When Dams Come Down: Reconnecting Rivers Across America

• When: Tuesday, October 13, 2026. Doors open at 6 p.m. Lecture begins at 6:30 p.m.
• Where: Stroud Water Research Center, 970 Spencer Road, Avondale, PA 19311
• Cost: Free to attend, but please RSVP.

Join us for an evening exploring how dam removal is reconnecting rivers and streams across the country. Adam Schellhammer, Katie Schmidt, and Jessie Thomas-Blate from American Rivers, a national non-profit dedicated to protecting and restoring rivers, will discuss the complex relationship between dams, rivers, and communities in the United States. They will share stories of river restoration from California’s Klamath River to local waterways in Pennsylvania.

Participants will learn how dams affect river health and public safety, why many dams have outlived their intended purposes, and how dam removal can help build more resilient communities and ecosystems. They will leave better equipped to recognize opportunities and advocate for healthier rivers and streams in their own communities.

About the Speakers

Adam Schellhammer, the Mid-Atlantic Region Director for American Rivers, leads a team dedicated to dam removal, river restoration, and clean water programming. He brings more than a decade of experience turning conservation goals into practical projects through partnerships with communities, landowners, government agencies, and funders. His work has taken him from Pennsylvania to New Zealand and has focused on restoring rivers, improving water quality, and helping communities become more resilient. Outside of work, Adam enjoys outdoor adventures with his family and spending time along the rivers and landscapes he works to protect.

Katie Schmidt is the Director of the National Dam Removal Program at American Rivers, where she leads the organization’s federal policy strategy to advance safe, strategic dam removal across the United States. She works closely with federal agencies, states, Tribes, practitioners, and partner organizations to align priorities, share knowledge, and accelerate projects that restore rivers and improve public safety. Katie also leads American Rivers’ Dam Removal Network, a community of dam removal practitioners, working to strengthen collaboration and build capacity for the field. Her work emphasizes low-head dams and hydropower dam removals. Katie researched and authored a national guide to removing federally regulated hydropower dams. Katie holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University, with a focus on hydrology and natural resources policy.

Jessie Thomas-Blate leads American Rivers’ on-the-ground restoration team in the Mid-Atlantic region. She coordinates river restoration project implementation, data, strategy, and resources for the regional team. As a project manager in eastern Pennsylvania and Maryland, Jessie executes dam removal projects by coordinating partners, funders, regulators, and contractors. She also leads dam removal communities of practice in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Jessie also manages the national database of dam removals. She holds a Master of Science in Natural Resources from Delaware State University and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Mary Washington College in Virginia.