Podcasts about Elwha River

It started as a glacier. Then, about 13,000 years ago, it was a trickle, then a stream, and eventually a rushing river meandering through the Olympic Peninsula. For thousands of years, life thrived off the ecosystem served by the Elwha River that fed into to the Strait of Juan De Fuca. Then it stopped. A century ago, a dam was built to harness the power of the water and convert it into electricity. The salmon that the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe relied on were cut off from their spawning grounds. Ten years ago, that dam was taken down. In this special reprise episode, we look at the impact of the dam removal and how life in and around the Elwha is fighting its way back.  This show would not be possible without listener support. You can help us continue to create this special immersive storytelling by donating at kuow.org/donate/thewild. Thank you. THE WILD is a production of KUOW, Chris Morgan Wildlife, and the NPR Network. This episode was produced by Matt Martin and edited by Jim Gates. THE WILD is hosted, produced and written by Chris Morgan. Fact checking by Apryle Craig. Our theme music is by Michael Parker.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

LAST STAND: SAVING THE ELWHA RIVER'S LEGACY FORESTS, 23min., USA Directed by Dan Herz When a large, ecologically sensitive legacy forest in the heart of the Elwha River Watershed was identified for harvest, the Earth Law Center, Keystone Species Alliance, and Center for Whale Research began using all legal means possible against the Washington State Department of Natural Resources in an attempt to halt the impending clear-cut. Through breathtaking cinematography and intimate interviews, witness the profound beauty and ecological significance of the watershed, as well as the dire consequences of unchecked deforestation. Get to know director Dan Herz & Star Elizabeth Dunne Dan: I met a woman named, Missy Lahren, at an event in San Francisco and she told me about the legacy forests up in Washington state and how she and the law firm where she worked – Earth Law Center, were trying to prevent the state from auctioning off legacy forests for timber harvest. After she explained about the Elwha River, the undamming, the healing of the watershed, the salmon coming back, etc., and how logging could damage the watershed, after spending hundreds of millions of dollars to remove the dams, I felt that it was a story that needed to be told. Elizabeth: I want people to understand the imminent risk to our last remaining older legacy forests in the Elwha Watershed and Washington state, and really throughout the Cascadia Bioregion. My hope is that through watching the film people will understand what is happening to our forests and why it is important; that they will take action – including by voting for Dave Upthegrove, who was featured in the film, to be the next WA Public Lands Commissioner; and will feel empowered to bring people together in their own communities to protect the places they love. Subscribe to the podcast: https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod https://www.instagram.com/wildsoundpod/ https://www.facebook.com/wildsoundpod

This episode features Missy Lahren, PhD, Chair of Board of Directors at Earth Law Center. Along with her work as a public interest lawyer, she is also a producer and writer. We discuss the many facets of her work, focusing in particular on her recent film, Last Stand: Saving the Elwha River's Legacy Forests. It premiered publicly at EarthX in Dallas on April 24, 2024. We had a chance to talk on the day of the premiere. Here is a short summary of the film from the Earth Law Center. "When a large, ecologically sensitive legacy forest in the heart of the Elwha River Watershed in Washington state was identified for harvest, the Earth Law Center, Keystone Species Alliance, and Center for Whale Research began using all legal means possible against the Washington State Department of Natural Resources in an attempt to halt the impending clear-cut. Through breathtaking cinematography and intimate interviews, witness the profound beauty and ecological significance of the watershed, as well as the dire consequences of unchecked deforestation."You can watch the film on Earth Law Center's YouTube channel Visit their Elwha Legacy Forests page to read more about the critical ongoing campaign to save these irreplaceable forests. 

Dam removal on California's rivers is a highly visible and inspiring recognition of the benefits of natural services provided by healthy ecosystems. Tracker picks up where we left off as she reviews and reports on the progress of LA River rewilding. We discuss the role of tribal communities and efforts led by women to restore and rebalance, in light of Governor Newsom's recent announcement supporting removal of three additional dams in the state alongside ongoing efforts to free the Klamath. My film, unconquering the Last Frontier addresses dam removal on Washington'e Elwha River, successful in reintroducing symbiotic relationships.

Are you ready to step into the unfathomable mysteries of the Olympic National Park? This episode of Missing 411 Case Files will take you on a thrilling journey, where we walk through the incredible diversity of this park, from its coastlines to dense forests, alpine grasslands, and glaciers, and even discuss the rehabilitation project of the Elwha River. We also touch upon the deep-rooted history of the park, featuring its indigenous tribes and their spiritual ties to this enchanted land. But, that's just the beginning. We then venture into the unexplained disappearances of three individuals - John Devine, an experienced hiker, Gilbert Gilman, an ex-US Army paratrooper, and a young child, Bryce Herder. Each of their stories is a chilling tale of mystery, the clues of which are scattered across the vast wilderness of the Olympic National Park. Together, let's try to piece together these baffling puzzles and ponder over what could have possibly led to their strange disappearances. Tune into this captivating episode of Missing 411 Case Files and dare to uncover the hidden secrets of the Olympic National Park.

Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/491  Sponsors: https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors      In this episode, we dive into the exciting world of Olympic Peninsula fly fishing. Join us as we explore the diverse fish species you can encounter in this region, uncover popular tourist spots that offer incredible fishing opportunities, and get an insider's perspective on the renowned Waters West Fly Shop. We'll also discuss their viral Instagram reel, where they demonstrate the art of casting using the Ahrex Flexistripper. Whether you're a seasoned angler or a beginner looking to delve into the world of fly fishing, this podcast episode is packed with valuable insights and insider tips that you won't want to miss. Fly Fishing Olympic Peninsula Show Notes with Ed Fuhrken and Kyle McCurdy 1:12 - In episode 337, we welcomed Ed and Kyle on the podcast to discuss about surf perch fly fishing. 4:02 - We talk about their viral Instagram reel where Kyle made a cast using the game-changing Ahrex Flexistripper. The reel has now more than a million views. 8:27 - They give us an update on what keeps them busy in the Olympic Peninsula this time of year. They usually catch sea-run cutthroats in the summer. 14:18 - We dig into the movement of sea-run cutthroats in the OP. The months of September through November are ideal for getting away from the crowds on the river because most people are out looking for salmon in the fall. 17:10 - Ed's pet species are the king salmon and steelhead. In the OP, the same spot where you catch steelheads is the same one where you can catch kings. 20:07 - Kyle's main focus for July and August is beach fishing for sea-run cutthroats as he doesn't need to dedicate an entire day to do this. He can just go beach fishing right after work. 21:14 - Kyle looks forward to September and October as well, especially when it rains in September. According to Kyle, it could be the most incredible fishing experience you've ever had. 22:05 - When fishing for kings, they use a 12ft 9wt spey rod, specifically the Pieroway Renegade by Jerry French and Skagit lines. 24:31 - They give some tips on coho fishing. Typically, it's stripping streamers and sink tips. 25:40 - Right around Thanksgiving, that's when they start fishing for steelhead. 28:52 - We talk about lake fishing in the OP. 32:40 - For spring king, which is notoriously challenging to catch on the fly, the rivers in the OP open out around May. After the winter, trout fishing in the spring can be excellent as the water temperature drops. 33:42 - They walk us through the steps when someone comes to their shop in August to fish for cutthroat in the salt. Their go-to flies are Delia's Cohead Squid, Muddler Minnow, and Wounded Sculpin. 36:26 - They recommend bringing a stripping basket or the Ahrex Felxistrip when beach fishing in the OP to keep your line on the water. 37:35 - We go further into casting on the beach. 40:28 - Other species like flounder, pink salmon, black rockfish, and spiny dogfish are mentioned as being caught on the beach. 46:44 - We discuss other tourist attractions in the Olympic Peninsula. 49:19 - I ask about the other species in the OP that are like the surf perch. 50:30 - We dig into the flies they have in the shop. You can find their flies available through their online store. 55:23 - The vise they use are from Renzetti and Regal. We had Lily Renzetti, President of Renzetti Inc., in episode 486 where we talked about the company's humble beginnings. 56:20 - They tell about their friend who is bass-crazy. He has scouted every lake he can get to fish for largemouth bass. 57:29 - For hitting chinooks, it depends on the weather. When the heavy rains start, the salmon and chinooks rush in. 1:03:33 - We talk about the Elwha River. 1:05:26 - Lake Crescent is a special place for them. It is one of Washington's deepest lakes with a maximum depth of 624 feet. It has two endemic fish species, the Crescenti Cutthroat and Beardslee trout. 1:07:12 - Their favorite restaurants in their area are Spruce, Crab Shack, and Barhop.   Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/491 

In 2014, the dams on the Elwha River in Washington State were removed. As the river ran free again, salmon from the Pacific were able to spawn upstream for the first time in 100 years, dramatically improving conditions for American Dippers. Recent research has demonstrated that birds with access to salmon have higher survival rates. And they are 20 times more likely to attempt to raise two broods in a season, the most important contributor to population growth.More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening and other perks. BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible.

