Voices of the river: The Elwha and Dick Goin

June 2, 2011 | Dams & Dam Removal, Most Endangered Rivers, Restoring Rivers

Amy Souers Kober
Senior Director of Communications

I recently met Jennifer Galvin, a filmmaker with Reel Blue (www.reelblue.net). She is producing a film about the dam removal and river restoration effort on Washington's Elwha River - a project American Rivers, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, and others have worked on for decades.

With dam removal set to begin on September 17, excitement is building as we prepare to watch the Elwha River come back to life.

Elwha Unplugged: The Opus of Dick Goin is a biopic about Dick Goin, a pulp mill worker and fisherman turned eco-hero, who dedicates his life to set the Elwha River and its natural inhabitants - salmon - free. Leading the biggest dam removal project yet in American history, the story of Dick Goin teaches viewers the power of one, and the effect that a determined lifelong love and respect for nature can have on a region’s ecological and cultural survival. After seven decades on the Elwha, he is one of the last remaining voices accounting for the destruction of the Olympic Peninsula, one of this country’s most exploited natural areas.

To watch him witness this historical event is the story of a lifetime. What does it take to maintain life long dedication to a cause? And, how will we know that it’s worth it? Goin tells us the key to life is persistence, observation and love. Watch the trailer »

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