Elwha River New Beach

This clip shows how the beach at the mouth of the Elwha is being restored by the sediment load being flushed out from behind the Elwha dams.

Unconquering the Last Frontier

Narrated by Gary Farmer and filmed in Washington State from 1993 to 1999, “Unconquering the Last Frontier,” explores the causes and effects of the ongoing salmon crisis in the Pacific Northwest, focusing on the Elwha River. The film was released in 2001/2 and has been honored by film festivals around the world. The film tells the story of the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe’s struggle to survive in the shadow of hydropower development.

This is the rarely screened 101 minute feature film version; it is a multi-dimensional view of this landmark restoration effort and represents an important contribution to American documentary cinema.

Construction began on the Elwha Dam at river mile five in 1910

A great photo gallery showing the history of the Elwha River Dams.

LINK (Via:The Seattle Times)

Removing the Dams, Restoring a River

The Elwha dams' disappearance provides a unique opportunity for a river to be reborn. Many hope for the return of mighty salmon runs, but this is more than a fish story; the entire watershed will change when the dams come out.

Via: The Seattle Times

A Tribe Opts For Hatcheries to Bring Fish to the Elwha

What a crock of shit.

There are about 600,000 fish in the hatchery – steelhead and coho salmon for now – but Ward wants to see that number increase. 

Elwha River salmon, steelhead better off without hatcheries

Crosscut has an in depth story regarding the misguided hatchery planned for the Elwha. This piece is a buffed out version of a recent op-ed written by the same authors in the Seattle Times.

Despite all the public interest, decisions on the Elwha recovery plan have been made largely without public input, driven instead by the millions of dollars set aside for a misguided and counterproductive hatchery. Meanwhile, research and monitoring critical in tracking the progress of the recovery remains woefully under funded. The recovery plan claims that hatchery releases will be phased out as wild fish recover in the watershed, yet to date no benchmarks for wild recovery have been set, giving hatchery managers a blank check to continue harmful hatchery programs in perpetuity.

LINK (Via: Crosscut)

Guide and writer Bob Triggs adds his voice in this letter to the editor in the Seattle Times.