Installation of new fish passage facilities is often the result of hydroelectric dam relicensing processes or driven by required compliance with Endangered Species Act mandates. In the absence of those regulatory hooks, what compels federal agencies and other stakeholders to support new fish passage installation and salmon reintroduction efforts? In the upper Columbia River watershed there are five dams blocking anadromous fish from previously occupied habitats. The Upper Columbia United Tribes’ Phase 2 Implementation Plan (“P2IP”) addresses those blockages through systematic feasibility studies of fish behavior, survival, and passage systems. In this talk I’ll review regional history for context, discuss the phased approach to reintroduction, and how the combination of persistence, hope, and transparency led to broad support and commitment to the tribally led effort.