Choosing Hope:
Reclaiming the Duwamish River

The Duwamish River has been turned into one of the most toxic waste environments in the US but a growing number of people are choosing to believe that this river can be cleaned up.

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Tom Reese, Blue Earth Alliance project Choosing Hope: Reclaiming the Duwamish River
The Duwamish flows in and out with the tide and current, sweeping past the Seattle waterfront twice each day, carrying with it a portion of everything that is suspended in the water. Sea lions haul out on an anchor buoy as a tug passes.
Duwamish River: The legendary runs of wild salmon have been wiped out; efforts to repopulate are now centered on raising hatchery stocks. This young salmon is piped to a holding tank afer being tagged.
Duwamish River: Neighborhood residents and environmental activits hold hands across the Duwamish on the dilapidated South Park Bridge to express disappointment at its closure. They see the lack of funding for a new bridge as a putdown of their low-income and immigrant populations, and reflection of government attitude toward the needs of th Duwamish River valley as a whole.
Duwamish River: An osprey hatched a few weeks earlier awaits a meal of bottom fish from a parent. After natural nesting sites were destroyed by development, man-made nesting platforms have encouraged many ospreys to return to the Duwamish for summer breeding. Fish that live at the bottom of the Duwamish are not consider safe for human consumption, and effects on osprey are not certain.
Duwamish River: Volunteers in kayaks and support boats pull trash from the banks of Duwamish twice a year at "Duwamish Alive" events.
Tom Reese, Blue Earth Alliance project Choosing Hope: Reclaiming the Duwamish River
Tom Reese, Blue Earth Alliance project Choosing Hope: Reclaiming the Duwamish River
Tom Reese, Blue Earth Alliance project Choosing Hope: Reclaiming the Duwamish River
Tom Reese, Blue Earth Alliance project Choosing Hope: Reclaiming the Duwamish River

Tom Reese

Tom's work as a newspaper and magazine photojournalist has been nominated for Pulitzer Prizes in breaking news photography, feature …

Topics
Pollution
Sub Topics
Environment Degradation Restoration Effort
Regions
North America United States
Environment

About Choosing Hope: Reclaiming the Duwamish River

The Duwamish River can be hard to love, but it flows powerfully through the hearts of those who know it well.

The Duwamish is one of earth’s vital arteries conveying lifeblood from mountains to the sea, so it can be difficult to accept that its lower 5½ -mile stretch has been turned into one of the most toxic waste environments in the United States – an industrial sewage canal flowing out past the scenic waterfront of Seattle. It would be easy to turn away feeling depressed and helpless, but a growing number of people are choosing to believe in the recovery of this river and are working relentlessly toward that future.

Their vision has motivated the first successes in reducing water pollution and restoring habitat, wildlife, and hope. The larger question for the river is also the essential human question of our time: “What relationship do we choose to have with our home, the natural world?”