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'Undammed' investigates what happens when rivers are free to run wild again

Tara Lohan
/
Island Press

More than 2,000 dams have been removed in the United States over the past 25 years, according to Tara Lohan, an environmental journalist and author of the new book, “Undammed: Freeing Rivers and Bringing Communities to Life.” That figure represents only a fraction of the more than 550,000 still in place nationwide.

Lohan takes her readers on an environmental journey through several waterways, beginning with the Elwha River in Washington State and concluding in the final chapter with the story of the Klamath River, which now flows freely on its 250-mile course from Oregon through northern California to the Pacific Ocean.

Lohan documents how rivers and surrounding ecosystems can recover in relatively short periods after dams that blocked natural flows for generations are removed.

Guest

  • Tara Lohan, environmental journalist and author
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