Salmon Story Time – Wednesday 19th
Come to “Sink or Swim” at Moscow Public Library, Wednesday October 18th, 6 to 7 pm to hear a story about the grand life cycle of the sockeye salmon. Ben Kemper is a professional storyteller who has developed a 40-minute story that follows the life of a sockeye salmon from birth near Red Fish Lake to the ocean and back. “Sink or Swim” touches on myth, history, ecology, triumph and tragedy. The story would be followed by a Q & A period, featuring FOC’s Katie Bilodeau.
You can see examples of his work here:
https://vimeo.com/user61497409/sinkorswimstoryfort
https://www.benkemperstoryteller.com/
Annual Meeting – November 5th
We are fewer than three weeks away from our biggest event of the year! Our annual membership meeting will be from 6-9pm on November 5th at the 1912 center in Moscow. We have a lot of donations for the silent auction, but if you have something you really want to donate please reach out! Just email Paul at paul@friendsoftheclearwater.org.
Also! We just secured a live band and a bar for those over 21. Should be fun.
News – Clean Water Act Challenges
The Supreme Court has just heard arguments in Sackett v. EPA, a crucial legal battle over the definition of the “waters of the United States” or WOTUS. They are expected to come to a decision early next year, and the impacts could be huge.
The Sackett’s, who live on wetlands adjacent to Idaho’s Priest Lake, as represented by the Pacific Legal Foundation, argue that wetlands and intermittent streams are not included in WOTUS. Therefore, the Clean Water Act shouldn’t cover these types of water features – some 50% of wetlands and 59% of streams – and give polluters a Court-stamped approval to damage our ecosystems and drinking water.
Ecologically it’s a completely inane position. As anyone who has been in the mountains can tell you, if a gulch is dry in September it could be roaring in May. And whatever is dumped in that stream will end up in the hydrological network of WOTUS anyway.
Here’s hoping the Supreme Court stands up for clean water. I strongly recommend you read this article from EarthJustice that includes a place to message the EPA directly.