Interviewee

Michael Ritter

Habitat Biologist, Washington Fish and Wildlife

Interviewers

Alison M Jones

NWNL Director and Photographer

Barbara Folger

NWNL Snake Basin Expedition Member, Photographer

On May 12, 2014, in Pasco, Washington

Introductory Note

This interview discusses southeast Washington State’s diverse rangeland called the shrubsteppe, a low forest ecosystem of shrubs and lichens. The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, clarifies that, albeit arid, this region is not barren. It is habitat for yellow-headed blackbirds, elk, sagebrush sparrow, greater sage-grouse, pygmy rabbits, sharp-tailed grouse, pronghorn antelope, burrowing owls and more. An 11-minute This Land is Part of Us video showcases the diversity and beauty of this shrubsteppe ecosystem. 

Today, 80% of the US West’s shrubsteppe has been lost or degraded by development and agriculture. To protect remaining shrubsteppe habitats, Michael Ritter is working with Native American tribes, conservation organizations and landowners to save shrubsteppe biodiversity and its cultural and economic values as it now faces wildfires and habitat fragmentation. Partnerships with Washington Shrubsteppe Resiliency and Restoration Initiative (WSRRI), the Arid Lands Initiative, and Conservation Reserve Program are important in preserving Washington’s shrubsteppe arid habitat.

WA Department of Fish and Wildlife research vessel in front of Barlow Point.

Outline

BECOMING A BIOLOGIST​
COLUMBIA & SNAKE RIVERS’ POLLUTION​
FISHING & FISH CONSUMPTION REGULATIONS​
A BIOLOGIST’S TYPICAL DAY​
BEING INVOLVED WITH THE COMMUNITY ​
BOTTOM-UP/TOP-DOWN APPROACHES​
IRRIGATION IMPACTS ​
VULNERABLE NATIVE SPECIES
RIVER FISHERIES​
TO DAM or NOT TO DAM​
WETLAND HABITAT RESTORATION​
MORE on HATCHERIES​
WIND TURBINES, BATS & BIRDS
COORDINATED STEWARDSHIP
EFFECTIVE GUARDIANSHIP & LANGUAGE​

Key Quotes  My job is to inject “habitat biology” regarding the needs of fish and wildlife into the local decision-making process and for consideration by county and state. – Michael Ritter

We must set action priorities for the Columbia Basin’s fish and wildlife resources… Right now, there are plans for connectivity analysis, nature conservancy, our fish and game. There’s a slew of great, objective Army Corps of Engineer Reports on the river systems. But it all needs to be unified. We don’t need more plans. We need a process. – Michael Ritter

“Environmentalism is just so divided. It needs to be pulled together into one agenda.” John Cronin, Riverkeepers Co-Founder to Alison Jones on 2014 panel.

All images © Alison M. Jones, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

BECOMING A BIOLOGIST

NWNL/ALISON JONES  Hello, Michael. Barbara and I thank you for taking time to discuss the Snake River Basin, what’s happening to its arid and diverse shrubsteppe ecosystem, and today’s impacts on thousands of years of salmon migrations in the Columbia/Snake River System. 

MICHAEL RITTER  The salmon story is an amazing story. The salmon know. If you knock down an old dam, within six months there is a salmon passing through that reach, going upriver to spawn. With all the hatcheries causing a loss of genetics, how could there still be a salmon that still knows how to go back to its birth stream? 

NWNL/ALISON JONES  It’s genetic. It must be in their DNA. 

MICHAEL RITTER  Well, yes. That instinct had been thwarted for so long; yet the salmon arrive at former dam sites, pause and then head on up to their natal stream. It’s just cool. 

NWNL/ALISON JONES  To start our chat, tell us of your background and current focus.

MICHAEL RITTER  For one year, I’ve worked with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife as a habitat biologist in Benton and Franklin Counties. Before, I handled wind power projects statewide. For about 25 years, I’ve applied my biology background to my work with territorial and federal biological agencies from the Pacific Islands to the Pacific Northwest.

NWNL/ALISON JONES  How did you get into this sector of biology ?

MICHAEL RITTER  There’s never been any question that this is what I wanted. My parents thought I was a bit strange. They are businesspeople and office people; and I was hunting, fishing, trapping and bringing home animals. In 6th grade I wrote a paper on wanting to be an oceanographer. I didn’t do that, but I did spend 14 years in the Pacific Isles doing terrestrial and wetlands biology. I never any doubt that it was my calling. 

NWNL/ALISON JONES  Do you know what the trigger was for your clear interest?

MICHAEL RITTER  Growing up, I would ignore the pool table downstairs to sit by the fireplace looking at my grandfather’s stack of “Field and Stream” and “Outdoor Wildlife” magazines. He was an outdoors person, but died when I was very young, so I never got a chance to bond with him. Thus, I was the outlier. Biology is just an innate part of me

NWNL/ALISON JONES  Where did you grow up?

