The Conservation Alliance harnesses the power of businesses from a wide range of industries to protect outdoor spaces and wild places. We drive a proactive agenda to protect nature utilizing strategic advocacy and grantmaking, leveraging business influence, and building deep partnerships with grassroots organizations and local communities to collectively deliver high impact conservation outcomes, protecting North America’s outdoor places and wild spaces for everyone. Since 1989, we’ve helped protect over 124 million acres and 4,964 river miles, remove or halt 43 dams, purchase 22 climbing areas, and designate five marine reserves and one national marine sanctuary.
In 2025 and 2026, we are investing additional advocacy resources in six priority campaigns. We have chosen these campaigns utilizing a variety of lenses, including where our member base is strong, how much we have previously invested in these campaigns, and the likelihood that our business voice can successfully move the needle and help our on-the-ground partners meet their goals. Many of these priority campaigns may also have a bipartisan opportunity to retain or gain protections. We announce our Advocacy Priority Campaigns once a year. In collaboration with our grantees, we work to identify land and water conservation opportunities that are urgent, vital, and need national attention.
Restoring the Snake River
What’s at stake?
Before the construction of federal dams in the Columbia and Snake River Basin, millions of salmon and steelhead returned to these rivers each year. Fisheries in the Snake River crashed after the construction of the Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, and Lower Granite Dams on the lower Snake River in the 1960s and 1970s. Billions of dollars have been spent to recover these fish, but recovery efforts have not succeeded.
The four dams on the Lower Snake River have disrupted native salmon and steelhead habitats for decades, causing rapid species decline and significantly impacting the subsistence fishing rights of Native communities, and the recreational fishing industries of the Pacific Northwest.
In addition, Northwest Tribes have been cut off from the salmon they were promised in treaties with the United States. These Tribes also lost access to culturally significant sites and fishing spots when the reservoirs raised the water level and flooded nearby land. We are at a crossroads where we have a unique opportunity to take bold action to restore our salmon and steelhead or lose them forever.
What’s the solution?
A locally-driven coalition is working hard to advocate for solutions that will give these fish a fighting chance to survive, honor commitments made to Columbia and Snake River Tribes, and set the Northwest on track to invest in alternative methods of clean energy, transportation, irrigation, and to unleash new recreation opportunities. Although the 2024 elections have changed dynamics at the federal level for this effort, there are still opportunities to move forward on protecting the salmon and steelhead populations and supporting the long-term health and viability of communities dependent on and nearby the Snake River.
Restoration of this incredible watershed would supercharge outdoor recreation and economic opportunities in the basin. For example, restored Columbia Basin fisheries would generate $1B annually in personal income and support 25,000 family wage jobs. Salmon/steelhead guiding generates $180M each year in Idaho alone, supporting 2,500 guides in the state. Simply put, restoring these fisheries is good for the environment and will generate massive economic and job benefits.
The Conservation Alliance and our partners support an initiative created by the Six Sovereigns called the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative (CBRI), which creates a new, comprehensive roadmap for salmon recovery, including a call to replace the energy, transportation, irrigation, and recreation services provided by the lower Snake River dams, paving the way for a restored, free-flowing river. A free flowing river would honor previous commitments and treaty rights made to Tribes, revive salmon and orca populations, bolster outdoor recreation opportunities around the river, and ultimately enhance local economies.
The Conservation Alliance is committed to working with its member companies, partner organizations, Tribes, and key stakeholders to advocate to Congress and the Trump Administration for a long-term solution that:
- Leads to the recovery of native fish populations and their habitat;
- Supports Tribes and communities dependent on the river and its resources;
- Ensures reliable and affordable renewable energy generation for Pacific Northwest communities while making sure the irrigation and transportation needs of nearby farm businesses are met; and,
- Improves recreation opportunities and supports the outdoor recreation economy throughout the region.
TCA will also support its grantees and other on-the-ground voices to oppose legislation deeming dam removal illegal, and will continue to urge congress members across the aisle to honor the CBRI, and will work with congress and the administration to continue refining planning to ensure the needs of all parties involved are met. Ultimately, TCA will work with its members throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond to better illuminate the economic opportunities that will come along with a restored river, and also demonstrating a desire to support a long-term solution that meets the needs of tribes, local communities, and local economies.
Who is The Conservation Alliance’s partner?
We are supporting the Idaho Conservation League with grant funding for this project. We are working closely with NRS, Patagonia, and other members to advocate for a healthy Snake River.