration to think again.

Read the rest of Safina’s op-ed at the LA Times…

Take action to save Snake River salmon here!

©Garth Lenz, iLCP

Miles of free-flowing river, sky-scraping jagged peaks and abundant wildlife make the Flathead River Valley one of the most wild and beautiful places on earth. But unfortunately, diversity and a natural aesthetic don’t always ensure protection. Proposed mountaintop removal mining in southeastern British Columbia, Canada is threatening the Flathead. Earlier this month, we wrote about the Epicocity Project’s new film, Flathead Wild.

Along with the film, people can really get a sense of place by viewing the gorgeous photos from the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP). Visit Planet Green for a slideshow that will make almost anyone want to protect the Flathead!

Want to do more? Watch the video, and pass it along to your friends. And take action HERE!

James Balog of the Extreme Ice Survey will speak next Friday at The Conservation Alliance's breakfast in Salt Lake City. The Extreme Ice Survey is the most wide-ranging glacier study ever conducted using ground-based, real-time photography.

This week at Under Solen, we’ve been gearing up for next week’s Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City. While all of our heads will be swimming with meetings, happy hours and gear, we’re hoping to keep our eye on the the thread that holds all of this together — protecting those incredible wild places that keep our industry alive and kicking.

So, we thought we’d give a shout-out to a couple great groups that are walking the walk this week.

The Conservation Alliance

Since thier founding in 1989, the Conservation Alliance has contributed more than $7 million to conservation projects throughout North America — protecting more than 49 million acres of land, stop or remove 27 dams, and preserve access to thousands of miles of rivers and several climbing areas. The Alliance is a group of outdoor industry companies that disburses its collective annual membership dues to grassroots environmental organizations to protect threatened wild habitat, preferably where outdoor enthusiasts recreate. The Alliance was founded in 1989 by industry leaders REI, Patagonia, The North Face, and Kelty, who shared the goal of increasing outdoor industry support for conservation efforts.

Mark your calendars for their awesome breakfast at 7a.m. on Friday at the Marriot. We know it’s early, but this will give you the inspiration you need to get revved up for a day at the show. Look forward to founder and director of The Extreme Ice Survey, James Balog to give a stunning look at the impact abrupt climate change is having on the world’s glaciers.

And make sure to stop by participating booths to support the Alliance! Whether you’re looking for some wild inspiration, a rockin’ party or some sweet gear that benefits a great cause – they have packed line-up.

The Epicocity Project and iLCP Flathead RAVE

Grizzly bear captured on film by iLCP photographer Joe Riis ©iLCP Flathead RAVE

The Epicocity Project’s thought-provoking new film — Flathead Wild — will premiere at the Wild & Scenic Film Festival at the Nevada Theater in Nevada City, Calif. Saturday, Jan. 16 before going on tour.

Proposed mountaintop removal mining in southeastern British Columbia, Canada is threatening one of America’s most endangered rivers and one of North America’s wildest remaining valley — The Flathead. Flathead Wild follows the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP) as they descend on the Flathead River Valley, along with local conservation groups, to take breathtaking and iconic images of the threatened ecosystem. These images then act as tools for the Flathead coalition to help tip the scales in favor of protection and conservation.

Flathead Wild is also now available online. Help Epicocity spread the word by linking to the film on your blog, Facebook and Twitter and send it to your friends and family!

[vimeo=http://vimeo.com/7775085]

Helping Haiti

And we wanted to once again highlight how we can help folks in Haiti. Earlier this week, an earthquake registering 7.0 on the Richter scale hit Haiti. Centered just outside of the populated capital, Port-au-Prince, the quake’s effects have been devastating. Within less than 24 hours the outpouring of international support has been impressive.

So how can you take part? Here’s just a small collection of what’s out there.

The Epicocity Project’s awesome new film — Flathead Wild — will premiere at the Wild & Scenic Film Festival at the Nevada Theater in Nevada City, Calif. Saturday, Jan. 16.

