The largest dam removal project in U.S. history began in September, marking a victory for a campaign that spanned more than two decades.
Two dams built in the early 1900’s stretching across the Elwha River on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State were constructed without fish ladders, blocking migratory fish from spawning.
The river’s salmon runs, once consisting of more than 400,000 fish, are now fewer than 4,000, and its subspecies of Chinook, steelhead, and bull trout are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Now, Conservation groups hope the restoration of the Elwha will provide a model for improved management of American rivers.
(READ the story in the Yes magazine)