OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — Official National Park Service brochures on the Elwha River restoration project are available now.
The brochures were made available at the Olympic National Park Visitor Center, at 3002 Mount Angeles Road in Port Angeles, and other park visitor centers Friday, said Rainey McKenna, public information officer.
They also can be found at businesses around Port Angeles and at trailheads in the park.
The park had 10,000 copies printed at a cost of about $1,700, and will print an additional 10,000 over the course of the summer.
The brochure features a map of 10 points of interest with respect to the
$325 million Elwha River project.
The project, which started in September with the removal of two dams on the Elwha River — both built without fish ladders — is intended to bring the watercourse back to its wild state and restore its once-legendary fish runs.
The dam removals were originally expected to take two to three years.
The process has proceeded quickly, and now the Elwha Dam is gone.
Demolition of the Glines Canyon Dam is expected to be completed by next year.
Because contractors will use a series of controlled blasts to lower the Glines Canyon Dam this month, Altair Campground within the park will be closed today through July 31.
A few locations to visit to see the river as the project progresses are the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribal Center, Elwha River Bridge, Elwha Dam Viewpoint, Elwha River Viewpoint and the Elwha Valley.
Exhibits on the project are at the Arthur D. Feiro Marine Life Center on City Pier, the park visitor center on Mount Angeles Road in Port Angeles and the Museum at the Carnegie, 207 S. Lincoln St., Port Angeles.
At the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center, the vistas of the Elwha Valley and surrounding mountains can be seen as well.
The Port Angeles Library, 2210 S. Peabody St., is hosting a “River Story” exhibit through Sept. 8.
The exhibit features art that was created for last September’s ceremony celebrating the start of the dams’ removal.
In addition, six webcams have been set up near the dams and can be viewed by visiting http://tinyurl.com/pdndams.
For more information about the brochure, phone McKenna at 360-565-2985.