Speaker: Jonah Sanford

Topic: Deschutes River Alliance

The Deschutes River Alliance advocates for water quality, a healthy ecosystem, and for the establishment and protection of robust populations of resident and anadromous fish throughout the river’s entire watershed.  Jonah Sanford, executive director of DRA, will have an update on work plans for 2017.  This includes scientific work on the lower Deschutes River and Lake Billy Chinook, to determine the sources and extent of ecological changes occurring in the river. DRA is using that science as a foundation for advocacy efforts, including its Clean Water Act lawsuit against Portland General Electric, alleging hundreds of violations of water quality requirements at the Pelton-Round Butte Hydroelectric Project. This lawsuit is a critical first step to restoring the cool, clean water that helped make the lower Deschutes such a treasured stretch of water.