Tribes celebrate as dam removals set Klamath river 'free' for first time in a century
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Tribes celebrate as dam removals set Klamath river 'free' for first time in a century

Raw Story  

Crews breached the final of four dams on a key stretch of the Klamath River on Wednesday, letting salmon run freely there for the first time in over a century and garnering tears from Indigenous activists who had campaigned for the dam removals for decades. The Klamath, which runs from south-central Oregon into northwestern California, has long been bordered by Native American tribes—"Salmon People," as they call themselves—that once relied on the protein-rich fish for about half of their caloric intake but were impoverished by the institution of the dams, among other white settler colonialist initiatives. The campaign to remove the dams took flight in 2002 following a devastating salmon die-off which Thompson and other Indigenous activists still talk about as a turning point. "Today, fish are swimming freely in the Klamath for the first time in more than a century, thanks to the incredible work of our tribal, local, and federal partners."

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After 100 years, salmon have returned to the Klamath River – following a historic dam removal project in California
1 month ago

After 100 years, salmon have returned to the Klamath River – following a historic dam removal project in California

BBC  

After 100 years, salmon have returned to the Klamath River – following a historic dam removal project in California Damon Goodman A crew of biologist tag salmon and steelhead at the site where the Iron Gate dam used to stand After being absent for more than a century, salmon have been spotted in Oregon's Klamath River Basin, following a mammoth …

‘A beautiful thing’: Klamath River salmon are spotted far upstream in Oregon after dam removal
2 months ago

‘A beautiful thing’: Klamath River salmon are spotted far upstream in Oregon after dam removal

LA Times  

Less than two months after the removal of dams restored a free-flowing Klamath River, salmon have made their way upstream to begin spawning and have been spotted in Oregon for the first time in more than a century. “That’s what we’ve prayed for.” Reed and other Indigenous leaders and activists spent decades campaigning for the dams to be removed, believing …

Salmon Return to Klamath River After Century-Long Drought
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Salmon Return to Klamath River After Century-Long Drought

Associated Press  

Salmon swim freely in the Klamath River for the first time in a century after dams removed. Researchers determined that Chinook salmon began migrating Oct. 3 into previously inaccessible habitat above the site of the former Iron Gate dam, one of four towering dams demolished as part of a national movement to let rivers return to their natural flow and …

Klamath River dam removal brings hope for threatened salmon
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Klamath River dam removal brings hope for threatened salmon

LA Times  

Over the last month, salmon have gathered in clear pools in the Salmon River as they have returned to their spawning grounds. “We really need to build this population back before we lose it completely.” Biologists expect that with the dams now removed and the Klamath flowing freely, all types of native fish will benefit, including fall-run and spring-run Chinook …

Tribes celebrate the end of the largest dam removal project in US history
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Tribes celebrate the end of the largest dam removal project in US history

Hindustan Times  

The largest dam removal project in U.S. history was completed Wednesday, marking a major victory for tribes in the region who fought for decades to free hundreds of miles of the Klamath River near the California-Oregon border. Tribes celebrate the end of the largest dam removal project in US history Through protests, testimony and lawsuits, local tribes showcased the environmental …

As removal of dams frees Klamath River, California tribes see hope of saving salmon
3 months, 3 weeks ago

As removal of dams frees Klamath River, California tribes see hope of saving salmon

LA Times  

Excavators clawed at the remnants of Iron Gate Dam, clattering loudly as they unloaded tons of earth and rock into dump trucks. “The biggest thing for me, the significance of the dam removal project, is just hope — understanding that change can be made,” Brook M. Thompson, a Yurok Tribe member, said recently as she stood on a rocky bluff …

Salmon will soon swim freely in the Klamath River for first time in a century once dams are removed
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Salmon will soon swim freely in the Klamath River for first time in a century once dams are removed

Associated Press  

For the first time in more than a century, salmon will soon have free passage along the Klamath River and its tributaries — a major watershed near the California-Oregon border — as the largest dam removal project in U.S. history nears completion. This image provided by Swiftwater Films shows a downstream view of crews working at the Iron Gate coffer …

