"Like most members of the Penobscot Nation, Scott Phillips grew up near the Penobscot River and learned to paddle and fish as a young boy. He took to it like a duck to water. He became a competitive racer and eventually opened his own business selling canoes, kayaks and other outdoor gear. Next week, the first of two dams on the river will be removed, altering the way it's used recreationally. The change could also be a boon to Phillip's business."

"'There's going be more people that are going to want to get into canoeing or kayaking or even rafting,' Phillips says. 'Because once we take those dams out, you're going from basically two small, lake-type features to a free-flowing river again and it's going to be nice.'

Paddling a stretch of calm water, Phillips says members of his tribe have long opposed the labyrinth of dams that block Atlantic salmon from their native spawning grounds. By the end of next year, a 35-mile section of river is expected to be clear."

Susan Sharon reports for NPR's All Things Considered June 9, 2012. [2]