The Elwha River Restoration: A Story of Hope and Inspiration
Bill Bradley was an All-American basketball player from Princeton, a Rhodes Scholar, an NBA star and a Senator from New Jersey. He was also a candidate for the Democratic Presidential nomination in 2000.
Senator Bradley was chairman of the Senate Energy and Water Committee and sponsored the Elwha Restoration Bill in 1992. He has been a strong supporter of the project ever since.
On June 28, 2017, Senator Bradley spoke about the project at a NatureBridge-sponsored event at Benaroya Hall in Seattle. He was introduced by Governor Dan Evans after which the two took Q and A from the audience. It was inspirational to see these two giants, one a Democrat and one a Republican, standing side by side talking about how to get things done in American government.
A quote from the Senator’s prepared talk:
“I want the visitors to the Elwha to savor the river for its beauty, for the wildly successful results of dam removal, for the fish and birds and clams and bears.
But I also want the visitors to the Elwha, including students participating in this great NatureBridge program, to understand that they are present at the beginning of something wonderful – not just the after party.
- Every time we do right in America we set the stage to do right again.
- Every time we manage to honor our best traditions and values, we show that we can do it again.
- Every instance of hard work that brings justice proves that we can have a just society.
With the Elwha, we restored honor, we kept promises, we rewarded stewardship, we did the right thing.
Indeed, even in our current dark times, the great gift of the Elwha is the one very essential thing for our country – hope.”
Come visit the Elwha, be inspired, restore hope.
Bill Kindler