MICHAEL RITTER  My dad worked for 3M/Minnesota Mining, so, I grew up in Minnesota, New York, Indiana, Ohio, Virginia and Ohio. I went to the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN and then worked on the Pacific Islands for 6 or 7 years before graduate school at the University of Nebraska. I then returned to the Pacific Islands, returning to the continental US in 1999.

NWNL/ALISON JONES  Ah! So much of your youth was spent in the Mississippi River Basin – another NWNL case study watershed. How do you compare that vast watershed to the Columbia/Snake River Basin?

MICHAEL RITTER  My grandparents were immigrants living in St. Paul, MN, where my grandfather used to swim and fish in the Mississippi as a kid. When I was there for college, the Mississippi was probably one of the most polluted rivers running through a metropolitan area. I caught tons of smallmouth bass and huge fish; but tossed them all back, because I didn’t want to eat them. 

Mississippi River in St. Paul, with the St Anthony Falls Lock and Dam, showing industry in the background.

COLUMBIA & SNAKE RIVERS’ POLLUTION

MICHAEL RITTER  There are some similarities along the Columbia and the Snake in issues of water use and pollution. Out here, there is a high level of development in some spots, and a lot of agriculture. There are probably not as many people around here, or as many issues. 

NWNL/ALISON JONES  Fish here in the Columbia/Snake Rivers system, including salmon, now have high pollutant levels. 

MICHAEL RITTER  Ugh, yes. In the first 10 pages of Washington State fishing regulations, it details how many meals of fish you can eat per week or per month, depending on your profile. That’s quite scary. 

NWNL/ALISON JONES  Very scary, yes. What are the sources of that pollution?

MICHAEL RITTER  Mercury pollution comes from mining sites in Idaho and Washington. There are also the usual PCBs and PBEs that are – I hate to say it – prevalent everywhere. They affect different species of fish differently. Our fish-eating restrictions say to limit smallmouth bass meals to once or twice a week – and never eat carp. Books on these regulations are right over there. If you open any page, you will see them. 

NWNL/ALISON JONES  I know Portland has many pollutants. Do the migratory, anadromous fish bring Portland pollutants with them as they come up into the Snake River? 

MICHAEL RITTER  Here we have resident fish, not migratory fish. 

NWNL/ALISON JONES  Ah, so you are saying even these resident fish contain pollutants. Where do they pick up their pollutants? 

MICHAEL RITTER  My observation is that agricultural runoff is the biggest polluter.  

NWNL/ALISON JONES  We spent this morning with Darrell Olson with the Columbia Snake River Irrigators Association. He stated, “We have no runoff. We are so technical, organized and efficient now that there’s no runoff.” He said no agricultural pesticides or herbicides spill into the river. 

MICHAEL RITTER  He’s right; there’s no return – unlike the Columbia River where there are big flumes of return waters coming into the river.

NWNL/ALISON JONES  Yes, I have photographs of agricultural spillways in Ringold, Washington and surrounding areas that dump their polluted waters directly into the Columbia.

MICHAEL RITTER  There are direct sources of pollution running into the Columbia River. But, not on the Snake.

NWNL/ALISON JONES  So then, why aren’t the fish in the Snake River healthy to eat? 

MICHAEL RITTER  The Snake still lists fish consumption restrictions because pollutants are in the environment – in the dust, in the air, in crop dusting. And we have rain runoff. Agriculture is one of the largest industries here in Franklin County and it borders the Snake River. Primarily, we have dryland agriculture. Our wetland and irrigated agriculture is mostly west of Franklin County – 

But east, bordering the Snake River, we have rangeland and dryland agriculture. Dryland agriculture – typically wheat — needs chemicals to get that product to market. There is also the issue of spraying our rangelands for noxious wheat. Looking along the full length of the Snake, you see there could be such inputs along much of the Snake. Over time, that creates a cumulative effect, as increased pollutant loads into the Snake River can affect resident fish and aquatic life. 

Near Ephrata WA, just east of Hanford Nuclear Site, irrigation wasteways carry water from crops to the Columbia River.

FISHING & FISH CONSUMPTION REGULATIONS

NWNL/ALISON JONES  What are Washington State’s fish regulations on the pollution issues we just discussed?

MICHAEL RITTER  The Department of Ecology makes regulations – not us. We just publish the regulations for the public’s information.

NWNL/ALISON JONES  In looking at the regulations in Washington Sport and Fishing Rules, it seems that if folks want to fish in the Snake River, they can. I see lists of tackle rules, seasons, and a notice that one should always pay attention.”  

MICHAEL RITTER  Here is our Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Regulations on “Sport and Fishing Rules,” 2014-2015. It just came out. The title on page 20 is, “Eat Fish? Advice from Washington Department of Health.” These guidelines from the Department of Health address specific bodies of water, fish species, and advice for women of childbearing age, children and everyone else  – with recommendations for meals per week, per month. 

Restrictions for our local area here include:

–Middle Columbia River (Bradford Island, by the mouth of the Columbia): For all groups, do not eat: blue gill, carp, catfish, crappie, sucker, sturgeon, walleye and yellow perch. 

