skydam_300x180Nearly every green, renewable energy project has some kind of local or environmental backlash. We’re not here to argue the merits of the value of hydroelectric dams. The recent removal of the Elwha River’s two dams has renewed national interest in our nation’s aging infrastructure. The PUD’s plans for a small scale hydro project on the Skykomish River is investigated this week by Mary Catherine O’Connor, Outside Magazine’s Adventure Ethics columnist. Take a closer look, the answers may not be so simple.

When I lived for a short time in Index, Washington, a climbing and boating hotspot on the Skykomish River in the north central Cascades, it felt like equal parts Twin Peaks and Northern Exposure. But despite its eccentric residents and quirky vibe, Index is like Mayberry compared to the South Fork of the Skykomish, a sprawling community of river cabins and trailers, near… READ MORE AT OUTSIDE MAGAZINE.