Hello Interactors,I'm back from planting our kids at college. Now we watch our not-so-little Weed's grow from a distance. I had a recent visit from a plant scientist friend last week that inspired me to dig into the blending of traditional Western science and Indigenous knowledge. Each have a lot to offer human adaptation strategies to the effects of climate change, but to do so will require new approaches and increased sensitivities to generations of abuse, neglect, and disrespect. This is part one of a two-part series that starts with a grounding in what integration exists today and why it's important. As interactors, you're special individuals self-selected to be a part of an evolutionary journey. You're also members of an attentive community so I welcome your participation.Please leave your comments below or email me directly.Now let's go…TEARS OF JOY AND SORROWIt was cause for celebration, but hers were not tears of joy. It was the ten-year anniversary of the largest dam removal in United States history. The Elwha Dam was completed in 1921 to dam the 45-mile-long Elwha River for electricity generation under the settler colonial banner of “Power and Progress.” A second larger dam was built in 1927. The Elwha is the fourth largest river on the Olympic Peninsula that sits on the western most Pacific coast of Washington State. It was once home to the country's second largest salmon run behind Alaska. After the dams were built, they robbed these fish of 40 miles of habitat. They also robbed the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe - ʔéʔɬx̣ʷaʔ nəxʷsƛ̕áy̕əm̕ – “The Strong People” of their food source and economy while submerging their spiritual land and identity in 21 million cubic yards of sediment. That's over one million dumpsters full of rocks and sand. If you stacked them, they'd reach over 700 miles into the air. Placed end to end they'd stretch over 3000 miles across America coast to coast.And now, ten years later, the salmon are running again, habitat is getting restored, and the sediment is redistributing. So why the tears? For scientists to accurately measure the successes of dam removal – and further justify the removal of more dams worldwide – the federal, state, and tribal governments agreed to a moratorium on fishing the returning salmon. It seemed a worthwhile compromise to the tribal community, but after over one hundred years of suffering their losses – and seeing the fish run as their elders had once seen – their yearning for a return to their cultural heritage has intensified over the last decade. Recent years of healthy salmon runs have tested their patience with colonial powers continuing to dictate their way of life – even as they simultaneously celebrate their joint successes.It was the U.S. Congress who passed the Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act in 1992 to restore dwindling salmon populations, but it was the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe who had fought to have those dams removed even as they were being built. They also helped fund the research necessary for successful removal. And now they want to live as they once did – in a self-determined and self-sustaining autonomous but integrated coexistence with their neighbors.A friend of mine is a plant scientist for the project who attended the celebration event in Port Angeles, Washington last week. The early economic growth of this city depended on the electricity generated by those dams. He told me the words and subsequent tears by the woman representing the tribe was the most gripping and poignant moment of the event. It left many scientists conflicted about the proper path forward. Continued research will help with planning of future dam removal projects, including what would displace the Elwha project as the largest dam removal effort in history on the Klamath River. This project involves the removal of four dams that stretch across the Oregon and California border.But what is more important? More data collection and academic papers supporting future dam removals or resuming the human rights of an abused and afflicted Klallam community? The answer won't come from the scientists, but from deliberations between multiple levels of governments, agencies, and departments strewn across many jurisdictions.BRIDGING BARRIERSThe Elwha dams are representative of countless ecological discontinuities brought on by colonial expansion and attempted erasure and conversion of Indigenous cultures and populations around the world. The Elwha dam removal indeed created a precedent that inspired ecological restoration projects worldwide. And while the collaboration between members of the Klallam people and U.S. government officials, volunteers, and scientists has largely been healthy, the tension that spawned the removal in the first place still remains – competition for fishing rights.These dams posed an immediate threat to the Klallam people and their way of living, as they still do for the Klamath people and others like them. But a greater compounding threat grows more imminent every day – the effects of climate change. Despite minimal contributions to causes of climate change, Indigenous populations suffer the greatest risks of the effects. This is most apparent and acute right now in Pakistan as one third of that country remains flooded. Pakistanis are indeed in need of outside help. But too often Western aid swoops in with relief and then disappears leaving them with little support for how to survive the next disaster. Just as profit seeking colonists left the Klallam people with little support for survival. But instead of resorting to fatalistic language and traditional paternalistic hero mentalities that portray Indigenous communities as helpless and hopeless, some scientists and activists are shifting toward community-based adaptation strategies. These efforts start by first experiencing and understanding how these communities are affected, but then recognizing many of them also have deep ancestral knowledge and history of how to adapt to a changing climate.To strike a healthy balance between Western government aid and scientific knowledge and local needs and culture will require increased sensitivities to historical traumas inflicted by colonization, extreme capitalism, and forced acculturation. There is a myriad of language, linguistic, and cultural gaps that challenge the documentation, translation, and integration of Western scientific approaches with Indigenous ecological and cultural knowledge so that it is accurate, complete, and fair. Meanwhile, the planet is warming, the environment is shifting, and the pressure for adaptation systems and mechanisms is mounting.To bridge these knowledge gaps requires a concerted effort around the globe to establish consistent approaches to Indigenous knowledge integration in scientific literature. In 2020 a group of researchers started by asking this fundamental question: “How is evidence of indigenous knowledge on climate change adaptation geographically and thematically distributed in the peer-reviewed literature?”What they found is the number of publications per year focusing on Indigenous knowledge and climate change adaptation has grown considerably over the last ten or so years. Between 1994 and 2008 their search yielded just six scientific publications that included evidence of Indigenous knowledge. There were that many in 2009 alone. Ten years later, in 2019, the number grew sevenfold to 42.The majority, 133 of the 236 sampled, came from the field of Environmental Science. Social Sciences (97) and Earth and Planetary Sciences (50) had the second and third most publications respectively. Then came Agriculture and Biological Sciences (36), Medicine (22), and Health Professions (14). The word-cloud they generated from the corpus ranked these as the most common words: ‘vulnerability', ‘resilience', ‘drought', ‘community', ‘perception', ‘impact', ‘food security', ‘agriculture', and ‘adaptive capacity'. Given the most repeated words all relate to health and survival, researchers in the health and human services academy and industry have some work to do.In terms of geographic distribution, a large proportion of publications study regions in Africa and Asia. The most studied countries are India, Zimbabwe, and Canada. There is no worldwide count of Indigenous populations and most studies don't mention tribal names, so it's hard to determine fair distribution. However, based on the data available, the authors suggest the biggest gaps may be in central Africa, northern Asia, Greenland, Australia, parts of South America and Polynesia.Of the attributes of Indigenous knowledge represented, most publications (170) included “Factual knowledge about the environment and environmental changes” like precipitation, temperature, ice thickness, and wind speed. Two of the least represented attributes were:“Cultural values and worldviews (61) like relationship to land, stewardship, values of reciprocity, collectiveness, equilibrium, and solidarity.“Governance and social capital” (61) like food sharing and social networks as well as informal social safety nets.These seem to me to be valuable sets of knowledge in the face of worldwide human ‘vulnerability', ‘resilience', and ‘capacity to adapt' to the effects of climate change. Some scientists are shifting from describing the facts of climate change toward better understanding of human mitigation, migration, and adaptation.BLENDING BARRIERSOne of the reasons Indigenous communities are so helpful is their cultural lineage and oral history traditions include solutions, strategies, and innovations of past human adaptations to a changing climate. This all despite past attempts by evil colonizers to suppress and destroy their knowledge, traditions, and even their existence. But these people and civilizations gained and sustained through generations of ecological experimentation. They benefited from innovations in grassland growth, fire management, and crop alteration. Over decades and centuries, they evolved countless trials of seed germination, hybridization, and dispersal to achieve maximal crop yields. (e.g., symbiotic ‘Three Sisters' crop clustering). They also developed predator management schemes enabling them, and their crops, to survive and thrive. Their mediation of the environment provided a mutualistic food web rooted in natural forms of ecological reciprocity. But this knowledge was not and is not static.They had to endure and adapt to environmental dynamism at varying scales of time and space. Change occurred at a local level with daily shifts in the weather but also at a regional level from sudden climatic and geological perturbations like earthquakes, floods, droughts, and volcanoes. All of which had effects lasting decades and centuries.These events led some populations to hunker down and innovate new methods of survival amidst a changed but familiar environment, while others migrated near and far to survive. For those who didn't make it, their knowledge is lost. However, some traces of their existence, their paths of migration, shelter, and food habits do, and we rely on archeologists to bring those facts and interpretations to light.But even in the best of situations, as evidenced with the Elwha project, balancing hard quantitative science with qualitative humanitarianism while in search of adaptation and survival strategies poses a host of challenges. Not the least of which is the fact that within these works exist many gaps in human and environmental knowledge across the spectrum of global space and time.But a new approach in archaeology and ecology is emerging called ‘archaeoecology. It strives for a more robust intellectual understanding of the interaction of people and place that spans the globe and the past 60,000 years of existence. It's a proposed blending of ecological and archaeological research that, when augmented with Traditional Ecological Knowledge, can fill gaps of the past so that plans can be made now for how humans can survive in the future. And as the Klallam people have reminded us, regardless of the past, the time for healthy adaptation to a changed environment needs to start now. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit interplace.io

