Learn More About Elwha River Restoration 1 Lower Elwha Klallam 6 Feiro Marine Life Center Tribal Center 1 Interact with Elwha exhibits that Walk the 0.7 mile Warrior Path loop to feature a hands-on model of Glines Canyon Dam and Lake Mills. the Elwha River estuary. 6 Lower Elwha Road 315 N. Lincoln Street 2 Elwha River Bridge 2 7 Museum at the Carnegie 7 Cross the Elwha River bridge to get a Elwha River Learn about the historic Elwha Valley, birds eye view the river and connect to Bridge including Glines Canyon and Elwha the Olympic Discovery Trail. Elwha River dams, through informative exhibits. Elwha River Road Road 207 South Lincoln Street 3 3 Elwha Dam Viewpoint 8 Port Angeles Library Surround yourself with art created Stroll a short trail to an overlook to Port Angeles view ecosystem restoration at the Lake Aldwell for the September 2011 ceremony Former 9 Library celebrating the beginning of dam former site of the Elwha Dam. Delta Access 8 Lake Aldwell removal. June - Labor Day 2012 Lower Dam Road (drained) Elwha River Viewpoint 2210 South Peabody 4 4 Elwha River Viewpoint 9 Olympic National Park Observe a changing landscape where Visitor Center the Elwha River flows through the site View exhibits and ask a ranger about of the former Lake Aldwell reservoir. Elwha River Restoration updates. Highway 101 3002 Mount Angeles Road 5 5 Elwha Valley 10 Hurricane Ridge Experience Elwha Valley, with its Visitor Center spectacular river views and easy Enjoy vistas of the Elwha Valley and access to Madison Falls and other 10 surrounding mountains. trails. Hurricane Ridge, about 17 miles south Access from Olympic Hot Springs Road of Port Angeles Explore Safely River Closures Use caution when exploring. Conditions The Elwha River and its tributaries within are continually changing. Riverbanks are Olympic National Park are closed to all actively eroding and may be unstable. Stay fishing. Boating is prohibited from Goblin at least 20 feet from the edge of riverbanks. Gates downstream to the Highway 112 Submerged logs and snags are common and bridge, except for the stretch between Altair can be hidden beneath the water. Campground and the Highway 101 bridge. MILESTONES Freeing a Before September 2011 - June 2012 River September 2011: Dam removal begins. The largest dam removal in March 2012: Elwha Dam is removed and United States history began natural river flow is restored through the September 2011. By summer former Lake Aldwell. 2013, both the Elwha and Fall 2011: Over 600 adult coho are Glines Canyon dams will be moved above the site of the former Elwha gone. The Elwha River will Dam. In the spring juvenile coho are flow freely from its headwaters observed upriver for the first time in 100 Elwha in the Olympic Mountains years. to the Strait of Juan de Fuca Dam Fall 2011 - Spring 2012: Over 30,000 Reestablishing a Population Constructed for the first time in 100 years. 1913 seedlings are planted to help restore Dam removal will free the Elwha River after 100 years, As the dams come down, the allowing all five species of Pacific salmon to return native vegetation at the sites of the dams salmon can return, bringing and reservoirs. to over 70 miles of habitat. Salmon populations will grow from 3,000 to nearly 400,000. with them the promise of June 2012 Today: Sediment trapped in the a restored ecosystem and a reservoirs for 100 years is moving Restoring an Ecosystem renewed culture. downstream and replenishing the river’s This project creates a living laboratory where people banks, shores, bottom, and outlet estuary. can watch and learn what happens as salmon return to a still wild and protected ecosystem. The return Opportunities to Before WHAT’S NEXT of fish will bring back to an ecosystem that has been experience Elwha River deprived of a vital food source for 100 years. Restoration await your Summer 2013: Removal of Glines Renewing a Culture discovery. Canyon Dam will be complete and Lake Returning salmon and a restored river will renew Mills will return to its natural state as the culture of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, who the free flowing Elwha River. have lived along the river since time immemorial. Fall 2012 -Winter 2017: Over 400,000 Tribal members will have restored access to sacred native seedlings will be planted at the sites and cultural traditions can be reborn. sites of the dams and reservoirs. Creating Economic Opportunities Glines Next 20-30 years: Salmon populations Just as the dams played a vital role in the history in the Elwha River will grow from and development of the area, removing them and Canyon 3,000 to nearly 400,000 fish. Critical restoring the ecosystem will create new opportunities Dam habitats, including beaches, islands, and for growth and regional vitality. Constructed eddies will be created and renewed as 1927 Replenishing a Coast sediment moves downstream from the Natural sediment flow from the mountains to the old reservoirs. June 2012 coast is being restored, rebuilding wetlands, beaches Learn more about Elwha River Restoration and the estuary at the river’s mouth. http://tinyurl.com/Elwha-Restoration Photo by Ernest Keeley Elwha River Restoration Olympic National Park.