Mitch Cutter

Salmon and Steelhead Associate, Idaho Conservation League

Boise, ID

9/10 - 9/14

Mitch Cutter—2014 Westie, 2018 Tech Manager, and guest speaker for both 2021 and our programs—works for the Idaho Conservation League. He joined us as our Idaho guide for the 4 days we were there. At ICL, Mitch works as a Salmon and Steelhead associate. Standing in front of the Yankee Fork of the Salmon river, Mitch described to us the historic runs of sockeye—tens of thousands of fish making the 900 mile journey every year from the Pacific Ocean to RedFish Lake. Last year, there were only 4 sockeye who made it past all 8 Snake River dams to return to the lake. Mitch’s work, ultimately, is to help return the salmon runs to a sustainable population, but—as he described to us—the best way to do this is, perhaps surprisingly, through energy lobbying. Because the grids of the Pacific Northwest rely on hydroelectric energy, Mitch lobbies to have these systems replaced so that one day the dams will become unnecessary, and the push to remove them easier. With Mitch, we had our most political discussion of Semester in the West so far. He helped us to understand the complexities of conservation in a political landscape where it’s not just ecological interests at play, but also economic and social interests. Though dams may feel integral to the history of the PNW, they are only a part of settler history, and the damage they do to salmon—an ecologically and culturally vital species—means that they must go.

By Apple Lieser