Tuesday May 27, 2025
The Seattle Times —
The Columbia River is at a crossroads.
Negotiations between the U.S. and Canada over the river’s benefits are stalled. Thirteen runs of salmon and steelhead are threatened with extinction in the river basin. Hydropower supplies are pushed to the brink.
And climate change is intensifying all of these problems on the great river of the West.
This was the overarching takeaway from experts gathered for the 2025 State of the West Symposium at Stanford University earlier this month.
The biennial symposiums are convened to assess the economic and financial health of the North American West. This year’s symposium included experts from the U.S. and Canada for a daylong discussion of the history, health and future of the Columbia River.