Flush with federal funds, dam removal advocates seize opportunity to open up rivers, restore habitat
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Flush with federal funds, dam removal advocates seize opportunity to open up rivers, restore habitat

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “The hellbender is kind of …

Federal infrastructure funding is fueling a push to remove dams and restore river habitat
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Federal infrastructure funding is fueling a push to remove dams and restore river habitat

Associated Press  

BOONE, N.C. — On the whooshing Watauga River, excavators claw at the remains of Shulls Mill Dam, pulling concrete apart piece by piece and gradually opening a waterway kept in check for nearly two centuries. Hannah Woodburn holds an eastern hellbender salamander near its cage where it will stay for 48 to 60 hours after relocation, on the Watauga River, …

As dismantling of largest dam begins on Klamath River, activists see ‘new beginning’
7 months, 3 weeks ago

As dismantling of largest dam begins on Klamath River, activists see ‘new beginning’

LA Times  

Work has begun on the dismantling of Iron Gate Dam, the largest dam on the Klamath River. They said they hope to see the river’s salmon, which have suffered devastating declines, finally start to recover once Iron Gate and two other dams are fully removed later this year. “It’s a new beginning — for not only fish, but for people …

The Klamath River’s dams are being removed. Inside the effort to restore a scarred watershed
9 months ago

The Klamath River’s dams are being removed. Inside the effort to restore a scarred watershed

LA Times  

Near the California-Oregon border, reservoirs that once submerged valleys have been drained, revealing a stark landscape that had been underwater for generations. “I love seeing that sediment being pushed down, because that’s a river acting like a river,” Karuk Tribe activist Leaf Hillman said as demolition work on the Iron Gate Dam drained the reservoir behind him. Seeing the reservoirs …

Indigenous advocacy leads to largest dam removal project in US history
1 year ago

Indigenous advocacy leads to largest dam removal project in US history

Al Jazeera  

Four dams are being demolished along the Klamath River in northern California, as salmon populations plummet. “Dam removal is the largest single step that we can take to restore the Klamath River ecosystem,” McCovey told Al Jazeera. Fighting a ‘core American value’ Amy Cordalis, a Yurok Tribe member, fisherwoman and lawyer for the tribe, credits the “colonial mindset and racism” …

The largest dam removal in history stirs hopes of restoring California tribes’ way of life
1 year, 2 months ago

The largest dam removal in history stirs hopes of restoring California tribes’ way of life

LA Times  

At first, the dead floated downstream a few at a time. “The scale of this is enormous,” said Mark Bransom, CEO of the nonprofit Klamath River Renewal Corp., which is overseeing dam removal and river restoration efforts. Several years ago, Bowers Cordalis also worked on the Yurok Tribe’s declaration of the river as a legal “person” under tribal law, a …

As work begins on the largest US dam removal project, tribes look to a future of growth
1 year, 4 months ago

As work begins on the largest US dam removal project, tribes look to a future of growth

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The largest dam removal project in United States history is underway along the California-Oregon border — a process that won’t conclude until the end of next year with the help of heavy machinery and explosives. The hard part will come over the next decade as workers, partnering with Native American tribes, plant and monitor nearly 17 billion …

Tribal, federal leaders cheer Klamath River dam removals
2 years ago

Tribal, federal leaders cheer Klamath River dam removals

Associated Press  

HORNBROOK, Calif. — Tribal, state and federal officials on Thursday cheered a plan for the largest dam removal in U.S. history along the Klamath River near the California-Oregon line as a major step toward restoring a once-thriving watershed that tribal communities have long relied on. “Clean water, healthy forests and fertile land made the Klamath River Basin and its surrounding …

‘Momentous:' US advances largest dam demolition in history
2 years, 1 month ago

‘Momentous:' US advances largest dam demolition in history

Associated Press  

PORTLAND, Ore. — U.S. regulators approved a plan Thursday to demolish four dams on a California river and open up hundreds of miles of salmon habitat that would be the largest dam removal and river restoration project in the world when it goes forward. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s unanimous vote on the lower Klamath River dams is the last …

Op-Ed: An epic victory in the battle for free-flowing rivers
2 years, 1 month ago

