What projects does Save Our Wild Salmon currently work on?

Updated

Save Our Wild Salmon (SOS) is a nationwide coalition that has worked for over 30 years to restore wild salmon and steelhead to the rivers, streams, and marine waters of the Pacific Northwest. Its current project work centers on four areas: restoring the Lower Snake River, tackling the climate challenge, protecting orcas by restoring salmon, and modernizing the Columbia River Treaty.

Restoring the Lower Snake River

This is the coalition's flagship campaign. SOS states that dam removal must be the cornerstone of any Columbia Basin salmon plan. The project focuses on the four lower Snake River dams, which the coalition argues block salmon and steelhead migration and must come down for wild runs to recover.

If you want to follow or support this work, the practical entry point is the project page linked from the site's Projects menu, where the coalition lays out its position and routes visitors toward action.

Tackling the Climate Challenge

SOS frames salmon recovery as inseparable from climate health: salmon need a healthy climate and resilient habitats. This project connects river and habitat conditions to the broader climate pressures facing the region, rather than treating salmon as a single-species issue.

Protecting Orca by Restoring Salmon

This project links salmon recovery directly to Southern Resident orcas, whose food supply depends on salmon. The logic is straightforward: restoring salmon runs is a prerequisite for orca recovery, so the two campaigns reinforce each other.

Modernizing the Columbia River Treaty

The Columbia River Treaty is a cross-border river management agreement between the United States and Canada. SOS participates in the policy discussion around modernizing it, on the view that treaty terms affect how the Columbia Basin's rivers are managed and therefore affect salmon.

How the pieces fit together

Project Core focus Why it matters to the coalition
Restoring the Lower Snake River Removing four dams Called the cornerstone of any Columbia Basin salmon plan
Tackling the Climate Challenge Healthy climate, resilient habitat Salmon need both to survive
Protecting Orca by Restoring Salmon Southern Resident orca food supply Orca recovery depends on salmon recovery
Modernizing the Columbia River Treaty Cross-border river management Treaty decisions shape Columbia Basin river conditions

Getting involved

The site's Get Involved section lists several ways to participate: Take Action, Volunteer With Us, Events, and Stay Connected. SOS also runs time-bound efforts alongside its standing projects, such as a Get Out the Vote campaign and a 2026 RENEWAL webinar series. Support options include donating online, other ways to give, planned giving, and a shop; SOS describes itself as a non-governmental 501(c) non-profit organization and states that donations are tax deductible as allowed by law.

One caveat worth noting: the site does not publish pricing or membership costs for these programs, so check the individual pages if cost matters to your decision.