We took out a 130-year-old dam. Fish were the fourth reason for the owner. Ask why we remove dams and most people say “for the river.” Fair. But owners usually get there another way: 🔹 Safety: if yo...

Sen. Jamie Eldridge and state representatives attending the Shoddy Mill Park opening said the project — aided by MVP funding and dam-removal grants — can serve as a model for other towns seeking ecological restoration following dam removal.

The Klamath River is free of four huge dams for the first time in generations. But for the Yurok tribe, the river's restoration is only just beginning – starting with 18 billion seeds.

📌 Friendly reminder: Open Rivers Programme Q&A webinar tomorrow at 13:00 CET. There are still spots left - sign up via Zoom: https://lnkd.in/eFH-R8fd     We look forward to seeing you there!    #Dam...

𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗹 𝗔𝗶𝗿 𝗗𝗮𝗺 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗶𝘁𝘁𝘀𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱, 𝗠𝗔 This summer marked a major milestone: in July, the SumCo Eco crew redirected stream flow into the newly constructed chann...

While the demolition of big dams in the West gets more attention, many of these often-obsolete obstructions are also coming out of northeastern streams and rivers—and herring are returning in droves

Michigan communities are investing hundreds of millions to restore rivers, remove dams and transform waterfronts into places people want to visit. One study suggests such projects can deliver big economic benefits, but many communities only know the environmental and quality-of-life returns.

The dams came down. The salmon came back. New research highlighted by The New York Times offers encouraging news from the Klamath River: Chinook salmon are rapidly returning to habitat reopened by t...

Hydroelectric dams can be tremendous power generation solutions, relatively sustainable compared to other options. However, old unused or inefficient dams can be removed in favor of more modern options. When river dams are removed, salmon re-enter breeding grounds very quickly. A similar thing was previously observed when the Elwha River dams were removed as well. This leads to myriad ecosystem revitalization effects. https://youtu.be/Q3ooEH3cGHs?is=dtfbFdDcFe5zYeFU

🇨🇭 "Free the Rivers!" project accelerates dam removal in Switzerland with Open Rivers Programme support! As part of a project led by Aqua Viva and supported by ORP, construction work at the Tobelbach...

Yesterday was an epic day with over 150 ppl from across New England gathered to attend a “Dam Busters” conference organized by Massachusetts Rivers Alliance Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restor...

Habitat fragmentation and associated impacts are primary drivers of global biodiversity decline and ecosystem dysfunction1. Fragmentation can cause the non-random loss of species important for ecosystem function, or restrict individual movement among sites, limiting the adaptive capacity of populations to climate vulnerability1,2. Impacts of habitat fragmentation can extend to human communities by reducing the benefits of ecosystem services3. Reconnecting fragmented habitats is a widely applied strategy to enhance ecosystem resilience, restore species, and support human well-being4,5,6. Demonstrated benefits of large scale reconnection projects are emerging across terrestrial, marine, and freshwater ecosystems with evidence of recovery as migratory behavior resumes, animals expand their distributions and lost ecosystem processes re-establish7,8,9. Reestablished animals can change the trophic structure of ecosystems, allow for range expansion, and promote long-term species population recovery6,10,11. For example, protection, range expansion, and increased connection between important habitats in Mozambique’s Parque Nacional da Gorongosa has helped to increase large-mammal biomass since war ended in 200412. Connectivity is now recognized as foundational to restoration in marine ecosystems13. Large-scale reconnection projects remain rare – hindering our ability to learn from and predict ecological outcomes in fragmented ecosystems7. River networks provide a framework for reconnecting ecosystems via their linear topology and the discrete...

Less than two years ago, four dams on the Klamath River were removed. This week, the first peer-reviewed science is out — published in Scientific Reports, part of the renowned Nature portfolio of journals — confirming that Chinook salmon reoccupied 88% of their historical range within just two migratory seasons. Chinook salmon didn't just trickle back into reconnected habitat in the upper Klamath Basin. They surged. The Numbers The study, led by CalTrout's Shasta Cascade Regional Director Damon Goodman alongside partners from the Karuk Tribe, Klamath Tribes, Yurok Tribe, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, NOAA, USGS, CalPoly Humboldt, and independent researchers, is the first published quantitative assessment of how salmon have responded to the removal of J.C. Boyle, Copco 1, Copco 2, and Iron Gate dams — the largest dam removal project ever completed. Using high-resolution imaging SONAR stationed near the former Iron Gate Dam site, the team counted salmon swimming upstream into water they hadn't been able to reach in over a century. In fall 2024, the first salmon migration season after the dams came out, an estimated 7,742 Chinook salmon passed the site — about 18% of all the Chinook that...

🇲🇰 Promising monitoring results from North Macedonia's first-ever dam removal At the end of 2025, the NGO Eko-svest, in cooperation with the Municipality of Kumanovo and with support from the Open Ri...

How much difference can a small culvert make? More than you might think. 🇧🇪 This summer, in the Vierre Catchment (Southern Wallonia, Belgium), four obsolete culverts were removed and replaced with ec...

The removal of an old dam has reopened a central Massachusetts river, but the project is also part of a wider statewide trend. In 2025, Massachusetts outpaced every other state in dam removals as officials pushed for safer communities and healthier waterways. Here's what to know Working with Ashburnham, the administration of Governor Maura Healey and local nonprofit groups completed a project that reopened part of the Whitman River, The Lowell Sun reported. The work included taking out the 18-foot Whitney Pond Dam in Ashburnham. Whitney Pond was one of 15 dam removals completed across Massachusetts in 2025, a figure that put the state ahead of every other state in the country. Even so, Massachusetts still has roughly 3,000 dams. As older dams lose their original function, towns can still be left paying to maintain them, even as deterioration raises flood concerns. In a state experiencing stronger storms and heavier rainfall, removing obsolete barriers can reduce municipal liability and improve river health. The project also aligns with the state's biodiversity goals, which call for removing 10% of Massachusetts' dams by 2050. More background For municipalities, aging dams can become expensive infrastructure to keep up, with maintenance and repair costs ultimately...

🏆 The European Open Rivers Programme is delighted to support 33 new projects working to restore Europe's rivers. These initiatives mark real progress towards clearing rivers of outdated barriers and r...