With all this talk about the Snake river dams I was just wondering if anyone had any information on the progress otf trying to get the Elwa river dams removed? Is it a dead horse like the snake river dams appear to be? Or are they just waiting for Slade Gorten to appropriate the cash?
I was just thinking as it really doesn't look like the snake river dams will be coming out any time soon that the elwa could act as an "experimental" river. Remove these dams and see how fast fish recovery, if any, occurs. What problems backed up sediments will have for the river and how long it takes the river to "clean" itself up. It seems to me that this river would be ideal as apparently the dams are no longer useful and removal would have a small affect on the people who live there (vs the people who live around the snake river).
Possibly, in the long run information from here can be used to justify removal of other dams such as the snake river dams. Who knows maybe it will show us that dam removal is not the best option. We need to start somewhere!

duke

Removal of the lower dam is a done deal, but I can't remember what the start/finish dates are. The upper damn removal is on a wait-and-see basis.

If I remember right, it would be decades before the upper dam would be removed, so using the Elwha dam removals as an "experiment" would be too late for a lot of Snake/Columbia fish.

[This message has been edited by AkBill (edited 02-18-2000).]

The Elwha dam(s)were a photo op for the Secretary of the Interior last weekend. The lower dam will come out and if we can get rid of that f---er Gorton next November we might be able to find funding for the other one as well. Oregon's Governor Kitzhaber has come out strongly in favor of breaching the lower Snake River dams. If Washington's governor would show a little political backbone we might be able to accomplish something. Let him know what you think of his waffling.

Gorton told Babbit not to "cross the mountains" (Olympics), with these dam removal plans. The paper portrayed Gorton as saying it in a sort of joking way.......

Gorton has to go!!!!! He is using the elwha dams as a negotiating tactic to stop the removal of the Snake river dams (his money backers from East of the Mountains).

I have never been so mad at one politician!!!
He is not a sportsman's ally. He has switched sides before and will do it again as he gets nailed to the cross. Get out your hammers!!!!

He has blatenly ignored the people's wishes here on the peninsula. Who are we going to put in his shoes?

------------------
Marty
www.steelheader.net
marty@steelheader.net

I believe that Senator Gorton's family made their millions raping Georges Banks in New England operating as "Gorton's Seafoods," selling commercially netted cod and other bottomfish. Lately he has been busy trying to end-run the environmental process so that a Canadian company can blast the top off of Buckhorn Mountain for a cyanide leach mine right here in Washington. I think that he has held down a environmental conservation voting rating of ZERO for three years in a row. If the Snake River dams come out, it'll be over his dead body.

Do we live in a democracy?

Yes, Gorton is "elected by the people" but how can one person have so much influence and power over a decision that has so much at stake? It just sems to me that a funding decision of this gravity should at least be debatable and where any one one person can be over-ridden if there logic is flawed.

I don't understand "REAL" politics and never will. "REAL" politics is what goes on in reality behind closed doors-not the rosy picture we are taught to believe in textbooks.

The way I undestand it, Gorton is the grand pubah of a certain appropriations committee that grants funding for the elwah dam removal. He was appointed by his colleagues but is it right that 1 person in one position has the right to avoid the facts and evidence and public support for dam removal? I'm really struggling with this.

His track record indicates he seems to be more interested in his personal agenda than the publics. Meanwhile, a potentially great ecosystem continues to drown.

That's democracy at work?

I don't get it.

Maybe tar and feathers will work!

Is there a website about the current status of dam removal on the Elwah? Or a good newspaper article? Any sort of information would be useful.
thanks,
kevin

I have heard that the dams on the Lewis river are going to come out also. Anyone heard anything on these?

KM, these have a lot of info that you can sort through. http://elwha.org/river.htm www.halcyon.com/rdpayne/elwha.html www.seattletimes.com/news/editorial/html98/altdammed_101998.html

[This message has been edited by AkBill (edited 02-29-2000).]

Thanks for the links A.K.Bill. This is what makes this site so great!

Slade Gorton is the classic politician who
will sacrifice anything to get his way. He is totally against the Snake river dam removal and will stop at nothing to stop the removal. He is the old guard who just needs to be voted out so our state can actually progress past the neandrathal thinking of rape,destroy, and tame the environment. The message here is to get out and vote for someone who actually cares about the future.

I resent that remark,neandrethals were just trying to survive and did no environmental distruction. It was the 19th and 20th century "modern man" that is in the scorched earth mode. Seriosly, Slade Gorton has got to go. I just wish we could have fiscal responsibility and environmental responsibility. But if I have to chose I'll be on the side of the environment. It's not only our favorite passtime to concider,it's what kind of a world do we want our children to inherit? I would like my kids to be able to see a 75lb king swimming up the Elwa and wouldn't it be great if we could actualy fish for them? Oh well, probably not in my lifetime. Down with the dams!

sorry Neanderthal!!
I am just a young smolt
stuck behind a dam debating if I want to risk my life swimming thru the turbine blades. I won't offend your username again.
I too, share your dream a watching a huge NATIVE king swimming up the elwa with my grandchildren.

onariver

onariver, no need to apologize. I wasn't offended. Have you ever read the book Salmon Without Rivers? There are a few pages on how the dams on the Elwa were put in. It really stinks. Anyway good luck fishing!