Dam(n) Miracle Worth Celebrating! ⁠

As many know, a year ago, we were sitting with an empty source pond learning about a quickly spun up Pacificorp project designed to build a storage dam in our canyon. A dam that would devastate the shoreline of the reservoir ecosystem and raise into question the stability of our source pond and the health of the Great Salt Lake. ⁠

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This time last year, we were triaging crisis with a pending long term battle brewing up by the hour. ⁠

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Well, last week, a reminder of just how powerful one year of advocacy can be showed up in the first 5 minutes of a boring legal zoom hearing with Idaho Department Of Water Resources & Pacificorp.⁠

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Earlier this year after thousands of community petitions, Pacificorp announced it would delay its dam project by 3 years. Shortly after, they advanced the necessary applications to secure essential water rights for that new process. ⁠

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Well, last week, after legal protests and interventions against that application, they quietly and quickly announced they were ABANDONING THE PROJECT for the time being. ⁠

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Last year they were testing the waters. Well, today, the waters have spoken and THERE WILL BE NO DAM(N) PROJECT!⁠

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Will they attempt to pursue it later in some other form? Perhaps. ⁠

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But for now, that’s 2 powerful victories for the Bear River and 0 for a new damn(n) hydro storage project in this canyon. ⁠

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Advocacy can often feel pointless and helpless, but know this, IT CAN ALSO WIN. If you are out there fighting for something that matters, don’t give up, don’t lose hope, dig in those heels and simply do the best you can with what you’ve got. ⁠

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Cause sometimes, what you’ve got may end up being all that it takes. ⁠

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And remember, never mess with a soggy hot springers soak.⁠