If you’ve ever wondered what is possible once a dam is removed, consider the case of the Elwha Dam, one of two dams being removed in the Elwha River Valley in Washington. This monster steelhead is a wild fish that found its way into the area where efforts are going ahead to recolonize the steelhead. This Seattle Times story Steelhead spawning in the Elwha is an excellent account of what is happening there.

But that story is just a tiny piece of what is considered to be the largest ecological restoration being done in North America. The Times also published this great series worth reading: Elwha: The Grand Experiment to tear down two dams and return an Olympic wilderness to its fomer glory.