About a decade has passed since two dams were removed in the Elwha River. The health of the river has improved and dwindling populations of Chinook Salmon are recovering. Mike McHenry is a fish habitat manager and biologist with the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. He shares more details on how the fish are doing and how their habitat has changed.

For about a century, the Elwha River in Northwest Washington was broken up by two dams, to generate power to Port Angeles. The Elwha Dam was removed in 2012 and the Glines Canyon dam was removed in 2014, creating a transformation in the natural ecosystem. Fish are returning, and vegetation in the region continues to thrive. Chhaya Werner examined vegetation regeneration in the affected areas and documented how plants responded to a free-flowing river. She has visited the region many times over the last decade, observing the changes. Werner will begin teaching at Southern Oregon University in the fall as an assistant professor of ecology. She joins us with details of the region's transformation.

At the north end of the Olympic Peninsula, trucks carrying massive trees rumble through the town of Port Angeles. Humans here have dramatically altered the old-growth forests that ring the snowy peaks of the mountains nearby. But residents are working to preserve what they can of this wilderness.

On this episode, Anders Halverson talks to Dr. Joe Anderson of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife about fish restoration in the Elwha River, the site of one of the biggest and most significant dam removal projects in the United States. Since the dams were removed  in 2014, salmon, steelhead, bull trout, and other fish have recolonized and adapted to habitat that had not been available to them for more than a century. Research on the changes in fish distribution and abundance, genetics, and life histories have already yielded several surprises and show just how resilient such systems can be. ---- Get in touch with us! The Podcast is on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook: @FisheriesPod  Become a Patron of the Fisheries Podcast here: https://www.patreon.com/FisheriesPodcast Buy podcast merch: https://teespring.com/stores/the-fisheries-podcast-fan-shop Thanks as always to Andrew Gialanella for the fantastic music. The Fisheries Podcast is a completely independent podcast, not affiliated with a larger organization or entity. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by the podcast. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by the hosts are those of that individual and do not necessarily reflect the view of any entity with with those individuals are affiliated in other capacities (such as employers).

