For thousands of years, salmon moved between the Elwha River and the Pacific, linking the mountains, river and sea. Then two concrete walls changed that cycle for almost a century. When those dams finally came down, the river did more than regain its freedom. It became a rare natural experiment, allowing scientists to watch a damaged ecosystem begin rebuilding itself.
The Elwha River runs through Washington’s Olympic Peninsula before reaching the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Its cold, clear water once supported numerous runs of salmon and sea-going trout. The fish were also an important food source for the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, whose cultural connection to the river stretches back generations.
