by Betsy Cannon
Last Friday, the Lutheran Volunteer Corps members
in the Puget Sound area, including myself, went on a tour of the Lower Duwamish River. This five mile stretch of river in South Seattle is the tribal land of the
Duwamish people, an industrial center, and a Superfund site.
As we boarded the boat, our guide handed each of us a map of the river. As we unfolded them, we learned that a river once characterized by oxbows follows a nearly straight path today due to channeling. Several of us identified with the attempt to regulate rivers in our hometowns. Whether reversing the flow of the Chicago River or diverting the Mississippi away from the Atchafalaya River, we all remembered a time when humans have tried to control nature.
As we boarded the boat, our guide handed each of us a map of the river. As we unfolded them, we learned that a river once characterized by oxbows follows a nearly straight path today due to channeling. Several of us identified with the attempt to regulate rivers in our hometowns. Whether reversing the flow of the Chicago River or diverting the Mississippi away from the Atchafalaya River, we all remembered a time when humans have tried to control nature.
But more than the channelizing of the river, we were devastated to hear of the PCBs in the
salmon, the toxins in the sediment, and cranes driven from their home. An industrial shredder used to rip apart cars and appliances appeared as a monster looming on the bank. Although the environmental degradation is terrible, it is
equally incredible what has been accomplished.
Now, a park sits along a restored
riverbank. Toxic sediments are being
removed from the riverbed with pinpoint accuracy. Industries contain their chemicals, instead
of using them in the open. Cranes and other wildlife are migrating back.
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On the boat ride back to the dock, I saw two sea lions surface as a kingfisher dove and snatched a couple of fish from the water. To me, that’s a miracle.
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