“Yakima River Ecosystem Restoration Project to Reconnect Floodplain and Restore Habitat.” Seattle District, 16 Nov. 2023, https://www.nws.usace.army.mil/Media/News-Releases/Article/3590807/yakima-river-ecosystem-restoration-project-to-reconnect-floodplain-and-restore/

The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers and Yakima County in Washington are preparing to restore the Yakima River’s connection to its historic, 320-acre, floodplain. This will require the restoration crew to remove and realign levees, create riverside channels, and remove spur dikes. This project cost $12 million and is funded under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Previously, levee projects in the area disrupted the habitat of endangered species like the steelhead and bull trout. As such, this project will hopefully bring the population of local species back to normal levels.

This is yet another project that makes me excited. The talent and genius that goes into these projects is astounding. I am happy that the federal government is investing so much money into habitat restoration and that they are putting their brightest minds on the job. It makes me wonder what the original levees in the area were for. Presumably, they were for flood protection, but I’m not sure. I wonder if restoring marshlands will have the same effect as this water control infrastructure in preventing floods. I am also curious how one gets involved in a project like this. It makes me wonder if community members can join the project to help out. This article relates to environmental science because it discusses an environmental restoration project that uses scientific principles to get the best results. It discusses unique interactions between the land and its native species, which is a discipline within environmental science.