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Presented at the NABS Annual meeting, Vancouver, British Columbia, 2004
in Restoration Ecology
Removing the Elwha River dams in Olympic National Park: An unparalleled research opportunity in watershed restoration.
J. Freilich1, J. Allaway2, and B. Winter1. 1Olympic National Park, Port Angeles, Washington, USA 98362, 2Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington, USA 98225
Two dams blocking the Elwha River in Olympic National Park for 90 years are now scheduled for removal beginning in 2007. The National Park Service is seeking to create a research consortium to investigate the return of the river to pre-dam conditions. The opportunity is unique because all land above the upper dam is in the park and is essentially pristine. This is an excellent opportunity to study marine nutrients, fluvial process, the fate of woody debris, anadromous fishes, and much else. There is an urgency to beginning baseline studies now as the time for dam removal approaches. The Park Service seeks academic partners for this great opportunity.
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