Ecosystem Response to the Removal of the Elwha River Dams

[@Intothe-core]

Outstanding presentation, question and answer session...there is so much we don't know yet but the trend is clear how quickly a river-riparian system will reboot after dam removal...I am most impressed with the Chinook salmon strays returning after the sediment flows have subided

[@oldschoolman1444]

Great to see the Elwha recovery and removal of antiquated dams. It will be interesting to see the restoration of the Klamath.

[@ronward3949]

Appreciate any insights, the Webinar, and your analysis, it will help to redefine Analysis, variable factors, recruitment Status of studied Species, that is great!

[@Notforyoutoknow100]

Great job

[@barneyrubble4293]

I wonder has there been any consideration reintroducing beavers to the river? They could be especially useful in the areas where the dams used to exist restoring riparian habitat, slowing water and creating environments for fish to breed.

[@cedarplankprospector]

Love the name - In '72 I was at Elkhorn camp 11 miles in on the Elwha trail and there was a logjam full width of the river. Probably 80 - 100 feet across. It was huge. Beaver in smaller streams maybe.

[@ronward3949]

Beaver, also, are very able to introduce more woody debris into river channel creating more substrate for many invertebrates life cycles. This will improve aquatic insect populations as they make use of submerged woody debris, leaf matter, sheltering options, and substrate to anchor to. Beaver actively bury cut limbs, branches in the muddy bottom for winter feeding purposes leading to increase cover and feeding opportunities for juvenile fishes of all species.

[@isaiahjones6901]

Yes there has been implementation of BDA on French creek which is a tributary into Scott. Beavers have successfully taken over each BDA sight, & have shown incredible improvements to habitat salmon reds and an increase gamma and beta biodiversity of macroinvertabrates. Trust the Beaver!

[@michaellawson6533]

Great job, and more flora means more bees and honey.

[@ronward3949]

Were salinities being taken before the dams were removed, that would be an excellent series for prior data to exam.

[@williamlloyd3769]

Did they make a LIDAR scan of the area before and after the dams were removed? If you have scans, it may help you compare sediment movement over time.

[@ChrisLaprise-p8n]

True.

[@ronward3949]

Good, would expect Hatchery fish to do so as I personally daw the lower Elwha and how complex those "Hatcheries" are, so hopeful.

[@ronward3949]

Steelhead are the best jumpers, can return to saltwater after freshwater spawning, so that is excellent news ir Research.

[@ChrisLaprise-p8n]

Does the birth stream marker in pink salmon stay in the fish for shorter than salmon or steelhead? Smaller returns could be from lost markers?

[@ronward3949]

What of the definition of an estuary? Seems like saltwater intrusion from the river mouth proves Salinities in the lowest part of the river went up. This would benefit juvenile anadromous fishes, organisms, and saline tolerant plant Species, I would guess.

[@ronward3949]

Sediment is not always a bad thing, but I do share some of those worries. Klamath Dam Removals will do similar factors, yet for the removals.

[@ronward3949]

Turbidities do exist, and help to hide fish, salmonids for example. Clear water can be hard to fish as the fish may see you.

[@ronward3949]

Pinks would ne almost always spawning in the lower reaches, as they rarely spawn in th mid to upper reaches, according to WA, Ca, and OR populations, north in Canada and Alaska inland lakes or other options pinks may move up furyher for other reasons.

[@ronward3949]

I have done some bed score analysis on the Trinity River where cobbles, spawning strata we're put into the river to improve spawning areas known to be suitable in the Mid(!)- Trinity below Burnt Ranch. The Trinity River in CA, does have at least Lewiston Dam upstream of Burnt Ranch.

[@ronward3949]

Skallam Tribe does hire many Biologists, and those Hatcheries must have had active Scientists, so I am just staying my personal knowledge. Was in area when dams wete being removed, hearing complaints of loss of hydropower, though not unsympathetic, but must guess if any co-generation of electricity being used now.

[@johnorenick9026]

Megatonnes of sediment builds up behind dams in few decades. Remove the dam and most of that will wash downstream, despite efforts to stabilize it with plants. It will smother spawning beds and do other damage, and while the river will-probably, eventually, mostly-clean itself, it only takes one year’s total failure to destroy a spawning run. Suggestion? Build one suction dredge that can be taken apart, transported by truck, and reassembled behind a dam scheduled for removal; we should be able to schedule dam removals so that one or two machines will do for all. Dredge most of the sediment out from behind the dam, and it will not be there to wash downstream. I don’t know where/how we dispose of all that, if it’s contaminated with agricultural and other chemicals-but then we don’t want to let that contaminate the downstream river bottom anyway. Where it is clean enough, it’s silt, very rich soil, and it could be sold to farmers or as a component of potting soil. There are no wastes, only un-utilized resources.

[@ronward3949]

Many plant species would not be very tolerant to saltwater intrusion, and I do know sharks( dogfish) appeared in lower Elwha.

[@USS_Liberty_never_forget]

WOW

[@leafseaburg198]

❤

[@ronward3949]

Above 23 ' C, most salmonids, trrout, whitefish, etc. cause Hazards for these Species as they are not tolerant of warmer water.

[@RGK147]

Fisheries engineering 😂😂😂 nature engineers fisheries not socially awkward humans.

[@GrandmaBev64]

I think they should remove ALL DAMS!. Or at least, let the fish back upstream! What were they thinking? Dams were made to starve out the undesirable people, downstream. Man made lakes cover Native American Villages. I see this in Lake Mead, Shasta, Folsom, Oroville, and many other man made lakes. The drought really exposed the truth. I love the dam removal. Nature really needs the water to flow. Fish can not spawn, unless they can get upstream. Dams ruin the ecology, for generations.

[@sw8741]

Well Grandma, I bet you can't even carry a bucket of water from a river much less live off the land. Perhaps you should give up all modern conveniences instead of benefiting from things that wouldn't exist without dams?