Editor’s Note: Maanit Goel is a high school student from Sammamish, WA working to raise awareness and mobilize communities in the Greater Seattle Area to take action toward restoring Southern Resident Orca and Chinook Salmon populations native to the Salish Sea. Maanit is the Chair of the Washington Legislative Youth Advisory Council, director and founder of the WA Youth Ocean & River Conservation Alliance, and a Youth Salmon Protector.
My name is Maanit Goel, and I am a high school senior from Washington. Here at home, for the past three years, I have lobbied for lower Snake River dam removal. While a large component of the movement to remove these dams is education in local communities and speaking to local offices, the opportunity to speak face to face with key Congressional representatives on this issue continues to be invaluable.
In April 2024, I had the opportunity to fly to D.C. with the Idaho Conservation League to lobby for lower Snake River Dam removal in Congress. I had this same opportunity last year, and both times, it has been evident that the physical presence of stakeholders spanning various constituencies, disciplines, and demographics is something that sticks in the mind of our policymakers. This year, one of our earliest meetings was with Idaho Senator Mike Crapo. Thus far, he has been fairly resistant to calls for dam removal to save wild salmon and steelhead from extinction. However, in our meeting, he mentioned how important it was to him to represent the views of a variety of stakeholders in Idaho. Crapo emphasized that if factions across the Northwest were to unite under a single ask, he would be obliged to represent it, even if that ask were lower Snake River dam removal.
Of course, from our perspective, we had that range of stakeholders represented in the very room we were meeting in, from the Nez Perce Tribe, Boise, Lewiston, and my own state of Washington. We represented Northwest-spanning youth and the nonprofit sector alike. While Senator Crapo wasn’t ultimately convinced on the spot, his sentiment of persuasion by diverse stakeholders was better reflected by many others.
The range in perspectives we were able to bring to other Congressional offices, however, played a visibly important role. In my experience, Washington Senator Patty Murray’s office was particularly supportive of our asks, though stopped short of full agreement on the solution being dam breaching.
Beyond meeting with Congressional offices from Washington, Idaho, and Oregon, this year’s trip to DC was an incredibly motivating experience for me on a personal level. Just like last year’s trip, being in the same spaces as students my age working on the same issues in a range of communities across the Northwest was incredibly encouraging. Working on Snake River conservation advocacy in my community can unfortunately feel isolating at times, as there are few youth already doing this work simply due to lack of general awareness and our distance from the actual dams (despite our proximity to their impacts). The exchange of ideas and energy present in and outside of our meetings in DC was incredibly helpful and motivating in supporting my own work here at home.
Strategically, these DC meetings were critical. Not only did we put our faces, names, and stories in front of both dam removal supporters and opponents, but we also gleaned valuable information on how to approach each key legislative target over the coming months. We learned the priorities of each office, and which benefits of dam breaching to emphasize for each office, from environmental to economic opportunities. Moving forward, this information will be paramount in shaping the approach we use with offices across the Northwest over the coming year. The nuance from each office is unique, and something that cannot easily be gleaned outside of these in-person meetings.
Overall, I am incredibly grateful to have had this opportunity in April. As a graduating high school senior, I hope opportunities like this continue to inspire and motivate younger students across the Northwest to get involved with this movement to save Northwest salmon! But you don’t have to wait for a trip to D.C. to take action for salmon—you can do it at any time, from anywhere! Join others in voicing support for a healthy, free-flowing Snake River. Take action below and urge our Congress members to support investments to recover salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River and its tributaries!