Salmon and steelhead may soon swim freely in the Klamath River near the California-Oregon border as the nation's largest dam removal project nears completion. Salmon and steelhead have been cut off--from over 400 miles--from their coldwater spawning grounds for decades. Now, after countless hours and expansive efforts from a variety of stakeholders, the dams on the Klamath River are being razed. Here is the latest update from the Associated Press.

From the recent article:

Workers breached the final dams on a key section of the Klamath River on Wednesday, clearing the way for salmon to swim freely through a major watershed near the California-Oregon border for the first time in more than a century as the largest dam removal project in U.S. history nears completion.

Read the entire story here.

What began as an idea from local citizens, tribal members, and concerned anglers decades ago is now coming to fruition--and rivers, fish, animals, and habitats will benefit. From American Rivers: For nearly 100 years, dams on the Klamath River have blocked salmon and steelhead trout from reaching more than 400 miles of habitat, encroached on Indigenous culture, and harmed water quality for people and wildlife. But now, four dams – J.C. Boyle, Copco No. 1, Copco No. 2, and Iron Gate – built between 1908 and 1962, are coming down. This river restoration project will have lasting benefits for the river, salmon, and communities throughout the Klamath Basin.  

Much of the credit for this massive undertaking that will greatly benefit fish and their habitat is credited to the Hoopa, Karuk, Yurok, Shasta, Klamath and Modoc peoples. From American Rives 6 Things You Need to Know About the Klamath Dam Removals: The health of the Klamath is a key facet of these peoples’ history, culture, and subsistence, and tribal leadership and perspective has profoundly shaped the course of events on the Klamath over the past two decades. Tribally led advocacy included a high-profile protest when Berkshire Hathaway and PacifiCorp executives visited the Klamath in 2020. River advocates, led by the tribal nations, pushed the executives to join the effort to remove the Klamath dams.

To learn more about the unique nature and scope of this project, read any of the links below:.

Klamath River Renewal Corporation: KRRC is part of a cooperative effort to re-establish the natural vitality of the Klamath River so that it can support all communities in the Basin.

Los Angeles Times: Klamath River: Inside the Effort to Restore a River.

California Trout Unlimited: Removal processes have begun, and all four dams are slated to be removed by the end of 2024.

NPR: No turning back: The largest dam removal in U.S. history begins

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