BENTON FALLS, MAINE — “Look underneath you,” commands Nate Gray, a burly biologist for the state of Maine. He reaches down to the grate floor of a steel cage perched on a dam straddling the Sebasticook River, and pulls back a board revealing the roiling river 30 feet below. “All you see is fish.” Below, undulating in … Read more
Tiny forage fish don’t have the iconic status of Northwest species such as salmon or orcas, but the marine creatures at the bottom of the food chain play a critical role. So scientists are excited to see signs they’re spawning in new habitat created by the Elwha dam removals. At the mouth of the Elwha … Read more
In the third-largest watershed in California, the Eel River rambles through some of the state’s most stunning landscape. Nothing about the river, with its clusters of redwoods along its sandy banks, hints at the looming battle over its blue-green water. In about three years, though, a federal commission will begin reviewing an application by Pacific Gas … Read more
The two dams on the Elwha River in Washington state have been nearly completely removed – the Lower Elwha Dam was removed in 2012, and the remaining 25 feet or so of the Glines Canyon Dam is expected to be gone in September 2014. Incredible changes have taken place in this landscape since the … Read more
November 2103 Dear Friends of the Eel River, We’ve come around again to the end of the year. It’s a good time to take stock and look forward. I offer a few thoughts about what lies ahead, in faith you’ll support our work. The Eel River is poised on a tipping point. The sinuous skein … Read more
Benbow Dam ($205,500): This project, in partnership with the California Department of Parks and Recreation, will ultimately open more than 100 miles of the South Fork Eel River for fish passage when completed. Removal of the Benbow Dam will benefit threatened populations of coho and Chinook salmon and steelhead. Read the full article here
Visit American Rivers homepage on Saturday at 11 am pacific, 2 pm eastern time to watch the Elwha River dam removal ceremony. Actor and American Rivers board member Tom Skerritt will participate in the ceremony, along with Lower Elwha Klallam Tribal Chairwoman Frances Charles, Governor Chris Gregoire, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, and other … Read more