A River of History and Change
OPI's Elwha Science Education Project's Home Page. It provides access to news, events, a student created seasonal story, and a wealth of background and links.
The Elwha River watershed is about to change. The two dams built in the 1900s are about to be removed which will allow the river and salmon to migrate freely from the mountains to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Olympic Park Institute is working with local students, teachers and partners to study this amazing project. To read more about the project and consider a study for yourself, please read more about the restoration effort or explore the river to learn more.
Learning by Doing
A project for students, teachers, and our community. The Elwha restoration project combines science and cultural history, and provides a lesson for all of us. We offer programs from one to six days. Students of all ages can study this fascinating effort.
What is river restoration?
In the Elwha, researchers study the ecosystem and its diverse parts, from black bears in the mountains to sediment in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, monitoring for important river processes and interconnections. Students in OPI programs focus on the links between the movement of sediment, wood, water, and the resulting habitat created for salmon. Read the Elwha Restoration Introduction to learn more.
What research is being done?
There is an incredible diversity of scientific work being done on the Elwha River ecosystem and the shoreline of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Our newly released research learning unit allows you to dive into 7 different studies that have been done or read through our project update to see what new information has been released.
Where are the Elwha River and Olympic Park Institute located?
