According to a report filed in The Peninsula Daily, efforts to restore the Elwha River's legendary salmon runs are ahead of schedule. Robert Elofson, director of the Lower Elwha ­Klallam River Restoration, detailed the current status of restoration efforts and expectations for the future in a presentation entitled, "Elwha River Ecosystem: After the Dam", which was delivered last night at the Elwha Klallam Heritage Training Center. The long awaited dam removal project began earlier this year.

Only a few thousand salmon have returned thus far, but the dam removal project is still underway, with both dams scheduled for complete removal by early 2014. Earlier this week, an explosion brought down an additional 6 feet of the Glines Canyon Dam. Work on dam removal has just recently begun after a period of work stoppage to allow for a period of fish migration.

Colorado Trout Unlimited is organizing a rally, scheduled for this Thursday December 26th, where opponents of proposed plans to divert the vast majority of the Upper Colorado River's waterflow can voice their concerns. The plans in question, which are part of the long-proposed Windy Gap Firming project, would see up to 80 percent of the Upper Colorado River's water diverted to "firm up" water supplies for expected growth in Front Range residential development. The diverted water would supply the planned 270 million dollar Chimney Hollow Reservoir with water.

Proponents of the plan maintain that the project is the only way to meet the growing demand for water in Colorado's Front Range. 13 water providers are expected to see the communities they serve double their populations over the next several decades. Insuring that these providers have adequate water storage, advocates say, is the only way to insure that demand can be met during years of lean precipitation.