Dams installed along iconic river systems over the last century are a stunning legacy of ‘manifest destiny’ that have severely deformed many once pristine ecosystems, cultures, and livelihoods throughout the Pacific Northwest and around the world. The largest dam removal project in North America is just being completed on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington state. The Elwha project is the sentinel of change and heralding a new era of dam removal environmentalism sweeping across the United States -after almost 25 years of planning.  Is Canada next?

Join us for a two evening film event celebrating bold changes in our over dammed world. Together these two stunning and award winning films visually impart how, if we are strong, unrelenting, and work together at the local, national, and now international scale, we might just be able to not only understand the scientific and ecological legacy of the past, but begin (at a meaningful scale) to undo stunning environmental harm, and possibly MOST importantly, protect our vanishing intact ecosystems for the future.

Tickets are $10 a showing at the door.

Co-sponsored by CWI, Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Surfrider Vancouver Island, Patagonia, University of Victoria, and Ocean Students Society.

24 September 2014. 7:00 Return of a River.

Elwhafilm LLC. http://www.elwhafilm.com/index.htm

Return of the River offers a story of hope and possibility. It features an unlikely success story for environmental and cultural restoration.

Fundamentally, the Elwha River in Washington State is a story about people and the land they inhabit. The film captures the tenacity of individuals who would not give up on a river, mirroring the tenacity of salmon headed upstream to spawn. It is a narrative with global ramifications, exploring the complex relationship between communities and the environment that sustains them.