The breaching and removal of Embrey Dam reopened the Rappahannock River to unobstructed upstream fish migration to natural spawning grounds, improved habitat for a wide variety of wildlife, and made the river safer for paddlers, fishermen, and other recreation seekers. Friends of the Rappahannock, the City of Fredericksburg, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were among those who helped remove the dam. Warner Rapids, now flowing freely at the former dam site, was named for Senator John Warner, who championed the effort and helped secure federal funding for the project. The Rappahannock became the East Coast’s longest free-flowing river, extending 184 miles from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay. Before demolition, Friends of the Rappahannock sponsored spring fish lifts to carry spawning fish over the dam; afterward, restored migratory patterns, fish maturation, and restocking helped fish populations rebound. American shad, striped bass, blueback herring, alewife, and American eel again reached upriver waters that had been inaccessible for more than 150 years, supporting commercial fisheries and linking marine, tidal estuary, and non-tidal food chains. Habitat also improved for species including the American bald eagle and the red-bellied turtle.