–Middle Columbia River (Rock Creek to McNary Dam. McNary is just south of the TriCities here):  One meal per week for bass, blue gill, carp, catfish, sucker, sturgeon, walleye, and yellow perch. 

NWNL/ALISON JONES  Do consumption guidelines exist for the Snake River?

MICHAEL RITTER  No, not here. The Snake looks good. While indeed there is agriculture and pollution, there’s not enough to create harmful levels. So that’s good. Again, no irrigation-return flows into the river; and we have a lot of dryland farming. We don’t get much moisture around here. Maybe 12 inches a year. So, we don’t have big erosion events that might wash some newly treated farm fields into the river. 

What’s great along the Snake River steppe shrubland is that it’s well vegetated in certain spots. It still has nice upland shrub bunch-grass vegetation along the shores and up the steep hillsides are steep. There is some seasonal grazing in those spots. There are some orchards here or there that cut onto the cliff a little bit; and some glorious spots along the Snake River in Eastern Franklin County. 

A BIOLOGIST’S TYPICAL DAY

NWNL/ALISON JONES   What do you do on a typical day? 

MICHAEL RITTER  My job is to inject “habitat biology” regarding the needs of fish and wildlife into the local decision-making process and for consideration by county and state.  I review the intense development that goes on every day, along with field visits to those development sites. Then, we comment on possible impacts to fish and wildlife resources and suggest potential mitigation. We also share updates on our shoreline-management program with local governments to discuss how the shoreline has developed – or not developed – over the years. The City of Pasco and Franklin County are both starting shoreline management, so, I’m heavily involved it that. 

NWNL/ALISON JONES  What are your day-to-day concerns about Pasco’s Shoreline Management? What recommendations do you have for other communities seeking sustainable solutions?

MICHAEL RITTER  I don’t have any problems with Shoreline Management Programs for Pasco or Franklin County. The Shoreline Management Program was adopted back in the ’70s in the most eligible counties and cities. Since the first one in 1974, much has changed. Now they’re doing an update, with no net loss of ecological functions along the shoreline. Their shoreline has a buffer of 150-250’ wide, depending upon existing or proposed future uses. The many uses categorized along these rivers include agriculture, conservancy, light industrial, residential and more. They’ve done a great job of integrating existing shoreline uses with existing literature on Washington State’s riparian areas and buffers. They’ve tried to integrate it all and be very transparent by going through a large public process. 

Thus, as a private property owner, you would know how your land is zoned and what may or may not be allowed. There are provisions for revegetation which means you can’t use your land, even if you’re a state agency. It establishes “no net loss” of ecological functions and values. So, if you want to put in a dock – or something that would disturb vegetation – you must replant. No net loss. That gets everybody on the same page.

NWNL/ALISON JONES  So, you are happy with the community response here. 

MICHAEL RITTER  Yes, extremely. This community is very educated regarding our resources. They speak freely and enjoy having no skyscrapers and only 2 billboards in a town of over 200,000 people.

BEING INVOLVED WITH THE COMMUNITY

NWNL/ALISON JONES  This Tri-Cities Region combines the cities of Pasco, Richmond and Kennewick, and is an amazing location for river-lovers – right at the confluence of the Columbia, Snake and the Yakima Rivers! Is the Tri Cities region growing?

MICHAEL RITTER  It is. It now includes Finley to the south, plus West Richland and Benton City basically to the west. That translates to 30+ river miles, 225,000 people and 2 billboards. The tallest building may be the 7- or 8-story hospital in Richland. People like the quality of life here and are deeply engaged with protecting our shrubsteppe, water and riverine habitats– as well as maintaining corridors and habitat connectivity. 

Ridges to Rivers is one of the environmental groups around here. Most of these people have lived here their entire lives and see development along the ridges and rivers, as well as the habitat fragmentation occurring. You can’t stop development. But we can encourage people to understand or consider wildlife needs in this development processes. The good groups here want to see this quality of life maintained. We think it’s really kind of cool to live here. 

NWNL/ALISON JONES  What advice have you garnered that you would give communities around the country that aren’t as conscious of habitat preservation? How best to raise awareness? A major goal for No Water No Life is to raise awareness. So my question is how best to do that?

MICHAEL RITTER  I think the best way to raise awareness of habitat values and resources is talking to local landowners who live and work on the land. Typically, the farmers and ranchers have been around the longest. They’ve faced more environmental issues and laws since the mid ’70s than the rest of us. They had to accept the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, you name it… , under some tough conditions. So, I emphasize meeting with them.

BOTTOM-UP/TOP-DOWN APPROACHES

MICHAEL RITTER  Here’s one quick story – I moved to Central Valley, California, to work with the federal government. One day I had to get an oil change on my personal rig, The guys at the office said go into town, 25 miles away, get your oil change there. OK, I said…. 

I got there, still in my “US Fish and Wildlife Service” uniform shirt. I pulled in and stepped out of my truck: it all got quiet. I didn’t know the history in this town over the kangaroo rat. They all surrounded me and said, “I suppose you’re here about that rat and are going to take our equipment again.” I said, “No. But, how long have you lived here on this land?” 