Op-Ed: An epic victory in the battle for free-flowing rivers

LA Times  

The Iron Gate Dam on the lower Klamath River is one of four dams that will be torn down. Yet on Thursday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gave final approval to taking down the dams, setting in motion what will become the nation’s — and probably world’s — largest dam removal and salmon restoration project. The Yurok played a leading …

US regulators to vote on largest dam demolition in history
2 years, 1 month ago

US regulators to vote on largest dam demolition in history

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The largest dam demolition and …

The largest dam demolition in history is approved for a Western river
2 years, 1 month ago

The largest dam demolition in history is approved for a Western river

NPR  

The largest dam demolition in history is approved for a Western river Enlarge this image toggle caption Gillian Flaccus/AP Gillian Flaccus/AP PORTLAND, Ore. — U.S. regulators approved a plan Thursday to demolish four dams on a California river and open up hundreds of miles of salmon habitat that would be the largest dam removal and river restoration project in the …

In ‘momentous’ act, regulators approve demolition of four Klamath River dams
2 years, 1 month ago

In ‘momentous’ act, regulators approve demolition of four Klamath River dams

LA Times  

The Iron Gate Dam, shown in March 2020, is one of four Klamath River dams that are slated for demolition. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s decision will see licenses of the four dams transferred from the PacifiCorp energy company — a subsidiary of Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway — to the Klamath River Renewal Corp., a nonprofit entity created to oversee …

Federal report boosts plan to remove 4 dams on Calif river
2 years, 3 months ago

Federal report boosts plan to remove 4 dams on Calif river

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

Report: Benefits of dams must be replaced before breaching
2 years, 3 months ago

Report: Benefits of dams must be replaced before breaching

Associated Press  

SPOKANE, Wash. — The benefits provided by four giant hydroelectric dams on the Snake River must be replaced before the dams can be breached to save endangered salmon runs, according to a final report issued Thursday by Washington Gov. But, “the science is clear that – specific to the Lower Snake River – breach of the dams would provide the …

Major hurdle cleared in plan to demolish 4 California dams
2 years, 9 months ago

Major hurdle cleared in plan to demolish 4 California dams

Associated Press  

PORTLAND, Ore. — Federal regulators on Friday issued a draft environmental impact statement saying there were significant benefits to a plan to demolish four massive dams on Northern California’s Klamath River to save imperiled migratory salmon, setting the stage for the largest dam demolition project in U.S. history. The project on California’s second-largest river would be at the vanguard of …

‘Nobody’s winning’: Drought upends life in US West basin
3 years, 5 months ago

‘Nobody’s winning’: Drought upends life in US West basin

Associated Press  

TULE LAKE, Calif. — Ben DuVal knelt in a barren field near the California-Oregon border and scooped up a handful of parched soil as dust devils whirled around him and birds flitted between empty irrigation pipes. “It’s heartbreaking.” Twenty years ago, when water feeding the irrigation system was drastically reduced amid another drought, the crisis became a national rallying cry …

Historic deal revives plan for largest US dam demolition
4 years, 1 month ago

Historic deal revives plan for largest US dam demolition

Associated Press  

PORTLAND, Ore. — An agreement announced Tuesday paves the way for the largest dam demolition in U.S. history, a project that promises to reopen hundreds of miles of waterway along the Oregon-California border to salmon that are critical to tribes but have dwindled to almost nothing in recent years. If approved, the deal would revive plans to remove four massive …

The largest dam-removal in US history
4 years, 1 month ago

The largest dam-removal in US history

BBC  

The largest dam-removal in US history Dave Meurer The largest dam set to come down on the Klamath is the Iron Gate Dam, standing at 173ft high For over a century, one of the most important salmon runs in the United States has had to contend with historic dams – and now four of them are set to be taken …

Agency throws curveball in largest U.S. dam demolition plan
4 years, 5 months ago

Agency throws curveball in largest U.S. dam demolition plan

Associated Press  

PORTLAND, Ore. — Federal regulators on Thursday threw a significant curveball at a coalition that has been planning for years to demolish four massive hydroelectric dams on a river along the Oregon-California border to save salmon populations that have dwindled to almost nothing. The deal, which would be the largest dam demolition project in U.S. history, relies on a delicate …

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