Restore the River: Help save Alaska’s salmon and beluga whales by adding your signature!

Send a message urging the National Marine Fisheries Service to help restore the Eklutna River! ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Defenders of Wildlife] [ACT NOW]( [Cook Inlet beluga whale (c) Paul Wade-NOAA Fisheries]( Help Save Alaska’s Salmon and Beluga Whales! Dear Defender, The Eklutna River – a vital lifeline that once provided for an abundance of wildlife and people – is almost unrecognizable today. Over the past 25 years, hydroelectric projects have dewatered the Eklutna River, decimating its salmon runs and starving Cook Inlet beluga whales. There’s a chance to reverse this damage and make things right. The groups that built those dams and exploited this ecosystem have a deadline to make a plan that will reverse the harm. Their current proposals don’t go nearly far enough – it’s up to us to put pressure on these groups to affect real change! [Sign today: Tell the National Marine Fisheries Service to urge Alaska’s Governor to take real steps to restore the Eklutna River and its salmon runs!]( For decades, the Eklutna hydroelectric project has cut off the flow of water from the Eklutna Lake to the river. That flow once allowed for fish to pass in and out of the lake, supporting healthy populations that belugas in Cook Inlet depend on for survival. But as dams strangled that flow of water, the historic salmon runs have all but vanished. Cook Inlet belugas are critically endangered and on the verge of disappearing. The trickle of water that project owners are proposing to allow isn’t nearly enough to repair the massive damage done by these projects. We must demand a true solution that would reconnect the Eklutna River and its headwaters to restore this ecosystem! [ADD YOUR SIGNATURE TODAY!]( The deadline is fast approaching for NMFS to submit comments that could determine the fate of this river system. What happens next will determine if salmon runs are restored and beluga whales have the resources they need to survive. You have a part to play in creating a better future for this region’s wildlife. [Don’t delay – sign a message today that will help repair the Eklutna River!]( Thank you for using your voice to protect wildlife and wild places. Sincerely, Ragen Davey Representative, Alaska Defenders of Wildlife [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( Defenders of Wildlife 1130 17th Street NW • Washington, DC 20036 defenders.org © 2024 Defenders of Wildlife --------------------------------------------------------------- Photo credit: Cook Inlet beluga whale © Paul Wade-NOAA Fisheries This email was sent to {EMAIL} Please do not respond to this email. [Unsubscribe here]( or update your preferences [here!]( [supporter]