Hello Interactors,This week I’m coming to you from Cape Cod. Yesterday we saw “red tide” algal plumes stretching a quarter of a mile along a flat sandy beach against a receding tide. This is a common occurrence in Massachusetts, but the frequency of occurrences of “red tide” are increasing worldwide. The last couple weeks have seen extreme weather events in unsuspecting places worrying even the most conservative climate scientists. Perhaps it’s time we put less attention on the drama of the consequences of climate change and more on educating the public on the science behind it. As interactors, you’re special individuals self-selected to be a part of an evolutionary journey. You’re also members of an attentive community so I welcome your participation.Please leave your comments below or email me directly.Now let’s go…CSU AND TENNEESEE TOOOur family is on a trip visiting family on the east coast – and also few colleges for two rising seniors. I never visited my first college, Colorado State University (CSU) in Fort Collins, Colorado. I was mostly following a friend who, like I, wanted to study graphic design. CSU had a notable program, but it was mostly known as an agricultural school. It’s closer to the state of Wyoming than it is Denver and is flat with rolling plains of grassland that spread out below the foothills of the Rocky Mountains – cow country. A fact that becomes obvious when the wind blows from the east carrying the stench of livestock fields in neighboring Greely, Colorado.I had no idea Colorado State was also home to an international ecosystem research center, the National Resource Ecology Laboratory (NREL). Ecology was not a new thing, but most ecological research was conducted by researchers in isolation of one another. This program, however, aimed to bring different disciplines together – like ecology, soil science, and climatology – to study their mutual effects on each other. This program was nearly as old as I was when I showed up there as a wide-eyed eighteen year old Iowa boy. Initial plans for this lab were formed in 1966 with initial seed funding coming from the Ford Foundation and then the National Science Foundation (NSF) soon after. It was run by one of the most influential and gregarious pioneers in the field of systems ecology, George Van Dyne. Systems ecology is a quantitative approach to studying, integrating, and synthesizing entire ecosystems made of living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components. And Fort Collins was the first U.S. site of a larger International Biological Program dedicated to exploring and combining big science and ecosystem ecology.Van Dyne grew up in south eastern Colorado as a true cowboy working the ranch by horseback. He satisfied his love and curiosity of western land and animals by studying animal science at CSU as an undergrad and range science for his masters degree from South Dakota State University. Continuing his focus on total ecological systems, he went on to earn a PhD at the University of California, Davis developing mathematical models of ecological data.After completing his PhD in 1963 there were few places in the world with the necessary computing power to crunch George’s differential equations that weaved a varied matrix of ecological variables. So he headed to Oak Ridge Tennessee to join the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL); home to one of the country’s largest mainframe computer centers at the time.Van Dyne joined two professors at nearby University of Tennessee, Knoxville who had created the first systems ecology course in the United States. He would go on to author four papers a month, double the expected rate of a research scientist, all while enthusiastically teaching. In one noontime course he could be seen “writing on the chalkboard with his right hand, eating a sandwich with the left, and talking in his soft, intense baritone voice about many exciting developments in ecosystem modeling.” Many of Van Dyne’s over 120 refereed papers were written during his eighteen months in Tennessee. MAINFRAME MATHEMATICAL MODELLING Van Dyne’s work at Oak Ridge was on a nearby grassland, and the expertise he garnered analyzing the data led him to edit a seminal 1969 book entitled The Ecosystem Concept in Natural Resource Management. It was his love of the grasslands and his knowledge of the quantitative study of systems ecology that led him to run the National Resource Ecology Lab in Fort Collins focused on the west’s Grassland Biome – lands dominated by grasses. There he would assemble and analyze data coming in from grassland sites strewn across a rectangular block west from Oklahoma to California north to Washington and back east to South Dakota. Each site had researchers in the field estimating plant biomass from pre-determined and equivalent plot sizes. They all used the same statistical methods in attempts to maintain similar sample sizes across sites. The IBP program goals were to collect and estimate averages within 20 percent with 80 percent accuracy by leveraging models created by mathematicians and teams of postdoc researchers from a variety of backgrounds.Van Dyne and team were interested in the role abiotic factors play in the ecological health of grasslands. The model included over 180 internal state variables. For example, the number of herbivores or amount of organic minerals found in the sample sites. The model also included abiotic driving variables like rainfall or processes stemming from photosynthesis like radiation. Their work culminated in 4400 lines of computer code that included 500 parameters. It took seven minutes to compile and run a program that simulated two years of effects of grassland under the modelled conditions on a state of the art mainframe computer from the Computer Data Corporation, the CDC 6400. The follow-on to this model was the CDC 6500 which cost $8 million in 1967 – or over $63 billion in 2021 dollars – and weighed over 10,000 pounds. This same mathematical model would run almost instantaneously on a ordinary laptop today.In hindsight, the model is considered overly complex but it did satisfy the goals Van Dyne set out to achieve; “to create a model that would serve as a communications device and organizer of information, be useful as a research tool, and yield results that could help in elucidating biological phenomena in grassland ecosystems.” There were four basic questions the model was intended to address:What is the effect on net or gross primary production as the result of various abiotic disturbances?  