The Lewis River Hydroelectric Projects - PacifiCorp

approach
Lewis River Interpretive & Education Plan
Successful interpretation is faithful to the site—it connects the visitor to the
place with site-specific stories and images. The following describes the process
Sea Reach undertook to get to know the location, the audience, and the stories
of the PacifiCorp sites along the Lewis River.
Site Visits
Sea Reach staff visited the Lewis River several times, over the course of all four
seasons, to observe recreation sites both during the height of visitation and
without visitors. At least four of the visits were with PacifiCorp staff. Each site
was walked, photographed, and general observations were recorded regarding
the visitor profile and interpretive potential. In July, two staff members spent
three days camping at Cresap Bay to get a sense of the visitor demographics, to
interview the host, and to observe visitors interacting with the site.
Research
The interpretive storyline begins with an overview of the natural and cultural
history of an area. Our goal is to identify what is factual and relevant about
a particular site. What is significant about the Lewis River Watershed How
does this hydro project work What is available to do and see What animals
are present Who lived here before, and who lives here now This research
encompasses a variety of resources—beginning with PacifiCorp staff, internal
documents, and library resources. As the topic areas become more and more
precise or site specific, recognized experts are asked to comment and review
sections of the storyline for accuracy. In this case, several PacifiCorp scientists
were interviewed and asked to comment on content, and in depth interviews
with several long term residents were conducted. They were also asked to review
the material before it was incorporated into this document.
Interviews with Professionals
A large portion of the background information and storyline deals directly with
the operations, management, and general workings of the hydroelectric project.
Sea Reach’s goal was to write an overview that can be shared with visitors to
help them understand “what is a hydroelectric project, how does it work, how
does it effect our lives” For this information, we interviewed specialists from
PacifiCorp:
• Kirk Naylor, wildlife biologist and environmental supervisor for
PacifiCorp’s hydroelectric projects. Kirk spoke with us at length on the
phone, and then provided an extensive tour of habitat management
projects along the Lewis.
• Frank Shrier and Erik Lesko, fish biologists, provided information on fish
resources in the lakes and river, as well as fish habitat projects.
Sea Reach Ltd • 146 NE yamhill Street • Sheridan, OR draft 3 • November 2008 • page 7