"When U.S. District Judge James Redden enters his crowded Portland courtroom for Friday's highly anticipated hearing on Columbia River salmon, he will see a powerful symbol of a historic change in the Pacific Northwest.

The Native American tribes of the Columbia Basin, with one exception, will be sitting shoulder to shoulder with the U.S. government agencies that manage the river basin, its dams and its fish and wildlife.

This is more, much more, than a new seating arrangement. For the first time in the long, litigious history of Columbia Basin salmon recovery, most of the groups that have spent 25 years locked in one dam fight after another have lined up together behind the same federal plan to operate dams and restore fish.

Redden understands all that it means for six tribes, three states and dozens of interest groups ranging from ports to public utilities to stand together behind the federal government's biological opinion. This, after all, is Redden's doing. He's pushed, pushed, pushed the many parties to come together after years of litigation to collaborate on a strategy to save fish."

Get the Story:
Editorial: A strong new current behind Columbia salmon (The Oregonian 3/6)

More Stories:
Salmon recovery plan before U.S. judge (The Oregonian 3/6)
NW salmon dam dispute returns to court (AP 3/5)