George Pess at NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle is one of the most experienced scientists at work on the Elwha River restoration effort -- with more than a decade of field work under his belt leading baseline monitoring work on the river.

Pess will give a talk at 7 p.m. Feb. 13, free and open to the public, about the Elwha River recovery effort. Come hear about how fish are expected to respond to taking out the dams on the Elwha, and what changes scientists already are noticing.

Pess will talk at the Wilde Rover cafe in downtown Kirkland, at 111 Central Way. The talk is part of the Pacific Science Center's series of Science Cafe lectures, bringing scientists face to face with the public to talk over big issues of the day in an informal atmosphere.

Meanwhile, for photos of some of the latest work on the river as the dams keep coming down, see the National Park Service blog.

To learn more about the Elwha restoration, see our special report in The Seattle Times.

Meanwhile, here's some food for thought. Documentary film maker John Gussman emailed in this photo today shot from the same vantage point of the landscape above Glines Canyon dam. Look how much it has changed, from September 2010 to now:

Photo by John Gussman