How is the carrying capacity of a grassland affected by these disturbances? Are the results of a simulation model like this consistent with field data taken in the Grassland Biome Program, and if not, why? What are the changes in the composition of the producers as a result of these disturbances?The model didn’t prove to be robust enough to be a reliable predictor of the future, but it did succeed in demonstrating a systems approach to modelling an ecosystem. This was a highly controversial endeavor that was seen by many conservative practicing biologists and ecologists as obtusely abstract, misguided, expensive – and competitive. They witnessed large amounts of NSF money going toward Van Dyne’s ‘grand experiment’ and they began to worry their own individual research would dry up. Traditional ecological research had been a solitary endeavor and many of the older practicing scientists preferred the more conservative individualistic approach to science. Meanwhile, the younger liberal scientists were encouraged by the more open and collaborative approach of systems ecology Van Dyne encouraged. They preferred the teamwork required in collecting, analyzing, and publishing what was shared among a diverse array of contributors. It was a split in belief and approach that mimicked the cultural attitudes of the sixties and seventies. As a result, established scientists began speaking out and became critical of the big science approach to ecological systems research – and Van Dyne’s program in particular. They questioned the quality of data collected across so many sites by a variety of scientists of differing backgrounds and were dubious of the aggregation of data needed to conform to the models Van Dyne and his team of mathematicians had devised. Van Dyne did not give in easily, however, and by 1972 he had hired teams of ‘integrators’ to work with site directors and scientists to synthesize the large amounts of data in preparation for analysis. One of the original integrators and organizers was Jim Ellis. He was second only to Van Dyne in his understanding of the interaction of ecological processes with human societies. By encouraging standard methods of defining variables and measuring outcomes, the work these people did is considered by some to be some of the first examples of organized software quality assurance.By 1974, Van Dyne had amassed a team of over fifty researchers and integrators. By then, however, the NSF had been swayed by the critics and they seized funding the Grassland Biome Program. But some of this undoing was Van Dyne’s own making. While he was a dedicated scientist who gave much of his time to young scientists, he also created a confrontational work environment inviting competing opinions and relished in fostering heated debates. He also had a notorious top-down management style and many of the younger scientists chose to move to other projects than continue working in such an environment.(1)A MAN OF ACTION AND A CALL TO ACTIONThe roughly seven years of the IBP Grassland Biome Program was fast, inventive, and impactful producing mounds of scientific papers. The computer model the team devised was never able to answer the grassland questions they had hoped, but it marked a special point in ecological systems research and sparked the development of future ecological simulation modeling and research programs. Including centers at the University of Georgia, Colorado State University, Utah State University, San Diego State University, and Oregon State University. Ecological simulation models, and research programs, have improved over time and are now considered an essential part of ecological science. Any multi-variate questions being asked through today’s planetary ecological simulation models would likely not be possible without George Van Dyne and the IBP.Large scale, heavily funded ecological programs like the one Van Dyne choreographed do not exist today. Big science attention and dollars tend toward the human genome project, astronomy, interplanetary exploration, and biochemistry. And members of the mainstream media don’t help. They’d rather report on Bezos, Branson, and Musk comparing the size of their rockets and how far they can reach into the stillness of space. Not to take anything away from the innovations that have stemmed from the infusion of private money into the amazing advancements in modern-day rocket wizardry, but all three seem to have given up on planet earth. Perhaps the advertising industry and the mass media consuming public have too.But ecological systems scientists have not given up. Programs like the Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTER) employ nearly 2000 scientists across 28 U.S. sites and includes an international component. Started in 1980, this program is funded by the NSF and data from their research can be found through the Environmental Data Initiative and DataONE. There’s also a program operated by Battelle called the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON). Also funded by the NSF, this program was conceived in 1999 and has been fully operational since 2019. Their mission is to “advance the ability of scientists to examine and understand the interactions between life and the environment at the scale of an entire continent.” Just like George Van Dyne, they seek to quantify ecological processes over time across large spatial extents through complex sampling across space and time. And the National Resource Ecology Laboratory (NREL) continues to function today out of Colorado State University in Fort Collins; as does the Fort Collins Science Center (FORT) as part of the United States Geological Society (USGS). They “develop and disseminate research-based information and tools needed to understand the nation’s biological resources in support of effective decision making.” My friend and former college roommate, Pat Shafroth, is a Research Ecologist there and was instrumental in studying the impact on riverside vegetation upon the destruction of the Elwha Dam, the opening of the Elwha River, and the return of spawning salmon. George Van Dyne was ahead of his time. His intuition to first study abiotic factors like rising water temperatures come into focus in light of this summer’s climate catastrophes. We no longer need simulations to tell us the Sacramento River is “facing a “near-complete loss” of young salmon, which cannot grow beyond their egg stage in waters heated by extended temperatures of over 100 degrees.” Abiotic perturbances from a warming planet have clearly effected the life of the living. Flooding is another abiotic perturbance that impacts the lives of living creatures across a large geographic area over a short period of time. The grieving families of the 122 Belgian and German lives that were lost in the flooding this week no longer need a mathematical model to warn them of the dire consequences of human-induced climate catastrophes. And that says nothing of the nonhuman lives taken by the insufferable rushing water.But dwelling on despair only breeds despair. If there’s one thing ecological systems scientists like George, and even my friend Pat, have taught us is that making one small change in a network of interdependent ecological variables can have a large scale impact. We just need to know where to make the change. Scientists know where to focus, but we need big government to act on the big investments they’ve made in big science and big ecology to enable big changes. Collective individual behavioral at the tips of fractal like ecosystem networks helps, but even if everyone on the planet did their part to reduce CO2 emissions, it’s still only four percent of total emissions. We need governments to enact legislation that gets us to clean energy policies quickly – small changes, further up the fractal chain that have big cascading impact through the network of life. So if you want to do your part to help, go to call4climate.com or dial 202-318-1885. Just punch in your zip code and you’ll be presented with the necessary talking points and then connected to your representative Senate offices. Do like George Van Dyne and take action. Subscribe at interplace.io

