When frontiersmen came to Washington’s Olympic Peninsula to “conquer” the untamed landscape, they paid little attention to the ecological consequences on the Elwha River and even less attention to the social impact on the indigenous Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. Dams were built and the river was re-routed, creating bustling new towns while destroying tribal lands and decimating the critical salmon population. With the river’s ecosystem on life support, it seemed unlikely that anything could remedy the situation. But a group of environmental advocates, scientists, politicians, and dedicated Klallam crusaders reversed the tide of public opinion and initiated the largest dam demolition in history.
