Effort to Restore Water and Salmon to Alaska's Eklutna River Persists Despite Challenges

Brad Meiklejohn is a Senior Representative at The Conservation Fund, where he has worked to protect the Alaskan wilderness for the past quarter century. Brad managed the dam removal project on the Eklutna River in Southcentral Alaska from conception to its final deconstruction, and he describes this project as “the highwater mark of my 30-year conservation career.”

Since the dam’s removal in 2018, Brad has worked diligently alongside many others to propel this project past the next hurdle, which this time isn’t a physical blockage but instead the resistance of power companies to restore water flow to the Eklutna River.

"The only chance most of us will see in our lifetimes to repair the Eklutna River is right now. As mandated by law, the power companies must atone for drying up the Eklutna River. But the utilities are backing a plan that will leave a dry riverbed for the next 35 years.... We no longer need to degrade the climate and decimate salmon just to turn the lights on."

- Brad Meiklejohn

The Anchorage Daily News published a piece by Brad urging support for the restoration efforts.

Demolishing a Deadbeat Dam in Alaska

Alaska Federation of Natives Endorses Restoration of Eklutna River