Free the Snake: Restoring America’s Greatest Salmon River
Free the Snake is a short film about the restoration of the Snake River in Washington State, USA. Featuring interviews with Professor David Montgomery from the University of Washington, Bruce Babbitt, former Secretary of the Interior and novelist David James Duncan, the film focuses on the ecological and hydrological impacts of four major dams along the river.
In particular, the dams fragment migration routes of Pacific salmon upstream to spawning grounds, with damaging consequences for the health and size of their populations. But, all hope is not lost. When discussing the possibility of dam removal, David Montgomery suggests that, “The beautiful thing about salmon, if you look at their history, is that they’re resilient. If you give them half a chance then they can come back.”