Meet Jessica Plumb, producer and director of Return of the River, writer and storyteller of scientific secrets of salmon forests, and portraitist of the Elwha River and the centrality of salmon as food and in the culture of the Lower Elwha tribe.

This week's episode is from the field! Susan interviews whale researcher Ken Balcomb. The interview takes place at Ken's Big Salmon Ranch property on the beautiful Elwha River, acquired to preserve a key salmon-spawning habitat that is vital to feeding J, K and L pods. Calls to Action: For more stories, photos and videos about the individual whales in the Southern Resident pods, as well as information on how to help them, visit the https://www.whaleresearch.com/ (Center for Whale Research) site. Support growing calls to https://damsense.org/ (breach the Lower Snake River Dams.) Read the Outside article about Ken (that Susan refers to in the episode) here: "https://www.outsideonline.com/2420681/end-watch-southern-resident-orcas (Is It Too Late for the Southern Resident Orcas?)" In North America, you can view wild orca on the West Coast, especially around the San Juan and Gulf Islands, in the summertime. Intro music: "The Spaces Between" by Scott Buckley. Interstitial music: "To the Great Beyond" by Stellardrone. Photo: Susan Woodward. Thanks to http://www.orcasound.net/ (OrcaSound) and Ocean Networks Canada for the audio clips of J, K and L pods and to BBC Sounds for ocean waves audio clips.

Radio and Podcast Series Episode 5 1. Filmmaker, Journalist Robert Lundahl Introduction, MJ Jackson, Bristol Bay Commercial Fisherman and V.P./Board Member BBRSDA Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association 2. Bristol Bay salmon runs as a major employer 3. The last bulwark against climate change among Northwest salmon populations 4. The modern day similarities between the proposed Pebble Mine and the development of the Elwha River 100 years ago 5. Seattle Chefs' support for protection of the Bristol Bay fishery 6. Proposed mine at the headquarters of the most productive fishery in the world (Listen to hear how it's all turned out so far). 15:25 1. Filmmaker, Journalist Robert Lundahl Introduction, Robin Carneen, Swinomish tribal member and Radio Host. 2. Growing up in California, struggling wtth identity 3. A career in radio empowered her to report on environment and tribal affairs 4. Connected to her tribe by the internet 5. Returning home to Washington and the tribal community 28:30 Music Credits: FREE MUSIC ARCHIVE. All Works Creative Commons 4.0. ©Copyright 2021 Agence RLA, LLC, Robert Lundahl, All Rights Reserved Across the Known Universe, All Media. ECO Capacity Bank™ and Climate Change is Here™ are properties of Agence RLA, LLC and Robert Lundahl

Think of this show when you are dismantling structures. The settler state reorganized the Elwha river physically and threatened the well-being of its original inhabitants for over a century. After the successful dam removals on the Elwha River, Whitney Mauer critically assesses the outcome of the restoration in light of ongoing challenges faced by the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. While the full benefits of dam removal take a long time, Dr. Mauer contends ecological restoration is unlikely to promote cultural resurgence “unless the structural basis of ecological violence and Indigenous futurisms of resurgence, self‐determination, and sovereignty are addressed.” Whitney Mauer is Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Her research crosscuts environmental studies, rural and development sociology, and Indigenous and American Indian studies. At the heart of Dr. Mauer's work are questions surrounding how environmental issues intersect with inequality and stratification, Indigeneity, community, and development. She is broadly interested in understanding how Indigenous conceptions, articulations, and practices of community ‘development' and well-being are shaped by relations of power and the physical structuring and restructuring of place. Her current research is focused on a collaborative project with the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. In this project and recently published papers, she unpacks the settler colonial origins of dam building and examines resilience frameworks for understanding Indigenous experiences of ecological restoration. While Dr. Mauer is not a S'Klallam citizen, she prioritizes reciprocity and respect when developing and conducting research in the community. Her research practices and principles are influenced by the principles and concerns described in Linda Tuhiwai Smith's (2012) Decolonizing Methodologies, which commits to the intellectual and political self-determination and wellbeing of Indigenous peoples. As such, Dr. Mauer recognizes the exploitive history of research in Indigenous communities and have worked to develop a research program that is engaged with Indigeneity, increases the visibility of Indigenous scholars, and co-constructs a research agenda with the community partners, in this case the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. Mauer, K. W. (2020). Unsettling Resilience: Colonial Ecological Violence, Indigenous Futurisms, and the Restoration of the Elwha River. Rural Sociology. Mauer, K. W. (2020). Undamming the Elwha River. Contexts, 19(3), 34-39. Mauer, K. W. (2020). Monopoly's winners and losers: Elwha River Dam construction as social closure. Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, 1-11. treehugger listener survey: https://forms.gle/zJdFwcnXhqDe2uZLA improve your listening and help power future content! Music on this episode was created by Reed Mathis and MK2. Tell a few friends about the show and follow the podcast on Instagram and Twitter @treehuggerpod Review treehugger podcast on iTunes

Doug took the Beaten Path at a walk, not a run and Dani is back in her car by the Elwha River and is joined by two hunters. This week, Dani and Doug discuss hidden gems, places that they love but suspect that many might not get to. Doug shares the wonders of the Duckabush region of the Olympic Peninsula and Dani goes up the Cascade River Road. Relish the really good sleeps, don't party with mountain lions, and go back in time if only to casually on purpose enrage beloved guidebook authors. Find us at ALifeOutsidePod.com Follow us Twitter.com/alifeoutsidepod Instagram.com/alifeoutsidepod Read Doug's work with AAA at: https://blog.wa.aaa.com/travel/road-trips/northwest-gold-larches/

This week, the Pilchuck River will be redirected to its original channel, after the removal of two dam structures that have held it back for more than 100 years. It’s a relatively small project , compared to the monumental dam removals on the Elwha River in 2014 or even this summer’s explosive demolition work on the Nooksack. But taking down this 10-by-60-foot barrier promises to dramatically improve critical habitat for salmon and steelhead.