They looked at me like I was crazy, because it was safe to say they’d been here 1 or 2 generations. I said, “You don’t have to tell me; but I’ll be entirely honest with you. Do you have San Joaquin kit foxes or kangaroo rats on your property?” They nodded, saying they’d been farming and growing grapes and almonds for 80-100 years. I asked, “And you’ve still got rats? Well, keep on doing what you’re doing, because you’re helping these species live. But will you work with us to maybe modify your harvest if there are young kit foxes that need to be born; or would you modify your spraying so you don’t kill the bugs or whatever that these kit foxes need to eat?”  

NWNL  That seems like an understanding and reassuring approach to struggling farmers. 

MICHAEL RITTER  Yes. If we use more approaches like this, we might work together more often to save mature sage brush, dry washes and the canyons here are full of great wildlife – including burrowing owls, ground squirrels, mule deer, and ferruginous hawks that are our big regal raptors. 

So, in discussing the status of our wildlife I again ask our farmers, “How long have you had these species on your land?” It could be about 60 years. Then I say, “Well, keep doing what you’re doing because your wildlife here is still around.” Landowners have ranched, farmed and grown produce; and many post signs on their land saying, “Feel free to hunt. Walk-in access only.” Even with that, I say “Do whatever and wildlife will be fine.”

Science has figured out wild species’ breeding season. So, I say, “Farmer John, what do you do during the breeding season? Do you disc or spray then? If so, can you back off on doing that for 4 weeks or so until they pull the young off the nest?” Often farmers answer, “You know, maybe I could do that….” 

NWNL/ALISON JONES  So, this addresses the choice of bottom-up versus top-down approaches and solutions. Which approaches are most effective? Is it best to work 1-on-1 with a farmer, neighbor or rancher? How important are regulations? 

MICHAEL RITTER  No matter what you do in your life, when you move into a neighborhood, you’ve got to go knock on a door and introduce yourself. “Hello, I’m Michael and I work in biology.” That’s what I like to do. I see them on the road and wave. 

When I first started working here in the wind-energy program, I visited a Franklin County site in my official rig – a green sedan with out-of-state license plates. I was sitting on a public road looking at the habitat with the engine off. Suddenly, a guy in a motorcycle flies down the farm road to see what I was doing. I introduced myself as a wildlife biologist working out here and I just wanted to see the area. He said, “Thanks for being out here.”

So, bottom-up meetings with the landowners are good, but at some point you’ve got to put the umbrella over everybody and say, “We need a planning process to identify corridors for Franklin County that we think are important habitats.” Or we might need to explain, “We’re going to identify unique stretches of the Columbia or Snake River.” If something comes up, we’re going to just fall on the sword right there. That’s where regulations come into play, like the Endangered Species Act. 

Much of the job is outreach. I attend public meetings, meet with landowners, talk to school group and whatever come up. I meet with people – with you from No Water No Life – to share what we do. It’s awareness. We’ve got to do both. My angle is that I enjoy visiting landowners. I go to all meetings that I can. But the connection I like best is face-to-face on the land.. 

Irrigation along our lower Pasco-Kahlotus Road, typical across Washington State.

IRRIGATION IMPACTS

NWNL/ALISON JONES  Do you think farms with irrigation support and increase local species and diversity since they provide more water?

MICHAEL RITTER  Irrigated crop land has increased biodiversity of animals in the area: both nonnative animals and general species. Has it benefitted some native specialists? Sure, including burrowing owls. There are now many more insects and mice around here for our native burrowing owls due to irrigation. 

But with irrigation comes significant loss of our shrubsteppe habitat. We have lizards, ground squirrels, and jackrabbits that need large, connected expanses of shrub. If we go along the Snake River, we can still see a lot of those animals in spots. Down here on the irrigated side, we have many animals, but I don’t know if there is increased diversity. Since we have many more agricultural chemicals here, there are mixed impacts. 

But hey, when it’s 100º outside and you want to see animals in Franklin County, you should go to the irrigated fields, because they are wet with shade from the cherry trees. Out in remote Franklin County, it’s pretty brutal on a 100 º day, unless it’s six o’clock in the morning. 

NWNL/ALISON JONES  What non-native species are perhaps brought here by irrigation? 

MICHAEL RITTER  Non-native squirrels have moved along the river corridors into upland habitats. I don’t know about specific insects, but there’s a whole slew of them associated with the presence of water. There are many barn owls associated with the presence of water. But not many non-native species have moved in. 

VULNERABLE NATIVE SPECIES

MICHAEL RITTER  The loss of native species is the key thing. This shrubsteppe is covered with large sage brush, rabbit brush, bitter brush and bunch grasses.  Washington State has so many species found here in the connected landscapes of this rangeland habitat. Because of irrigation from the 1940’s Columbia River Project, the Grand Cooley Dam made irrigation possible and that made things great for people – and for some wildlife. 

