Klamath River dam removals: “So yes, it’s happening.”

Map of the four dams to be removed on the Klamath River. Courtesy of the Klamath River Renewal Corporation.

For decades, the Klamath has been severely impacted by a sequence of four PacifiCorp dams near the California-Oregon border. And finally, after decades of work by tribes and environmental organizations to lay the foundation to restore the Klamath River, it’s pretty clear that the removals and restoration are finally going to happen.

This year and the next, the dam removal work will begin and will take a few years to complete. Upon completion, salmon will be able to access an additional 400+ miles of historic habitat.

But at the same time, preparations to restore the landscapes long turned into reservoir or reservoir bathtub rings are underway. It’s all about gathering, planting, and nurturing the native plants adapted to the landscape. If you have 15 minutes, you can see a video on the preparations and the people who are undertaking the effort.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q248MhRH49w

Pretty inspiring. And hopefully, there will be many videos to come.