Recovering salmon populations are reviving a “nutrient express” from the ocean to the forest. When they return to the rivers to spawn, die and get eaten, the salmon transfer critical nutrients from water to land, enriching the entire ecosystem. The Elwha’s revival is encouraging advocates to push for the removal of many larger dams in the Pacific Northwest and in the rest of the world and buoying the spirits and reviving the traditions of the people of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, who led the fight for dam’s removal.
