Belmont Hill marked Earth Day with a Chapel talk from Jim McCarthy ’90, who has devoted his life to restoring and rejuvenating valuable ecosystems. Mr. McCarthy works for WaterWatch, an organization that removes dams that disrupt the natural environment in the Rogue Valley region of southwestern Oregon. Before he began working for WaterWatch in 2012, he worked as an independent consultant for clients such as Earthjustice, Oregon Wild, and other environmental organizations. The April 23rd Chapel was the second Belmont Hill event featuring Mr. McCarthy ’90. The night before, he presented at the annual Conversations in Science Symposium, organized by Mr. McAlpin. Open to educators of all local schools, public and private, the symposium embodies collaboration.
Fish populations, especially native salmon species, migrate up and down the coast every year to lay eggs before returning to Oregon to live in colder water for the remainder of the year. The warmer climate, changes in water flow, and sediment movement can disrupt salmon populations, leading to fewer fish in the area. When foundations like WaterWatch remove abandoned dams, salmon regain access to breeding grounds, rivers become colder, migration becomes easier, and ecosystems recover faster. His work has helped restore countless river ecosystems and sea creature populations that are important to Oregon’s ecological location. In his talk, Mr. McCarthy discussed dam-removal processes in Massachusetts and the steps we can take to support local ecosystems. For example, in 2025 Massachusetts removed 11 abandoned dams, the 2nd-highest number of dams removed in the US that year. Massachusetts also has the 3rd-highest number of abandoned dams in the country, all of which disrupt the natural environment. At the end of the Chapel presentation, he made a pitch to students about the wide variety of jobs available in the field of conservation. These efforts require lawyers, engineers, archaeologists, government relations specialists, and more. Allowing the audience to see all the jobs involved in removing dams helped demonstrate the diverse set of skills required to restore the environment. In the coming years, Mr. McCarthy aims to continue removing abandoned dams in Oregon and conserving vital ecosystems along the Pacific Northwest. This year’s Earth Day was a special one, and Mr. McCarthy’s stories showed us a pathway forward to ecosystem preservation. Thank you to Sustainability Coordinator Mr. Sullivan ‘07 and Mr. McAlpin for bringing him to campus.
