Earlier in the semester, we talked about the movement to remove dams across the United States. Originally, dams were built in order to stimulate the economy at the expense of the environment and the ecosystems of the river that was being damed. The movement to “Free the Snake” has helped shed light on how daming a river literally puts a barrier across the idea that rivers connect us. Even though the dams along the Snake are no longer in use, they continue to take their toll on the salmon population that once thrived in the river. I think that these dams are a symbol of the problems that arise when human development gets in the way of natural processes. The attached video explains some of the impacts on the salmon populations that have been caused by the dams along the snake.
P.S. – The documentary “Damnation,” which we watched the trailer for in class, is being shown in Bethlehem next week on October 15th.
Nick, I like this disconnection idea of yours and I thought this was a nice, informative clip you included. It really struck me when one of the authors in the clip mentions that dams are “choking” the salmon from their refuge, because it really does seem like dams choke the rivers they impede. I really wanted to find some information on why many dams that are no longer in use/obsolete appear to still be standing, but I could not seem to find anything too direct on the topic (still curious why their removal is not more immediate once they no longer have a use). However, I found this link from International Rivers proposing how to approach dam removal campaigns. I thought it was interesting as it shows some ways these campaigns can be approached through a Q & A with experts and advocates on the matter of dam removal.
https://www.internationalrivers.org/resources/dam-removal-learning-from-the-pros-1813