Right now, we are coordinating a patchwork of native habitats by trying to maintain existing corridors of native habitat so these animals have access to their ways to travel and move. 

NWNL/ALISON JONES  What are species are you most concerned about?

MICHAEL RITTER  Some of the most important imperiled animal species in the Columbia Basin are the ferruginous hawks, the Townsends and Washington ground squirrels in shrubsteppe habitat. When we meet internally and externally, we talk about the big three concerns in the area: shrubsteppe habitat, ferruginous hawks and burrowing owls. The latter two concerns are species indicative of good functioning shrubsteppe habitat.

NWNL/ALISON JONES  What can you do to help them and to mitigate further losses?

MICHAEL RITTER  Well, we must work with developers — in counties and cities – to minimize impacts. Focus #1 is to avoid development if we can. Focus #2 is to minimize development. And Focus #3 is to mitigate development, if we must. There’s been a lot of good science regarding wind energy and other general information on connected habitats. There was a blueprint for development in Eastern Washington done by the Nature Conservancy. It showed the connected landscape of the habitats that we want to carefully consider. 

A connected landscape project done by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and others used statistical means and found some target areas and corridors we should maintain. We are now trying to get everyone on the same page again and ask, “Where are the corridors we’re really interested in that could maintain some connection between shrubsteppe habitat, rivers and other ecosystem elements. 

RIVER FISHERIES

NWNL/ALISON JONES  We’ve thus far talked about the land. As you mention fisheries, I want to discuss the issue of fish becoming endangered. 

MICHAEL RITTER  Just as there are endangered terrestrial animals, there are also endangered fish – aka, “special status” fish –  throughout these river systems and the Snake, starting with the well-known Steelhead and Chinook Salmon. The Bull Trout are more of a resident trout that is still around here and in the river. There are many hatchery operations along the Snake and Columbia River that help those populations, and support fishermen. They are good because they raise people’s awareness about the Snake River’s important salmon runs, even if they are all hatchery fish. 

Hatchery fishing supplements also help get people out on the Snake to enjoy this wonderful resource. Fishing can prompt folks to think, “Maybe I should help protect this river in some way.” Fortunately, there are still wild salmon runs that go up the Snake. However, rules say you can’t keep any wild fish you catch. In sum, it’s state agencies and tribal agencies that are helping address our fish issues. 

NWNL/ALISON JONES  What about the Snake’s sturgeon population study? I spoke about this with Glen Mendel and he didn’t know if either the sturgeon study or invasive species study were finished. He says sturgeon are now stuck between Lower Granite and Ice Harbor Dams, and they can’t go anywhere from there. So, obviously their DNA is limited. He also mentioned that grass pickerel, jellyfish, shad, walleye, snails, and zebra mussels seem to be everywhere. Can you add anything to that? 

MICHAEL RITTER  No, but we’ve become such a global society that everything is everywhere. Some people don’t even know what’s native in these systems anymore since invasives do so well in many places that that’s all that people see. Nonnatives are here, as are all those snails that are in many systems around here. Much of the vegetation in these rivers is not native, including phragmites and purple loosestrife – often in isolated pockets, at times – but they’re there. 

Despite the dams, development, invasives and all the interest, we still have a semblance of a connected river that runs all the way back to Montana and Wyoming. The Snake River connects all these people and all the commerce. Many things exist, as if this was a couple hundred years ago – with a slightly different look. I mean, the water’s still running. People can still move on the river. Fish can still swim in the river. Right? People still come to it to enjoy it. 

In the Hells Canyon reach of Snake River, fishermen in a chartered fishing boat catch a wild sturgeon which they released.

TO DAM or NOT TO DAM

NWNL/ALISON JONES  There is a movement afoot to remove more dams. They are talking particularly about the four lower Snake River Dams. Do you have any worries about it? 

MICHAEL RITTER  I’d like to say no comment; but that’s not appropriate to say when you’re being interviewed. One should always offer a comment. Dam removals on the Snake River should occur, where appropriate. But if the question goes through a process and the public decides not to approve, then that’s the way that it should be. There is a public process for both building or removing a dam. Whatever the folks decide is the way that it should go. 

NWNL/ALISON JONES  Do you see any movement in the public one way or the other?

MICHAEL RITTER  I’ve heard more from Snake River ‘Save our Dams’ advocates, via bumper stickers, one-liners, and comments at meetings than I’ve heard from the other side. People for keeping dams talk about their importance for commerce to be moved up and down the Snake via our big barges. 

NWNL/ALISON JONES  Do you hear talk of the possibility of trains replacing barge traffic?

MICHAEL RITTER  I’ve not heard of trains replacing barges. But there’s been much interest in train transport around here because of the coal shipments coming through here on the way to the coast. We have 100+ trains moving through here daily. Concerns over trains tipping and spilling their loads, fires and other worries make people kind of nervous. Coming from the Mississippi as a kid, I grew up with barges all over the place – even in college. When I moved here and saw the dams, I thought I’d see a lot more barge traffic. But I don’t. I see one barge, one company in particular that’s housed right down here on the Snake. And that’s all I’ve ever seen. It seems dams here are more for hydroelectric power, whereas dams in the Midwest are more for navigation and safety. 