After a decades long battle on Washington State’s Elwha River, a coalition of environmentalists, scientists and locals succeeded in having two dams demolished. Six years later, scientists are monitoring the river and larger ecosystem as they recover from a century of abuse. And one of the best ways to do the research? Snorkeling Class III whitewater.

This episode digs into a key concept of waste and the philosophy of Georges Bataille that Zak Podmore uses to define waste.  The authors that have influenced his writing and given him insight into challenging topics are explored to include Charles Bowden and Ed Abbey.  Zak talks about the process of writing this book and the mentors that supported him: Amy Irvine, Craig Childs, Mark Sundeen.  Zak also explains the power of his Mom's life on his life, and then simply enough, uses his own adventures to weave all of this knowledge and wisdom into some fresh perspectives on the pressing layers of life that recirculate through generations.  Zak is writing and publishing this book in the beginning of his 3rd decade and he approaches it with frank humbleness and clarity.   

In 2014, the dams on the Elwha River in Washington State were removed. As the river ran free again, salmon from the Pacific were able to spawn upstream for the first time in 100 years, dramatically improving conditions for American Dippers.

Your lesson, should you choose to accept it, is to examine how science curriculum for female-identifying students can go beyond clichéd ideas in order to facilitate an informed exploration of their world. The Special Agent assigned to help you with this task is Christine Primomo from Lake Washington Girls’ Middle School in Seattle, Washington. Episode links:For more about the Lake Washington Girls’ Middle School: http://www.lwgms.orgFor more about Islandwood on Bainbridge: https://islandwood.org/school-overnight-program/For more about the IBM Hack a Hair Dryer Campaign: https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-35027902For the teaching guide for “Salmon vs. Dams:
The Dam Removal Debate on the Elwha River”: https://www.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/public/indianed/tribalsovereignty/elementary/uselementary/uselementary-unit3/unit3materials/lesson7/americanfieldguide.pdf For more on how women are othered in science research and elsewhere: Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado PerezFor more on Henrietta Lacks, including teaching resources: http://rebeccaskloot.com/the-immortal-life/ For more on the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment: https://www.history.com/news/the-infamous-40-year-tuskegee-study For more on teacher self-care: Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators by Elena AguilarFor more on Christine’s frequent collaborator, and former Lesson: Impossible guest, Lewis Mayday-Travis: https://www.lessonimpossible.com/#/episodesix/ 

In CONFLUENCE: NAVIGATING THE PERSONAL & POLITICAL ON RIVERS OF THE NEW WEST, paddler and journalist Zak Podmore takes readers down Western rivers and deep into some of the most pressing environmental and social justice issues of our time, including uranium tailings on the Ute Mountain Ute lands near the San Juan River, the treatment of asylum-seekers crossing the Rio Grande, and one of the largest dam removal projects in history on Washington's Elwha River. CONFLUENCE follows in the tradition of Thoreau or Edward Abbey — it takes us into the wild but always has one eye turned back toward the blessings and ills of civilization.

It's not often, especially these days, that we get to hear about a really big Rewilding  victory. Today is one of those days. The post Episode 14: A Rewilding Success Story on the Elwha River appeared first on Rewilding.

On this week's RV Miles, our tips for finding campground and RV park reviews, some great small-town America destinations, a gear review, news, and so much more! Resources: LocalFit - New gym membership for Travelers. Access to 6000 health clubs nationwide for $10 a month. Half off for pre-enrolls ($5 a month if you pay for 12 months. https://localfitusa.com/ America's National Parks Podcast - Unleashing a Tamed River, the removal of the dams on the Elwha River in Olympic National Park. http://nationalparkpodcast.com/elwha/ Gear of the Week - GearTie from Nite Ize. https://amzn.to/2LaLJQz TripAdvisor - Trip destination reviews. https://www.tripadvisor.com/ Allstays - Campground and RV park listings and reviews. https://www.allstays.com/ Campendium - Better campground and RV park listings and reviews. https://www.campendium.com/ Road Food book - find the best roadside food destinations to take your RV. https://amzn.to/2mhwRC5 Our experience at Bacon Bash in River Falls, WI: https://youtu.be/AlH-UaIgzcc

Over the past century, the United States has led the world in dam construction. There are at least 90,000 dams over six-feet tall in this country and over 2 million shorter than six feet. More than a quarter have passed their 50-year average life expectancy; by 2020, that figure will reach 85 percent. On average, we have constructed one dam over 6 feet tall every day since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. On this episode of America's National Parks, the removal of the dams on the Elwha River in Olympic National Park. And if you think it just takes a little dynamite, it doesn't.  Show notes and music credits at nationalparkpodcast.com/elwha.

In this episode of West Obsessed, High Country News examines the lessons learned on Washington’s Elwha River, whose dams came down six years ago, and Utah’s Bear River, where a diversion is still being planned.

In Washington state, a river once known for its abundant salmon run is getting a second chance. The Elwha River dams, which decimated salmon populations and profoundly altered the ecosystem, are coming down and hopes are high that salmon will return.

Guest Lynda Mapes, Seattle Times Reporter, speaks with Diane Horn about the effects of dam removal on the Elwha River in Washington State's Olympic Peninsula and her book "Elwha: A River Reborn", with photography by Steve Ringman.

The removal of two dams on the Elwha River will help restore once-abundant salmon runs. David Biello reports