Local Action Non-Dam (LAND) Steering Group Will Include Chehalis River Alliance Members

We are pleased to see that the recently established Local Action Non-Dam (LAND) Steering Group will Include new representatives of a number of conservation focused organizations and Chehalis River Alliance Members. This is an important opportunity to imagine a holistic solution to flood management that properly balances the needs for salmon and steelhead recovery, animal migration corridors, anticipates climate change impacts, and serves the communities of the Chehalis Basin.

The LAND steering committee is tasked with hiring a contracting firm to assemble and produce relevant studies to seek non-dam solutions to the flood damage in the basin. In the next year their work will lead to a comprehensive roadmap to reduce flood damage without a dam. To be successful they must show that the same amount of damage reduction can be sought without a dam on the Chehalis River.  

Brian Stewart, the Cascades to Olympics Program Coordinator for Conservation Northwest and the Facilitator for the Chehalis River Alliance, explains: “I am excited and honored to have been appointed to the Local-Actions Non-Dam Alternative (LAND) steering committee. Through our work in collaboration with the Chehalis River Alliance we identified concerns with a dam and we voiced those concerns and because of the tenacious work of our partners in the Alliance, we now have the desired opportunity to seek a non-dam solution as an alternative.  It is humbling to be part of such an important process and to work with such well respected and knowledgeable people”.  

Listed are the newly appointed members of the Local Actions Non-Dam (LAND) Steering Group:  

Glen Connelly Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation  

Tyson Johnston Quinault Indian Nation  

Steve Malloch Western Water Futures LLC 

Norm Chapman City of Centralia Planning Commission Member 

Todd Chaput Infrastructure Initiatives Program Manager Economic Alliance of Lewis County 

Jess Helsley Washington Program Director, Wild Salmon Center 

Dan Maughan Farmer/Bee Keeper (Maughan Family Farm of Adna),  

Brandon Parsons Associate Director, Rivers of Puget Sound and Columbia Basin 

Brian Stewart MES Cascades to Olympics Program Coordinator 

Learn more at the The Chronicle article: Office of Chehalis Basin Names 9 Members of Committee to Look at Non-Dam Alternatives