DamSense Strategy

Jim Waddell was DamSense. Our purpose now is to continue his figh—and, through the resources collected here, empower others to do the same.

DamSense Tribute, February 2024

We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Jim Waddell, the founder of DamSense and a tireless advocate for the Pacific Northwest. If you knew Jim, you know the magnitude of this loss–not just for the movement to breach the Lower Snake River Dams (LSRD) but also for our community. We will remember Jim for the integrity and intelligence he brought to conversations about breaching the dams, as well as for the humor and kindness he showed to all of us fortunate enough to work with him. Jim dedicated his 35-year career to public service in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Environmental Protection Agency, and National Science Foundation. He was widely recognized as a leader in the field of sustainable water resource management, engineering regulations, and environmental policy. Among his proudest accomplishments was an Environmental and Cultural Resource Immersion Course taught by Native Americans on their lands, an initiative that improved federal employees’ understanding as well as relations with regional Tribes. Throughout his distinguished career, Jim was known for his deep thinking, unflinching honesty, and impressive collection of bow ties. Jim became an expert on the LSRD and their disastrous effects on salmon while working for the USACE Walla Walla District during their Lower Snake River Feasibility study. In 1999, with a clear and comprehensive perspective on the situation, he recommended breaching in order to comply with environmental law, tribal rights, and fiscal responsibility–an assessment that was ignored at the time but has been consistently validated since. After his retirement, Jim spent the next decade fighting against the failed LSRD projects and on behalf of the region he loved. His knowledge of the dams’ history, hydropower, finances, and ecological impacts played a crucial role in educating stakeholders and motivating advocates. A candid and compelling speaker, Jim appeared in Patagonia Films’ DamNation: The Problem with Hydropower and countless public events. He will be featured in the forthcoming expose by filmmaker John Carlos Frey. In forming DamSense, Jim partnered with the late Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research to call attention to the plight of the critically endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales, who rely on vanishing Chinook in the Columbia/Snake River Basin. In 2021, Jim and Ken collaborated with Native American politician and businessperson Paulette Jordan and DamSense board member Chris Pinney (retired Senior Fisheries Biologist, USACE Walla Walla District) to present a “Shovel Ready” proposal to President Biden outlining the cost, reasons, authority and obligation to order immediate breaching of the LSRD. Despite the negligent lack of response, Jim continued to file letters of record filled with expert testimony and persuasive arguments, creating an invaluable archive on DamSense.org. Jim’s battle with cancer did not deter him from this work. He continued to serve as amicus in the federal lawsuit National Wildlife Federation, et al. v. National Marine Fisheries Service, et al.  (D. Or. Case No. 3:01-cv-00640). In court filings, confidential mediation discussions, and public forums, Jim explained the pathway for immediate dam breaching without Congressional authorization, as documented in “The US President and Army Corps’ Discretion and Authority with Regard to Executive Action in Furtherance of Breaching the Lower Snake River Dams.” With continued delay fatal to endangered salmon and orcas, Jim often emphasized our collective moral obligation to hold the White House and Corps accountable for the consequences of their failure to act. In the months before he passed, Jim characteristically made plans for the future, inviting new members to join the DamSense board and coaching us on strategy in the wake of the disastrous NWF v. NMF agreement that delays breaching beyond the point of recovery. We will miss his candor, energy, and unfailing decency, and we are dedicated to continuing his legacy of evidence-based advocacy on behalf of Snake River salmon and the entire ecosystem that relies on them–before it is too late.

Jim’s DamSense Bio

Jim Waddell was a Civil Engineer who is retired from a 35 year public service career with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. For over twenty years of that career he has been a leader in developing the policies and practice of Sustainable Development within the Federal family. He also served with the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Science Foundation. His work with the NSF and then as the Senior Policy Analyst for the Environment in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy was largely focused on climate change policy, budgets and research integration. He was the first in the Federal Government to identify and integrate all the global warming research programs allowing scientific information to better inform National and International policies. His efforts in 1989 helped establish and organize the US Global Change Research Program. In 1999, Mr. Waddell became the Deputy District Engineer for Programs at the Walla Walla District at the time the Lower Snake Feasibility Study was into its 5th year of development. This $33 million study was the most comprehensive ever undertaken by any government to determine the feasibility of breaching dams to restore salmon runs. His recommendation to breach the dams based on the study and input from over 100,000 commenters who were largely in favor of breaching, was ignored. After his retirement from the Corps in 2013 he has undertaken a reevaluation of the study and his work shows that the magnitude of cost errors in the report clearly supports the conclusion that breaching the 4 Lower Snake Dams is not only a sound biological choice but will prevent the waste of millions of taxpayer’s dollars and loss of economic benefits to the Nation and region.