Feature Ecosystems

Dam demolition lets the Elwha River run free

In the restored river, Pacific salmon are returning in droves

Glines Canyon Dam

LET THE RIVER RUN  The demolition of the Glines Canyon Dam, shown here in November 2012, allowed Washington state’s Elwha River to run free for the first time in nearly a century.

John Gussman

By Alexandra Witze

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On a sun-dappled autumn day in the Pacific Northwest, Jeff Duda stands on the banks of a thundering river.