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NCED on the Mall
6/24/2005 5:25 PM

The banner over our DC flume, designed by Paul Morin
The banner over our DC flume, designed by Paul Morin








NCED and USDA Forest Service promoted river restoration research at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, June-July 2005! (Please be sure to scroll down this screen to see our growing collection of images from the festival!)

During the festival, Forest Service researcher Gordon Grant conducted two experiments related to dam removal on the Elwha River in Washington state.  The experiments expand on research experiments conducted by NCED visitor Chris Bromley and graduate student Michal Tal (related publication) as well as earlier work by Christian Braudrick.  The experiments were part of a full exhibit that included a flume designed at NCED, an interactive dam removal model designed by NCED and the Science Museum of Minnesota, and an innovative stream table designed at NCED and built live at the festival.   NCED Engineer and Stream Restoration Project Manager Jeff Marr managed the exhibit design and construction, which was a collaborative effort between Forest Service, NCED and St. Anthony Falls Laboratory staff.

We invite you to follow the links on this page to learn more about the festival, our Forest Service partners, and the Elwha River Restoration Project.

To view an animated slide show with narration, download BOTH of the links below to the same place on your computer.  Then open the PowerPoint and choose "view slideshow"--it will advance automatically and play the audio file after the opening text slides.

 "Gordon from the festival"   Listen to Gordon Grant's live report on Opening Day
  dcslideshowcompressedwithsoundlooped.ppt   looped slide show in PowerPoint

Image Gallery: Splashdown
The flumes and all the Minnesota crew members are safely back at St. Anthony Falls Lab. Research photos will be added to this site soon.
Gordon and Michal on the Mall Jeff and Trucker Tom unloading at St. Anthony Falls Lab Packing up for the drive back into the sunset Travis teaching


Image Gallery: The Log Transport Experiment--Festival Stage II
After clearing out the dying vegetation, administering CPR to the overworked pump, and resetting the cameras that got disoriented in the massive thunderstorm on June 29, we began a new experiment for the second half of the festival. It built on research conducted by Gordon Grant's advisee, Christian Braudrick, at NCED, looking at the effects of logs and log jams, mobilized during floods, on river morphology. Dr. Grant's color commentary as each log came into play continued to draw fascinated crowds to the hourly floods, at which they learned, among other things about sonic booms in rivers!
"Flood and Log Transport Experiments today at 2:00 and 4:00 pm" Gordon describing log movement. Festival volunteer Steven takes a break from sediment feeding to learn about the experiment. Visitors gathering for a flood. Future fluvial geomorphologists pay close attention. The view from the bleachers that Festival staff added outside our tent to accomodate crowds during floods.


Image Gallery: The great flood
The DC heat led to a massive vegetation die-off. So June 23rd was the date of our "100 year flood", a chance to sweep the flume free of vegetation and set the stage for Experiment II. The crowds loved it!
"Major (100 year) flood scheduled today for 1:00 pm!" (Note bleachers in the background, provided by the festival staff for greater viewing capacity during floods.) Gordon recording the last topo measurements on the vegetation experiment. Visitors awaiting the 100 year flood. Lecture by bullhorn... Visitors gathered around every corner of the flume for a view of the flood.


Image Gallery: The Vegetation Experiment -- Festival Stage I
Images from the first half of the festival run, when the alfalfa was thriving in the DC hothouse.
Gordon and Travis taking topography readings on the vegetated system. Gordon explains braiding and meandering to visitors. Travis explaining the vegetated flume. Gordon points out a vegetation dam. The view from our tent. Visitors watching a flood in the vegetated system. Karen Bennett and visitors observe a flood from the downstream end of the flume.


Image Gallery: Sculptable Landscape and Dam Removal models
"Sculptable landscape" watershed streamtable and dam removal model being enjoyed by visitors. We got to know several children who returned every day to play with the models.
A National Park Service Ranger teaching visitors about the Glines Canyon dam removal study. Travis Sandland, Science Museum of Minnesota, teaching visitors about delta formation in reservoirs. Karen Bennett, USDA Forest Service, building the watershed in the sculptable landscape streamtable.


Image Gallery: Opening Day
Final preparations and Opening Day, June 23, 2005.
Adding the water feed to sculptable landscape. The watershed takes shape. Laser topography measurements on the vegetation flume. Gordon hangs the Elwha banner. "Why do Rivers Change?": the theme of our exhibit. Sculptable landscape watershed populated. Gordon greets Opening Day visitors. Interest builds. Reading rails on the vegetation flume. Will sediment pulses morph the river back to a braided system from a meandering one? Visitors vote for braiding! Children recovering their houses and trees after a flood in the sculptable landscape watershed. Additional flood recovery. The dam removal experiment draws interested crowds. Gordon points out downcutting in the Lake Mills delta as the Elwha responds to base level change during removal of the Glines Canyon dam. NCED graduate student Michal Tal with scultptable landscape streamtable. Gordon narrating a flood. More flood narration. Michal Tal with the dam removal experiment.


Image Gallery: NCED goes to the Mall
The flume is assembled at St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, overlooking the Mississippi, then disassembled, packed on a flatbed truck, transported across country and the Potomac, and reassembled in our tent on the Mall. Please note that you can click on any image to enlarge, and once you've done that, you will also have an option to display all the images as an automated slide show.
The research flume fully assembled at St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, Minneapolis, MN, June 2005 The research flume being assembled to make sure all the pieces fit! The flume in pieces ready to load on the moving truck. Will it all fit??? The tent on the Mall, ready for the flumes. Volunteer help with assembly. Hey! We're not in Minnesota anymore! The flume at its temporary home on the Mall. The flume full of sand, ready for seeding. The research flume and "sculptable landscape", an interactive stream table, ready for visitors. The seedless flume. Seeding. Seeds in place, ready to sprout...



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