The research work of several Western Washington University students involved in studying the ecological effects of the removal of the Elwha River dam on the Olympic Peninsula was recently featured in a special issue of the journal Northwest Science.
The students, who are enrolled in the Huxley College on the Peninsulas (HCP) joint program with Peninsula College in Port Angeles, are working with scientists, governmental and tribal agencies, and other students to research ecosystem restoration in the Elwha watershed and nearshore environments in the aftermath of the Elwha dam removal. In 1992, with passage of the Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act, Congress directed the Secretary of the Interior to fully restore the Elwha River ecosystem and native anadromous fisheries (fish that migrate up rivers from the sea to breed in fresh water). Extensive environmental analysis and public comment led to the finding that dam removal is the only way to restore the river and its ecosystem. Removal of both the 108-foot-tall Elwha and 210-foot-tall Glines Canyon dams is scheduled to begin within the next two years.
The Northwest Science journal documents, in 18 articles, the ecological and hydrological state of the river after 96 years of damming. Coauthors of the articles include scientists from the USGS, the National Park Service, NOAA Fisheries, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of Fisheries and Oceans-Canada, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, and several institutions of higher learning.
Both Western Washington University and Peninsula College are members of the Elwha Research Consortium, a group formed to research the effects of the dams' removal. Both institutions received more than $500,000 in grants from the National Science Foundation to study the project, a restoration of such size and scope that it is only eclipsed in size by the project now under way to restore Florida's Everglades.
"This is the best learning experience I have ever had," said Rebecca Paradis, an HCP senior who has worked with U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), NOAA, and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe in her three years in the program. "I have been able to work alongside some of the brightest scientists in the Northwest, and I get to learn science while doing it. There is just no better way to learn, and it is really exciting to share our work with the scientific community."
Program details are on the Web at http://www.huxleyonthepeninsulas.wwu.edu or contact Dwight Barry, dwightb@pcadmin.ctc.edu or (360)417-6521 for more information.
WWU's Huxley College of the Environment is one of the oldest environmental colleges in the nation and a recognized national leader in producing the next generation of environmental stewards. The College's academic programs reflect a broad view of the physical, biological, social and cultural world. This innovative and interdisciplinary approach makes Huxley unique. The College has earned international recognition for the quality of its programs.