This research expands on the following problems:(1) in order for the Nez Perce to survive, so too must the salmon, and (2) the development of large dams on the Snake and Columbia rivers contributes to the concentration of wealth and power in the present regional and global economy. This latter discovery runs counter to popular notions of dams serving as “public works projects for a public good.” Instead, large dams are also related to the broader issue of externalities, or social and environmental costs that impact the survival of Nez Perce culture, tied to salmon, and the resiliency of salmon-based ecosystems.