With funding support from US EPA, Salmon-Safe is scaling up our agricultural and urban certification initiatives in salmon and native trout tributaries across the interior Columbia Basin, including piloting Trout-Safe certification in western Montana as well as upper Snake River tributaries in Idaho and western Wyoming. Salmon-Safe’s expansion is part of a larger network of EPA “lead entity” grantees working to improve water quality through collaborative environmental protection and restoration programs.
Over the next 5.5 years, Salmon-Safe will be partnering with Tribes, conservation districts, land trusts, and place-based environmental nonprofits with the goal of engaging more than 5,000 agricultural operations in transitioning to Salmon-Safe certification and reducing non-point source runoff from 150,000 acres of farmland. The project also will engage urban development and municipal operations with a focus on innovative stormwater design in Inland Northwest cities, beginning in Spokane and Boise.
The Columbia River, the fourth largest river in the United States, originates in British Columbia and drains a vast 258,000 square mile basin across seven U.S. states. Within the basin, 14 million acres of agricultural land produce crops worth $2.6 billion annually. The region is heavily dependent on rainfall and water from a complex irrigation system to support this crop production. However, when the water flows back into the river, it is warmer than free flowing waterways and is often carrying harmful pesticides and other pollutants, posing a challenge for aquatic life.
While our interior Columbia Basin expansion focuses on water quality protection and particularly pesticide reduction, Salmon-Safe and our partners also will be working to promote riparian buffers, water conservation, erosion prevention, biodiversity enhancement, and other actions to ensure healthy streams and help salmon thrive. The benefits for growers include access to viable markets and the adoption of agricultural practices that are responsive to a changing climate
In the first phase of project implementation this summer and fall, Salmon-Safe is piloting subawards to four implementation partners in the Inland Northwest that will help lead our efforts in key tributaries. We’re also conducting outreach and strengthening partnerships with Tribal and other communities who are integral stakeholders in a more sustainable food system.
Please contact Brian Muegge, Salmon-Safe Farm Program Manager, to learn more about this project or if you are a place-based organization interested in partnering with Salmon-Safe.
Interior Columbia Basin EPA Pilot Phase Sub-award Implementation Partners for 2024
