The Penobscot Nation is hailing the removal of the Veazie Dam on the Penobscot River in Maine.

Work on the $60 million dam removal project began on Monday. The tribe brought a drum group and singers to the ceremony for the decade-long effort.

“To the Penobscot, this river is our very soul,” Francis told The Bangor Daily News. “It’s a place where we truly hold hands with our history and our ancestors. With each step of this project, we feel that much closer to [the river], and realizing our people’s dream of this river in its natural state, providing for and nurturing our people in many ways, as it has always done.”

The tribe hopes removal of the dam will lead to a restoration of salmon runs. The last time the tribe made a salmon catch on the river was in 1985.

“I think we’ll come back to a balance, where the river is doing well,” Francis told The New York Times. “It’s historic when a lot of people have lived and died seeing its demise.”

Get the Story:
Hopes for a Fish Revival as a Dam Is Demolished (The New York Times 7/26)
Breaching of Veazie Dam begins as part of Penobscot River Restoration (The Bangor Daily News 7/23)
Breaching of dam, restoring salmon’s passage unite many (The Boston Globe 7/23)