Title:
The Rebirth of Elwha River
The
Edmonds Salmon Chapter of Trout Unlimited is hosting a presentation by Jeff
Duda, who is a research ecologist for the US Geological Survey’s Western
Fisheries Research Center in Seattle, WA. The topic will be: After decades of
debate, planning, and environmental impact studies, the largest dam removal
project in U.S. history was conducted on the Elwha River in Washington State,
USA, from 2011 to 2014. The story of this river, with rugged headwaters,
protected wilderness, legendary and culturally important salmon runs, and two
hydroelectric dams whose placement marshaled wholesale socioeconomic and
ecological changes, has become an iconic saga of change, perseverance and
renewal. The two dams blocked fish migrations and disrupted sediment transport
for a century, disrupting the structure and function of the Elwha River.
Removal of the 210’ and 105’ tall dams and the release of a large portion of
the 27.5 million cubic yards of stored
reservoir sediment, has provided a living laboratory to study the patterns,
processes and outcomes of dam removal from multiple scientific perspectives.
This presentation will provide a tour of what has been called a “Science
Disneyland”, share progress on the rebirth of a river ecosystem, and place this
project into a larger perspective of dam removals and river restoration in the
21st century.
The
Meeting will be held at the Edmonds Senior Center on April 27th at
7:00 PM. The Center is located at 220 Railroad Ave, Edmonds, WA 98020. The
meeting is open to all those interested in hearing about this very interesting
and important project.
