ADAM OLSEN: Dick Goin’s internal struggle as a mill worker, whose livelihood was supported by the industry poisoning the river he loved and fought for over decades, was evident as he shared his story
The late Dick Goin |
Have you ever heard of Dick Goin?
Dick and his family moved to the Olympic Peninsula
during the depression of the 1930's. He lived next to the Elwha River until he
passed away in 2015.
On Thursday night (March 21st), I had the honour of being on a
panel hosted Laura Brandes of the POLIS Water Sustainability Project at
the University of Victoria. It was an event to celebrate World Water day.
Prior to discussing my salmon work alongside Tanis
Gower (Project Biologist, of the Watershed Watch Salmon Society) and Tom
Rutherford (Executive Director of the ), we viewed a
screening of The Memory of Fish. It's another story of
passion and persistence, the life's work of Dick Goin. This theme of passion
and persistence has been emerging in this blog recently. Either I am finding
it, or it is finding me. Nonetheless, these powerful stories are inescapable.
Frankly, the movie left me fragile. It tracked
Goin's advocacy for the salmon in the Elwha River over decades. He lovingly
catalogued his experience and his catches year after year, notebook after
notebook, capturing the devastating impact of the two hydro-electric dams that
were built on the river at the turn of the 20th century. The dams powered
industry.
Goin's internal struggle as a mill worker, whose
livelihood was supported by the industry poisoning the river he loved and
fought for over decades, was evident as he shared his story.
The Elwha is free! Those dams are gone now ... Dick Goin won ... and he saw the result.
Salmon returning to the upper reaches of the Elwha
River in numbers he could only once imagine. That due to Goin's persistence, and the
persistence of the Pacific salmon. It's an inspiring and encouraging story.
Just a few kilometres north, we struggle with the
same pressures: industry, salmon and water. Indeed, we know we need to create
jobs and products. And the salmon reminds us of the benefit and bounty that can
come from living within the cycles of nature.
Water. While we have the blessing of plentiful
water in our part of the world, droughts are increasing. Climate change is
here. So, we must change how we relate and respond to these conflicts.
Dick Goin was a beautiful man. His story, is a
beautiful story. I hope you get a chance to see it, and it inspires you to
become a passionate warrior for those places that are special to you.
Meanwhile, I will continue to stand up for the
Salish Sea and the Pacific salmon.
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