Deep in the wilderness of the Malibu Creek State Park is a nearly 100-year old relic from when the area was owned by ranchers.

It's called Rindge Dam ...  it's been a thorn in the side of ecologist for decades and the process of its removal is just getting underway.

The dam, constructed in 1924, never worked well for water capturing ... and instead has served to disrupt the migratory flow of steelhead trout, birds and lots of of other native species along Malibu Creek.

Russell Marlow at the group Cal Trout ... which is overseeing the eventual demolition of the dam, tells KNX getting rid of it will change the habitat of the area for the better.

The dam won't be blown up, but rather carefully taken apart over the course of at least eight years.