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Article: Not so fast; Eliminating dams; Why dams can be green.(Science and Technology)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- March 3, 2001
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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AT THE base of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in central California, on the south fork of the Kern river, a small green valley sits in marked contrast to the surrounding brown hills. This hidden vale, crowded with willow and cottonwood trees, is home to one of the largest breeding populations of an endangered bird called the south-western willow flycatcher. And it exists only because the Lake Isabella Dam, completed in 1953, created floodplains that allowed this riverside (or "riparian") habitat to flourish.
To America's environmental activists, dams are wicked. Calling for them to be removed has become one of the movement's loudest and most popular demands. ...