15 Years After Dam Removal Began, New Report Shows the Value of Increased Stewardship of State Forest Lands in Elwha Watershed

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: September 17 2026

CONTACT:

Elizabeth Dunne, Esq.
Earth Law Center
edunne@earthlaw.org 

Olivia Molden, PhD
Earth Economics
omolden@eartheconomics.org 

PORT ANGELES, WA – 15 years after the beginning of the Elwha River dam removals, a new report calls on the State of Washington to create a Natural Area in the Elwha Watershed, citing the ecological, cultural, recreational, and economic value of protecting the watershed's remaining structurally complex forests.

The removal of the Elwha River dams, completed in 2014, is celebrated worldwide. Salmon have begun to return to the river, yet long-term watershed recovery depends on protecting the basin’s remaining older forests, which support water quality, stream flow, biodiversity, and more. The synthesis report calls on the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to step up the stewardship work that remains. 

In 2025, legislation sponsored by Senator Mike Chapman (Chairman of the Washington Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee) appropriated $250,000 to DNR to identify priority areas in the Elwha Watershed for conservation. DNR is in the final stages of completing this assessment, and is expected to recommend the boundaries of a new Natural Area to the Legislature in December. 

Under the Natural Resources Conservation Act and the 2025 legislation, DNR is to identify lands that are “outstanding examples of native ecosystems, habitat for endangered, threatened and sensitive plants and animals, and scenic landscapes” as well as significant geologic, cultural, historical, and archeological resources. The 65-page report, Elwha Watershed Protection: A Call for State Stewardship, aims to supplement DNR’s assessment. The report includes: maps and photos of the scenic, beloved, and ecologically significant areas; results of a rare plant and rare lichen survey; newly discovered habitat of the endangered Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly (E. e. taylori); and an analysis by Earth Economics of the value of ecosystem services produced on the watershed’s state-managed lands. The report concludes by asking DNR to take a holistic, landscape-level perspective as it draws a new Natural Area boundary.

Most mature native forests in the watershed have been lost to logging, but 800 acres of the watershed’s oldest forests remain. While nature has unquantifiable intrinsic value, the report also challenges the paradigm that treats forests exclusively as timber revenue streams, by estimating the economic value of conserving the remaining structurally complex forests. Earth Economics analysis shows that retaining the remaining structurally complex, older forests would safeguard over $367.5 million in public benefits over 125 years. These forests play an outsized role in maintaining and regulating stream flow and temperature and maintaining biodiversity, particularly in the face of climate change. Protecting them would safeguard the watershed’s natural beauty, provide plentiful, clean water for local residents and endangered salmon, and enhance recreational experiences.

The report highlights unique attributes of the Elwha Watershed, with detailed descriptions of five sub-areas: Mt Sutherland, Dan Kelly Peak (including Indian Creek), Dry Hill, Little River and the River Mouth/Estuary. Each should be considered for inclusion in a new Natural Area. 

DNR will release its draft assessment and recommendations to the public on November 9, followed by a two-week public comment period, before making its final recommendations to the Legislature on December 1. 

See the Earth Economics website for more details. Read the full report here.

About the Center for Responsible Forestry. The Center for Responsible Forestry works on behalf of all people in WA to achieve the permanent protection of the last remaining legacy forests in Western Washington.

About Earth Law Center. Founded in 2008, Earth Law Center (ELC) is a cutting-edge 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to give Nature a voice in the legal system. ELC’s dedicated staff and volunteers work to advance Earth-centered laws (Rights of Nature, human environmental rights, legal guardianships of Nature, rights of future generations, animal rights, etc.) and community-led movements that respect and protect all life on the planet. Working toward a paradigm shift in traditional environmental law, ELC engages in ecocentric movements at the intersection of law, policy, movement-building, and culture, with legal teams, programs, and partners in Latin America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Oceania, and North America.

About Earth Economics. Earth Economics is a non-profit with over two decades of experience estimating the value provided by ecosystem services. Their mission is to quantify and value the benefits nature provides everyone, fostering effective decisions that prioritize the wellbeing of people and nature. They ensure ecosystem services are included in the decision-making process at all levels, so communities can mitigate risk, increase resilience, and protect their natural capital wealth.