Salmon in the Elwha

From John Gussman.

The chinook are now coming home to spawn in the dam free Elwha River.

(via:The Flyfish Journal)

Elwha River Virtual Tour

Take a virtual ride on the Elwha River from the former Lake Mills to the mouth as the river empties into the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Users of the Google Street View-style project by Flying Fish Views, a Seattle-based startup also known as F2V, can see rapids and even dive underwater to see the “fish view” version of the trip.

The “travel” is via 30,000 individual photographs stitched together to create a 360-degree view of the lower third of the river and valley around a river raft.

The trip reveals everything from underwater views of spawning salmon to towering rock overhangs as it explores the mysteries of the river now that it has been freed from two dams and is reclaiming its historical route through steep valleys and narrow canyons.

LINK (via: Peninsula Daily News)

The Elwha is Free!

The final blast of Glines Canyon Dam, the Elwha is Free from John Gussman on Vimeo.

With this final blast, the last remaining section of the upper dam is gone and the river is truly running free again for the first time in 100 years.

Maybe Lady Gaga is available that day?

The National Park Service invited Jon Bon Jovi and Neil Young to perform at a September event marking the Elwha Dam removal project. No harm extending an invite right? I mean who wants listen to a bunch of politicians drone on and on about restoring the Elwah when you could be rocking out to Living on a Prayer or Cinnamon Girl.

Bon Jovi declined and Neil's people have yet to respond.

LINK (Via: The Seattle Times)

“The generators may be powering down, but the river is about to power up.”

                          Kevin Yancy, the power plant’s foreman

A major milestone on the Elwah.

Today federal workers will shut off the turbines on the two Elwah River dams and set in motion the largest dam removal project in U.S. history

LINK (Via: The News Tribune)

Contract to remove Elwha dams goes to Montana firm

Another milestone has been reached towards the removal of the two dams on the Elwah and restoration of it's once vibrant runs of salmon and steelhead

After decades of talking about it, the feds finally signed a contract Thursday to take down two dams on the Elwha River in the largest such project ever in North America.

The goal is to restore the Elwha River ecosystem, especially its fabled salmon fisheries, choked off by two dams for nearly a century. The takedown of the dams will take about three years to complete. The first concrete will come out of the dams beginning just about a year from now, in September 2011.

LINK (Via: The Seattle Times)