It’s for the Elwha River in Washington State. You know, although environmentalists are probably very excited about this, my guess is that there are engineers and people who like explosives who are also excited by this. The comment at the very end of the video is great — I bet the people who built this never thought someone would be trying to take it down with dynamite one day.

It’s probably true — I happen to be doing a lot of research on early hydropower in this country, and the mood at the time was that hydropower was the greatest unrenewable energy resource that could provide unlimited energy for this country, and should be developed as completely as possible. The people making the policies at the time probably never even conceived of possibly removing dams for environmental reasons. But, what they did think about was the fact that there might be unforeseen or unpredictable conditions in the future which might mean that future generations would need to make changes. And so they built into their policies the ability for future generations to make those changes.

Although they might be shocked to see what’s happening to some of the dams in this country, I would bet that the people who passed the Federal Water Power Act (now Federal Power Act) might be pretty excited to know that the policies they put in place to give future generations some flexibility were very wise and forward looking. Now, we just need to make sure we do the same for the generations that will come after us!

I’ve never been at a school before where they were looking for a new dean or president, but I have to say, it’s pretty cool to get to be involved, even on a small level. I don’t have a vote (a few student representatives do, though), but it’s still nice to meet these potential leaders and to hear about their vision for VLS.

There are still 2 more candidates to come, but what I can say so far is that I think this will be a really good thing for VLS. A new leader will bring new ideas and new enthusiasm, both of which seem to be needed here right now. I think it will mean good things for the MELP degree, and for the school more broadly. In fact, makes me wish I got to stay around a few more years to see the kinds of changes that will happen. But, that will be something you future MELPs will get to do instead!

I have to say the ski really helped to get me into positive thinking about winter. As long as you can go outside, it’s just great. If you’re moving around, you’re not that cold, and then it doesn’t seem like winter is that cold. Of course, I say that as it’s getting down to single digits tonight… Good thing to be inside by the cozy fire Now, if only the Broncos weren’t doing so poorly against the Patriots. At least the Patriots are my second favorite team, but it’s sad to see the Broncos lose so badly. Ouch. Football… another great thing to help get through the winter!

And, of course everything looks so beautiful with white snow covering it. So, my suggestion is to look for all of the great things about winter, because it’s gonna come, and it might be long, so you may as well revel in it!

For me, there is something awesome and majestic about rivers, and to think of a river that had been turned into a lake for 100 years to be transforming back into a river is just awe-inspiring. Obviously when these dams were built, people didn’t really understand river science or fish ecology. In fact, some of the research I’m doing right now is giving me a sense for how people viewed hydropower in the early 1900s — they felt that there was an incredible amount of potential to generate electricity from hydropower, and wanted to be sure that dams were developed to provide this power for people. But, to see us able to decide that today these dams are no longer serving a useful purpose, that they’re causing more harm than good, and to decide to remove them, is just incredible. It gives real hope for rivers in this country. Just last month, dam removal began on the Elwha River.

Of course what remains to be seen is how salmon respond to these dam removals. But, given what these incredible fish can do (swim upstream for hundreds of miles without eating in order to spawn), I think that they’re likely to respond quite positively. For now, I’m basking in river restoration glory — what river will be next?!

And, check out this blog and the video which shows the explosion — incredible how much water there is!

Oh, and you can watch this video, too!

This week’s brown bag was on a recent conference in Nuuk, Greenland, which a VLS student recently attended. She went to present on whether Greenland’s laws were likely to protect the environment and communities adequately from the impacts of likely oil and gas drilling. It was an interesting topic, but also a neat forum. It was pretty informal — the presentation wasn’t entirely polished, and there was a lot of opportunity for back and forth between the presenter and the audience.

There are so many things you have to do when you’re in grad school, but it’s nice to be able to go things because you want to, and to learn things that you just wouldn’t in a class. Also, it’s a nice break from research for me! Indeed, I am scheduled to do one of these talks, so I guess I better start thinking of what I’m going to talk about. (Ooops… that one ended in a preposition, too!)

I am not sure, but I remember hearing once that a wetter summer makes for more vibrant fall foliage. I’m not sure if that’s true or not, but if it is, then we should be in store for a very vibrant fall! We’ve certainly had our fair share of rain late this summer, and even earlier in the summer. Things are definitely wet! Of course, the combination of factors that determine whether the leaves will be especially bright or not are probably far more complex than how much rain we’ve received recently…

Anyways, I would try to describe how wonderful the fall is here in greater detail, but really, you should just come and experience it. There’s nothing like it anywhere!

Here is a video about the dam removal and you can get updates from American Rivers Facebook page and website. Incredibly, this year we will remove the 1000th dam in this country (yes, that’s right – one thousand dams will have been removed from rivers in this country by the end of this year!). Whoa!

Sometimes it’s easy to not pay attention to the good things that are happening out there in the real world while I am sitting here doing research. But, my research is about rivers and water and so it’s really cool to read about real (good) things that are happening to rivers. Now, if only I could find a way to go out and see it happening…. I guess I have a few years to do that, though, since this dam removal will take 2 or 3 years, I think. I remember awhile back there was a lot of discussion over what the best way to remove a large dam would be. I think they’ve probably decided that slower is better than faster, so that there isn’t one big huge rush of sediment and water. Probably a good idea… I’m sure there are a lot of geomorphologists and dam removal people who are trembling with excitement to get data from the removal of these dams!

These writers say it more eloquently than I could, so I am just going to give you links to the pieces. But, they’re all relatively short, and all make pretty good points. Enjoy!

A Well-Regulated Wilderness

We’re Rich! (In Nature.)

A Wilderness Ranger, Age 21

Study says monuments pay off for locals

Much of Vermont was not nearly so fortunate. As you’ve probably all heard, VLS was closed for two days. The parking lot took the brunt of the flooding, which was good (and also why it is in the floodplain instead of buildings). Many homes were flooded, and roads across the state were really damaged. Some are still not open. It’s really very sad, but the positive side is that so many people are pitching in to do what they can to help others. Students are volunteering with cleanup efforts all over the area, and the law school is providing a place for people to come and to register with FEMA for assistance. I’m sure there are many other things happening to help people recover, and it’s really heartening to see the communities come together to try and heal from the storm.

I was also glad to finally have a chance this week to do a little volunteering myself since we were so busy with wedding stuff last week. Although I felt somewhat guilty about having a big party while people were really suffering, many locals said how nice it was to come to such a happy event to help them remember that life goes on, and that we’ll all make it through. It will take time, but Vermont is recovering, and I know we will all make it through. And, perhaps the communities will be stronger for it…

It definitely feels a little bit strange to be finishing a final for a summer class when fall classes have started and everyone is just getting into class mode. Finals are a long way from most people’s minds at this moment…

Although I was happy to finish with the final, I also felt a little bit nostalgic for classes and learning. I’m sure I’ll keep learning, but it is so wonderful to be in school. Of course, right now I’m looking forward to having a normal job and going home and being done with work! In fact, to celebrate, I am watching TV tonight! What a luxury But, I know I will miss being in school — it’s really a pretty wonderful thing and a real privilege.

Well, this will be my last blog as a student at VLS. The next time you hear from me, I will be employed at VLS, working for the new Water and Justice center. I’m pretty excited for it all, and can’t really believe that I start on  Monday. I essentially have one weekend between being a student and being an employee! I’m just going to take the weekend easy (volunteer a little bit at school for people who need help with FEMA-related stuff from the recent flooding) and get psyched about having a job! Who knows, maybe you too will end up being employed by VLS at the end of your degree…