Proposed mountaintop removal mining in southeastern British Columbia, Canada is threatening one of America’s most endangered rivers and one of North America’s wildest remaining valley — The Flathead. Flathead Wild follows the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP) as they descend on the Flathead River Valley, along with local conservation groups, to take breathtaking and iconic images of the threatened ecosystem. These images then act as tools for the Flathead coalition to help tip the scales in favor of protection and conservation.

Flathead Wild is also now available online. Help Epicocity spread the word by linking to the film on your blog, Facebook and Twitter and send it to your friends and family!

“Change is inevitable, but we have the opportunity here to protect an irreplaceable wildland and natural resource. If we let the Flathead fall to mining pressures — we will never be able to bring it back,” said Ryland Nelson, the Southern Rockies program coordinator of Wildsight. “With a free-flowing, pristine river and the highest concentration of inland grizzlies in North America, the Flathead Valley is one of the most biologically important places on earth — we have to act now for our environment, wildlife and present and future generations.”

© Christina Mittermeier, iLCP Flathead RAVE

It’s up to us to save this wild place. We have to act now — not tomorrow, or a year from now — we have to take action now. Please pass this video on to your friends, family, everyone! Here’s the link: http://www.vimeo.com/7775085. Write a blog about it, post it on Facebook and Twitter. We can do it! Let’s save the Flathead!

PHOTOS © iLCP Flathead RAVE

Oregon's Mount Hood Photo © John McAnulty

As we launch into 2010, many of us are planning new adventures in wild places across America. Before we get too far into the new year, here at Under Solen, we are taking a quick moment to be thankful for last year’s conservation victories that protected these places.

In 2009, Congress passed the Omnibus Public Land Management Act. In total, the landmark legislation designated 2 million acres of Wilderness, 1,100 miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers and closed the 1.2-million-acre Wyoming Range to new oil and gas development. One of the big driving forces behind this victory was the outdoor industry.

Of the projects in the legislation, 13 were supported by grants from The Conservation Alliance — a group of outdoor industry companies that disburses its collective annual membership dues to grassroots environmental organizations. Their goal: to engage businesses to fund and partner with organizations to protect wild places for their habitat and recreation values. Well, good on them, because last year was a huge success! Check out specific projects on on their website.

We’re stoked to play hard in these newly protected places and work even harder to keep the conservation victories coming in 2010!

There are not many issues that people can agree on. But for 20 years, a diverse coalition of commercial, sport and recreational fishing groups, outdoor industry businesses, conservation organizations, and clean energy and taxpayer advocates have joined forces to save a icon of the American West — Snake River salmon. Osprey Packs and Save Our Wild Salmon have been best friends from the very beginning. To celebrate that partnership, they’re giving away a sweet Osprey Pack and 5 pounds of wild-caught salmon!

Check out the Do It At Altitude Blog for details:

These fish are bad ass. Snake River sockeye have the most epic migration of any salmon on Earth — swimming more than 900 miles inland and climbing nearly 7,000 feet in elevation to spawn in the rugged Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho. That’s right folks — these fish do it at altitude!

So, what would you do to keep Snake River salmon spawning? Between Dec. 1 and Dec. 21, give us your best answer to that question.

How to enter:

• Answer the question by leaving a comment on the Save Our Wild Salmon Facebook page or…
• Tweet your answer with the hashtag #salmondoit on Twitter!

On Dec. 21, we’ll randomly choose who will win an Osprey Pack filled with 5 pounds of wild smoked salmon! Can’t get much better than that!

Tonight, Portland is lucky enough to get a screening of the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival. Sponsored by local group Willamette Riverkeeper, the film festival will feature two excellent environmental films: Red Gold and Crossroads on the Columbia. A must see if you’re in town!

Show starts at 7pm.

Tickets: $8 available through Willamette Riverkeeper, 21 & over, info@willametteriverkeeper.org.

FREE beer and snacks too!

Sponsored by The Sierra Club, The Native Fish Society and Kaufmann Streamborn.