The White Salmon River
August 25, 2024
We kicked off the traveling portion of Semester in the West last week with a rafting trip on the White Salmon River, a tributary of the Columbia that joins the Big River just across from Hood River. I thought this would be a nice way to frame the first half of the semester–as we move through the Columbia, Snake, Salmon, and Klamath river drainages. Thirteen years ago, Condit Dam was removed from the White Salmon River, opening it back up to salmon spawning. By moving through the river canyon on rafts, students were able to observe up close the impacts the dam and reservoir had on the land and the vegetation. As we moved through the dam site, several students commented that they would never have known there was a dam there if it was not pointed out to them. Yet, they also noticed subtle changes in the land. As soon as we passed through the former dam site, suddenly there was more moss on the rocks, there were more trees growing closer to the water, and the riparian zone just seemed healthier. And yet, above the dam site, the land is recovering, with new trees finding root in the recovering riparian zones. Rafting with a geologist, Professor Lyman Persico, opened up to our view to the geological processes at play in both damming and undamming the river, evident in sediment deposits, and our guides spoke of the changes they have seen over many years of guiding on the river. And, we also had a lot of fun on this educational float.
In a few weeks we will be in the Klamath Basin witnessing the largest dam removal and river restoration project in North American history. Students will be able to compare how the White Salmon looks thirteen years after removal with how the Klamath looks now. And as we move through the Snake River system, they will be able to imagine possible futures, based on comparisons, while also realizing that every river system is different and unique, which is the point of covering so much ground–and water–in this, our Semester in the West experience.
By Stan Thayne