But either way, if the public says dams should go, they should go. 

NWNL/ALISON JONES  It’ll be an interesting process to resolve, because it’s obviously a very live issue across the country. Flying here from New York, I heard a comment from Yvon Chouinard of Patagonia Inc, who’s strongly supported removal of older dams. In a New York Times op ed on a new movie titled “Damnation,” he says he hopes they’ll remove the lower four Snake River dams. That’s national news, not local news. 

MICHAEL RITTER  I imagine that article will appear on our daily news links, because that is important. 

NWNL/BARBARA FOLGER  From a habitat point of view, does having dams impact land-based animals or fish? Are the big, still, pooled waters behind the dams good or bad for habitat or animals? 

MICHAEL RITTER  I’d think the stable water levels that a dam gives us, is always good for shoreline habitat and stability. However, we would lose that natural massive fluctuation that helps regulate shoreline vegetation and reset successional processes. These large lakes that are behind our dams are quite stagnated. Not in a bad way, but they don’t fluctuate enough. And we get a lot of rank vegetation along the shorelines in some spots. So, we don’t get the reset. 

But, if you’re a beaver or an eagle and your habitat is stable along the shoreline, dams may work out well for you. The shoreline just keeps growing and moving. If you have a big dry-out – as they do up on the Wanapum Reservoir this year due to its dam break, the animals that we’re dependent upon and shoreline habitat are gone. 

Barn with sign for "Save Our Dams" in the Palouse.

WETLAND HABITAT RESTORATION

NWNL/BARBARA FOLGER  Are you involved in the wetland restorations I hear about?

MICHAEL RITTER  We do some work in the Yakima Delta, where Yakima River feeds into the Columbia.

NWNL/BARBARA FOLGER  What are you doing down there?

MICHAEL RITTER  There, warm water flows come into the Yakima River as it reaches the cold Columbia River. Bateman Island is right at the confluence with a big causeway that doesn’t that doesn’t provide any flow. The Yakima’s water can go over or under Bateman Island into Columbia. Thus, water in the Columbia at that confluence gets very warm very quickly, creating an impediment to salmon returning upriver. They come up the cold Columbia around Bateman Island to enter the Yakima River. There the water can rise from 60 º to 70-80º at times in the summer. That water becomes very deoxygenated, very stagnant, and contains lots of algae. We are working there to stabilize flows that have affected habitat, water quality and water temperature. 

I am also involved with small-scale wetland projects. Some jobs are on private property for wetland restoration. Our State Wildlife Areas are managed by state employees who do wetland work, involving screw gates, flashboard risers, disking and burning to create waterfowl habitats, seasonal bird habitat and such. Such projects involve permits from our agency as well which we can give to our staff. 

NWNL/BARBARA FOLGER  Do you get involved in any of the environmental impacts of like the avian predation of the salmon?

MICHAEL RITTER  No, I wish I could. I have so much on my plate, but I find that interesting. But no, I’m not involved in that. That’s the hatcheries, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Army Corps of Engineers and our agency. 

MORE on HATCHERIES

NWNL/ALISON JONES  To delve further into the issue of hatchery fish, I was just at the Lyon’s Ferry Hatchery. An employee who was feeding the fish said that you oversee management. What do you see as pros and cons of hatchery fish?

MICHAEL RITTER  As I mentioned, if peoples’ only experience in catching a fish is at a hatchery it might awaken a sense of awe. Regarding the cons of hatcheries…, I teach environmental science and biology at a local community college where we discuss feed lots. In the Pacific Islands where I first worked, they grew tilapia, shrimp, eel and soft-shell turtles in really crowded conditions. Now, they give them the medicine which helps. They know stocking rates and they’re happy – but it’s a “feed lot.” Now there are rules for such environmental conditions; and you can’t just discharge your water. 

There is much to do to keep all those fish happy and healthy before they’re released. I would say our hatchery operations for salmon and trout are top notch. Water temperatures and quality are dialed in. We let the fish go into the river systems when they’re 2-3” inches long. That’s a quick turnaround. 

Washington state is the smallest western state – but one of the most populated in the Northwest, more than Oregon or Idaho. But for some of the warm water fish species, like muskie, crappie, maybe bluegill and sunfish, we can face diseases and other issues. We have so many people here who enjoy fishing and hunting. So our hatchery operations are important to providing fish for people to catch. 

Lyon's Ferry Fish Hatchery at confluence of the Snake and Palouse Rivers as seen from above.

WIND TURBINES, BATS & BIRDS

NWNL/ALISON JONES  Moving beyond riverine species and habitats and back to your earlier work with wind-power companies, what are your thoughts today about wind energy in the State of Washington and its threats to this watershed’s aerial species?

