For a century dams have blocked salmon runs throughout the Pacific Northwest. These dams have wiped out or greatly reduced many of the salmon runs in the Columbia River Watershed, which was once the greatest salmon river in the west. But in the past few years, some of these dams have been removed. On October 25th, the Condit Dam on the White Salmon River in Klickitat County, WA, will be the next large dam to fall. After years of controversy and many missed deadlines, the dam will be blown up to make way for salmon to return to the upper reaches of the White Salmon River.
On this episode of Locus Focus we are joined by self-proclaimed river rat Steven Hawley to talk about what the restoration of the White Salmon River means for salmon and the rest of us.
Steven Hawley is the author of Recovering a Lost River: Rewilding Salmon, Revitalizing Communities, Removing Dams. He lives in Hood River, across the Columbia from the mouth of the White Salmon River.
- KBOO