Links to Additional Resources

Heinz Center

The Heinz Center is a nonprofit, nonpartisan institution dedicated to improving the scientific and economic foundation for environmental policy through multi-sectoral collaboration. Focusing on issues that are likely to confront policymakers within two to five years, the Center creates and fosters collaboration among industry, environmental organizations, academia, and government in each of its program areas and projects.

Dams have long been familiar features of the American landscape, an integral part of the infrastructure that contributes to the nation?s economic and social well-being. Widespread interest in dam removal, however, is a recent development, spurred by the aging of many dams, by evolving societal values, and by new scientific understanding of the changes brought about by dams. Property owners, public utilities, state and local government officials, and private citizens are faced with difficult and complex decisions, and they need guidance as they attempt to incorporate scientific information into the decision-making process. Dam Removal: Science and Decision Making, a new report from The Heinz Center, is a first step toward filling this need.

Dam Removal: Science and Decision Making is the result of 18 months of research and deliberation by a panel of experts with experience in government, industry, academia, and environmental organizations. Focusing on the nation?s small dams, the report outlines the current state of research on and experience with dam removal. It is a primer for dam removal decision makers, recounting lessons learned from previous dam removals and providing a step-by-step design for informed and responsible decision making.

For more information, visit the Heinz Center website and click publications and you will see a report on dam removal. http://www.heinzctr.org/

American Rivers

American Rivers is a national non-profit conservation organization dedicated to protecting and restoring healthy natural rivers and the variety of life they sustain for people, fish, and wildlife. They offer innovative solutions to improve river health; raise awareness among decision-makers; serve and mobilize the river conservation movement; and are collaborating with partners to develop a national "river agenda," which will create a unified vision for improving river health across the country.

In addition to protecting nationally significant rivers, American Rivers' programs focus on dam removal and reform (including a campaign to remove four federal dams on the lower Snake River); river channel engineering (including campaigns to reform Army Corps of Engineers and protect floodplains); allocation of water resources; and threats to watersheds (including wild rivers, those affected by agricultural practices, and community riverfronts).

They work closely with grassroots river and watershed groups across the country because supporting each other?s efforts is key to the health of rivers nationwide. Their staff members also collaborate with other conservation groups, local citizens and businesses, and various federal, state, and tribal agencies to build coalitions and provide technical support.

For more information, visit the American Rivers website, http://www.amrivers.org/
click on Resources, then click view toolkits and you will be taken to issue specific categories such as Dam Removal and River Restoration Financing, among others.