MICHAEL RITTER  We have about 17 wind projects in the state already operational. The first one went in around 2001 or 2002. There are 17 more projects ready to develop when there is a more reliable system of energy transmission. Here, wind projects compete with the dams for energy transmission. It seems our economic stability — or instability as we’re in right now — might be contributing to that. The wind farms are situated mostly around Goldendale in the south-central part in Klickitat County in southern Washington. There are a couple wind installations in the Tri-Cities, and one out here in the Palouse. They provide quite a bit of power for the state. 

NWNL/ALISON JONES  How does wind compare to hydro and nuclear power here in Washington? 

MICHAEL RITTER  Hydro is not considered renewable here. Regarding nuclear, here we’re right next to the Hanford site. Beyond that, we have only one operational nuclear facility producing electricity. I think that if nuclear energy was the best way to go, there’d now be many more nuclear plants here than hydrodams. 

All our transmission lines are set up for hydro. The windiest time of the year is when the water needs to spill over the dams and make power. So, they compete. About 3 or 4 years ago, the wind operators just shut off the turbines, which led to a big lawsuit. They’re probably still working that out. But projects here in Washington are still operating, and I’m still involved. About twice a year, they meet to address operational fatality monitoring for hawks, owls, birds and bats. 

NWNL/ALISON JONES  Has the bird mortality lessened?

MICHAEL RITTER  Bird mortality at wind power projects is a challenge. We’ll never have zero mortality, but wind companies do a phenomenal job siting their towers. They’ve worked very closely with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to make small-scale changes to turbines to move them further away, or not even construct them because of raptor or bird issues. From my perspective, they have 100% compliance with Washington’s voluntary wind power guidelines that address birds, bats and their habitats. Wind turbines do kill birds; and our job is to minimize that by careful choices for tower sites. 

NWNL/BARBARA FOLGER  Is there anything mechanically that can be done? 

MICHAEL RITTER  Only shutting off the turbines. 

NWNL/BARBARA FOLGER  In California they’ve discussed reducing turbine speeds.

MICHAEL RITTER  That’s only for bats, but it works well. 

NWNL/ALISON JONES  Is there nothing else to be done to mitigate bird deaths? 

MICHAEL RITTER  At one wind project, when an eagle circles, they call headquarters which will shut off the block of turbines when a bird is moving through. That puts stress on the wind company; but they want to go the extra mile by putting biologists out there almost 24/7. That type of curtailment occurs when there is a migration or a big storm with fog and rain which disorients birds and bats. There’s been significant science applied to this problem. But siting is most important. Companies must do studies first so they can place towers in the best possible spots to avoid bird and bat mortality. That’s the key. 

Palouse wind turbines.

COORDINATED STEWARDSHIP

NWNL/ALISON JONES  It seems you are closely linked with many environmental stewardship groups. Do you work with The Nature Conservancy?

MICHAEL RITTER  We do when they have big projects or if I need help from them on a particular project. They often have good Geographic Information Systems/GIS mapping tools showing species occurrence. So, we can dial into that. 

We also have our own priority habitat and species GIS database, with latest data for burrowing owl, shrubsteppe habitat, and other concerns. We coordinate with other nature conservancies, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Army Corps to share data layers. That way we’re coordinated as we make plans for wetlands, uplands, rivers, or a development decision here in Pasco or Kennewick. We can check easily to ask “What’s on your data layer? 

NWNL/ALISON JONES  Do you share a database?

MICHAEL RITTER  No, but we have a public access site for Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. I’m dialed into the other sites for Kennewick and Pasco and other places via a public portal. Since I’m a biologist and know the other biologists. I can assess the good stuff and find sensitive data we may not have on our website – such as hawk nesting sites or salmon “reds” in the stream so we can protect them. We frequently collaborate. 

NWNL/ALISON JONES  You’ve mentioned the Nez Perce, Umatilla and other tribes. How often does Washington Fish and Wildlife work with them? 

MICHAEL RITTER  We do significant fisheries work on the Yakima River and its Toppenish Creek for salmon. Closer to the Tri-Cities, we work with the Nez Perce on the Hanford Project.  The Yakima Indians are the main tribe around here. I usually see them at a few meetings each year. They comment on developments and other local issues. Since there is much fisheries work being done over on the Yakima and Toppenish area for salmon, they’re involved with our agency. Over here, closer to the Tri-Cities and the Hanford project, we work with the Nez Perce, Umatilla, and Yakima Nations. We also work with the Colville to address their area’s habitat issues, fisheries and wildlife issues. 

So we don’t operate in a vacuum. We have no closed doors, nor do we wait for Internet or mail queries asking us to comment on a development proposal. We engage in development review and comment to provide the best assessments on habitat and species. In my work with wind, power and habitat, I’ve probably worked more with the State Department of Natural Resources than any other agency. Their lands are for agricultural development and grazing. Their first contact is our agency to learn what we know about any property for lease. That relationship works well. 

NWNL/BARBARA FOLGER  It’s so great when everybody works together ahead of a problem rather than waiting for a problem to occur.

NWNL/ALISON JONES  Yes, thank you for stressing importance of working together, data sharing and the positive impacts of coordination. 

