October 22, 2015

The below individuals/organizations are challenging a statement distributed on Oct. 2, 2015, by the Corps of Engineers Walla Walla District to the media and quoted, or repeated verbatim, by a number of media outlets covering the Oct. 3rd 'Free the Snake' Flotilla involving 300+ participants.

Kevin Lewis, Idaho Rivers United, kevin@idahorivers.org
Gary Macfarlane, Friends of the Clearwater, gary@friendsoftheclearwater.org
Sharon Grace, Southern Resident Killer Whale Chinook Salmon Initiative, parons@rockisland.com
Sam Mace, Save Our Wild Salmon, sam@wildsalmon.org
F. S. Buck Ryan, Snake River Waterkeeper, buck@snakeriverwaterkeeper.org
Ken Balcomb, Center for Whale Research, whaleresearch.com http://whaleresearch.com/
Howard Garrett/Susan Berta, Orca Network, orcanetwork.org http://orcanetwork.org/
C. Mark Rockwell, Endangered Species Coalition, mrockwell@endangered.org
Cindy Magnuson, Palouse Broadband, Great Old Broads for Wilderness, cmcindyidaho@gmail.com
Linwood Laughy, Snake River Resurrection, lochsalin@gmail.com

The letter signed by these individuals can be viewed here.

Lt. Col. Timothy Vail's Statement, identified by the Corps as "15-069 Snake River Dams provide outstanding value to the Nation," is viewable here.

Whether or not you previously received the statement, written by Lt. Col. Timothy Vail, Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Walla Walla District, we believe you will find our data-driven challenge to his 'facts' insightful, revealing and disturbing.  At the least, you are likely to find yourself intrigued by questions of your own regarding the truth of LTC Vail's 'facts' and the obligation of government agencies and officials to provide valid, data-verifiable information to the American public.

The 10/21/15 letter was delivered to Lt. Col. Timothy Vail, and cc'd via USPS (mailed 10/21/15) to his Washington DC superior, Lt. General Thomas P. Bostick, Chief of Engineers USACE.

The above signees honor members of the media who serve as vehicles for Americans' right to know and who, therefore, steadfastly seek truth and expose untruth.

Please feel free to directly contact the above signees, and should you wish also to contact the retired Corps' engineer referred to in the letter, Jim Waddell, please let me know, and I'll connect you.  If you are interested in particular angles of the dam-breaching issue – hydropower or water temperature effects, for example – please ask, and I'll refer you to the individual likeliest to have the best information for you.

Thank you.

Borg
borghendrickson@gmail.com
Snake River Resurrection