August State Work Period

Statement

During the month of August, it has been great to be able to spend time in my beautiful home state. Also, it is good to have a break from Washington, DC. This state work period I have had the opportunity to travel throughout Idaho and meet with many fellow Idahoans. During the meetings that I have had across the state many have of you have shared your thoughts and concerns with me. I understand and share many of your concerns and frustrations over the massive government spending and mounting deficit. When I return to Washington in September, you can rest assured that I will keep in mind what I have heard from you as I work on legislation that will impact all of our lives. I will continue to work to preserve the liberty and freedoms that we enjoy, while keeping the values that we hold dear in Idaho. Following, are photographs and brief descriptions from just a couple of the events that I have attended during this state work period.

On August 11, I joined Idaho Fish & Game officials, representatives of the Bonneville Power Administration and the Northwest Power Planning Council and other leaders to help transplant migrating sockeye salmon from the fish traps at Redfish Lake south of Stanley.

As many as 1,400 sockeye salmon could return to Idaho this year from the Pacific Ocean. As recently as 1992, only one sockeye finished the journey and was dubbed "Lonesome Larry" by then Idaho Governor Cecil Andrus. Biologists say those numbers have not been seen since before construction of hydroelectric dams along the Snake and Columbia Rivers. The Idaho Sockeye run is among the world's largest, as the fish make their way from the Pacific more than a thousand miles to Idaho's high alpine lakes.

On August 9, I took part in an Environmental Protection Agency town hall meeting along with Dan Opalski, EPA Region 10, Governor Otter, Chairman Allan, of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe and Commissioner Jon Cantamessa of Shoshone County.

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