MICHAEL RITTER  A development needs a permit or the right clearances to begin. There are a slew of agencies to talk to, and who have the right papers that are needed. It is important to coordinate, collaborate with your local partners. The Internet and email allow us to exchange information quickly, send courtesy heads-up on a project coming down the pipe, on burrowing owls or loss of shrubsteppe habitat. 

My job is to explain the services of the DNR or US FWS. I can find the person you need to talk to what US FWS wants and what you’ll do with me. You should contact the other agencies first to get their perspective. You need to have clear, objective answers. Working with partners and collaborating with our sister agencies allows the public to have confidence in the system and in the way things work. People might call me back for more information, but it’s important that people have a sense of ownership — responsibility — in the process so they can be more of a part of it than against it. Then, with a sense of ownership they’re more willing to consider wildlife resources. It’s a fine balance – more of an art than a science. I think my job comes down to being a respectful, decent person and wanting to visit with someone.   

NWNL/BARBARA FOLGER  Human relationships. 

MICHAEL RITTER  Yes. Human relationships. It’s really basic – especially since there’s more bureaucracy, more “adminis-trivia” involved with trying to get something done. Every permitting clearance agency wants a piece of that process. 

EFFECTIVE GUARDIANSHIP & LANGUAGE

NWNL/ALISON JONES  If you had a magic wand, how would you create a more streamlined process – and more effective guardianship of the habitat?

MICHAEL RITTER  I hate to say the greatest need is ample funding, but it’s a reality. I’ve been living here for 12 years; and we now have enough science, data, and studies to say, “Here are the important areas, the corridors, the stressors. Here are the things that aren’t the greatest. Here’s some things that are good.”

Now we need one massive event to all get on the same page. We must set action priorities for the Columbia Basin’s fish and wildlife resources so everybody will know what’s to be done. Right now, there are plans for connectivity analysis, nature conservancy, our fish and game. There’s a slew of great, objective Army Corps of Engineer reports on the river systems. But it all needs to be unified. We don’t need more plans. We need a process to summarize and define key habitats and issues for the Columbia Basin. 

NWNL/ALISON JONES  Who can do that?

MICHAEL RITTER  It is in my performance plan to do that. Seriously. My boss, Perry, asked me if I can tee this up. I’ve said, “Everything’s written. I don’t want to write any more new stuff. I need to go forward and group this up.  I’m not an external outreach person; I’m a biologist. But I’ve been involved many big projects.   

I could use an outreach staff and a planning staff to tee this thing up from Connell to Tri-Cities and Hanford on the Snake River. We could lock up our Columbia Basin shrubsteppe issues with connectivity.

NWNL/ALISON JONES  I was just on a panel for Earth Day with John Cronin who started Riverkeeper with Robert Kennedy, Jr. He said to me, “Environmentalism is just so divided. It needs to be pulled together into one agenda.”  This is what you’re saying. 

MICHAEL RITTER  We face information bombardment. Environmentalism is a multi-headed creature with good information on each appendage. What are the basics? Development is already here, but we can work together to protect our resources. 

NWNL/ALISON JONES  John Cronin also noted: “Our language in conservation and science is so clunky.” And it’s cumbersome. We need to be a bit “warm and fuzzy” so more people will want to be involved. 

MICHAEL RITTER  It is a clunky language. At the start of each semester, I teach biology to 25 to 30 students. I say, “This is a plain language class. I want us to sit down, have a beer, cup of coffee or coke and talk about biology. Gardening, raising animals, going fishing, going hunting can all be biology. Just talk to me. That’s how I tell them I don’t want the clunky language; and it happens. I ask, “What’s biodiversity? What does it mean to you and to me?” It means there are a lot of plants and animals that live out in the field here.   

I’ve often been accused of not using the right language for a biologist. I answer, “I’m just trying to relate on a common level. Did you understand what I said?” They’ll say “Yes,” and I answer, “What’s the problem then?” 

NWNL/ALISON JONES  That’s so true. When I started this NWNL project, I included several science advisors since my goal is to combine photography with science to promote watershed awareness. We spent months choosing 6 case study watersheds and forming our methodology. Just as I was ready to launch NWNL, one science advisor said, “Hey! You need to take classes so you can talk to scientists. You confuse ‘Ecology’ and ‘Environment.” So, I took university courses in forest management and environmental law. Six months later, after my first NWNL lecture, I was told I used too much scientific language! I learned I needed to learn the lingo; and then I needed to ramp it back. Indeed, there is a language problem. 

However, we have had no “language problem” today with you, Michael. Thank you very much for your time and insights to competent guardianship, guided by a 360º view of all that occurs in our varied and complex ecosystems. Thank you also for your 365-days-per-year efforts to preserve watershed biodiversity in the Snake River Basin.

Confluence of the Snake and Palouse Rivers, the Columbia and Snake River Basins, Washington.

Posted by NWNL on February 01, 2025.
Transcription edited and condensed for clarity by Alison M. Jones.

All images © Alison M. Jones, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.