According to a report filed in The Peninsula Daily, efforts to restore the Elwha River's legendary salmon runs are ahead of schedule. Robert Elofson, director of the Lower Elwha Klallam River Restoration, detailed the current status of restoration efforts and expectations for the future in a presentation entitled, "Elwha River Ecosystem: After the Dam", which was delivered last night at the Elwha Klallam Heritage Training Center. The long awaited dam removal project began earlier this year.
Only a few thousand salmon have returned thus far, but the dam removal project is still underway, with both dams scheduled for complete removal by early 2014. Earlier this week, an explosion brought down an additional 6 feet of the Glines Canyon Dam. Work on dam removal has just recently begun after a period of work stoppage to allow for a period of fish migration.