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Introduction
Introduction
There is an effort being made across the United States to deconstruct the man-made dams built in rivers. There are a variety of reasons why many are being compelled to do so, but one of those reasons is to restore the rapids that were present in the rivers before the presence of dams.
Rapids habitats are where many species that live within these rivers flourished. But with the changes to river conditions brought by dams, these species were affected. There are environmental related issues that serve as a motivator to assist in this effort of deconstruction, but there are also economic related motivators as well. With many having interest in the deconstruction efforts due to the costs that are not worth the price for trying to maintain deteriorating dams that no longer serve for their original purposes.
Literature Review
Literature Review
The presence of dams in rivers disrupts the natural flow of the water, changing the rapids into slow-moving water. This change affects the organisms living within these river ecosystems. It especially impedes the reproduction process of fish (Molina-Moctezuma, 2021) due to fragmentation and disruption of migration patterns which decreases the populations of these fish (Shry, 2024.) This is part of the reason why decisions are being made to deconstruct dams. Another reason is that dams are less useful compared to in the past, we no longer use them for most of their original purposes (Duda, 2023.)
A restoration project brought back the rapids habitat in Little Rapids on the St. Mary’s River. The project led to a substantial increase in the population of young fish and even rare species, which helps to demonstrate the importance of rapids habitats for fish (Molina-Moctezuma, 2021.) A study found that two years after the restoration project, conditions improved for fish and for the physical aspects of Little Rapids (Molina-Moctezuma, 2020.)
Theoretical Framework
Theoretical Framework
The theoretical framework used for this research is Ostrom's Social-Ecological Systems Framework.
This framework's intended purpose is to aid researchers and analysts in investigating the different aspects that contribute to a certain situation and how they interact and affect one another (McGinnis, 2014.)
The action situation in this case refers to the actions taken by each construct and how they affect the restoration of rapids in a river and the affects that result from those contributions.
The resource systems
Research Question
Research Question
"How do the residents of Grand Rapids view the environmental and economic aspects of the restoration of the rapids to the Grand River?"
This research question is worth delving into to investigate the opinions and knowledge residents have to the funded projects in their area that have economical and environmental effects. The restoration project aiming to bring the rapids back to the Grand River in Michigan is one of those types of projects.
References
References
Abbott, K. M., Roy, A. H., Magilligan, F. J., Nislow, K. H., & Quiñones, R. M. (2024). Incorporating climate change into restoration decisions: perspectives from dam removal practitioners. Ecology & Society, 29(3), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-15182-290321
Duda, J. J., Jumani, S., Wieferich, D. J., Tullos, D., McKay, S. K., Randle, T. J., Jansen, A., Bailey, S., Jensen, B. L., Johnson, R. C., Wagner, E., Richards, K., Wenger, S. J., Walther, E. J., & Bountry, J. A. (2023). Patterns, drivers, and a predictive model of dam removal cost in the United States. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2023.1215471
McGinnis, M. D., & Ostrom, E. (2014). Social-ecological system framework: initial changes and continuing challenges. Ecology and Society, 19(2). http://www.jstor.org/stable/26269580
Molina-Moctezuma, A., Godby, N., Kapuscinski, K. L., Roseman, E. F., Skubik, K., & Moerke, A. (2021, June 12). Response of fish assemblages to restoration of rapids habitat in a Great Lakes connecting channel. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 47(4), 1182-1191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2021.05.009
Molina‐Moctezuma, A., Ellis, E., Kapuscinski, K. L., Roseman, E. F., Heatlie, T., & Moerke, A. (2020). Restoration of rapids habitat in a Great Lakes connecting channel, the St. Marys River, Michigan. Restoration Ecology, 29(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.13310
Shry, S., Harbicht, A., Forsberg, H., Nilsson, A., Hellstroem, G., Osterling, M., & Calles, O. (2024). Challenges in downstream dam passage and the effect of dam removal on Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) smolt migrations. Journal of Fish Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.15770
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