Here's a short video I took in late April of the remains of the lower dam!
One of the things I couldn't wait to do when we returned to the Olympic Peninsula was to check out the dam removal progress on the Elwha. I've written about it several times in my blog regarding its importance for salmon runs and the health of the Olympic National Park with all of its animals and botany to consider. To view some short videos with a fascinating look at the history of the dams and spectacular scenery check out the Olympic National Park page that even has some HD versions!
Every day we're seeing the result of the dam removals in our own backyard. Silt is not only being deposited along the river for the salmon, but also out the mouth of the river and along the rocky beaches. These beaches were a clam diggers paradise before the dams went in. They've been rocky for decades. The removal continues to improve our ecosystem.
Elwha River mouth is to the left a short ways away. Silt is flowing out with the Spring rains and snow meltalong the Strait of Juan de Fuca beaches!
The visits I've made out to the dam site and the overlook of former Lake Aldwell have been emotional for me. That we as a nation answered the question "If not now, when?" with this tremendous environmental decision for the welfare of our grandchildren and maybe even more importantly for generations of children we will never meet makes me so proud and filled with hope. The Elwha Indians are filled with hope that their grandchildren will see the landscape and birthing place of their people as their grandparents did in their childhood: without dams, lush with forest, and salmon so large and plentiful that it takes your breath away.
Former Lake Aldwell
The promise this photo holds is shown in the clouds above the Olympics andthe snow filled valley as well as the heavywork men do to restore the area where the damonce stood and to replant the banks of the riverwhere the lake once covered.
The Elwha River flows through the former Lake Aldwell site.Imagine 10 years from now this site will be green with grasses,bushes and of course the extension of the forest!