Klamath Dam Removal Session March 2024 from the 41st Annual Salmonid Restoration Conference

41st Annual Salmonid Restoration Conference
Holding Space—Restoring Habitat and Making Room for Innovation
March 26 - 29, 2024
Santa Rosa, California

Day 3 Session
Klamath Dam Removal – Meeting the Moment and Planning for the Future

Slides

The Klamath River Basin once supported the third most productive salmon runs on the contiguous U.S. Pacific Coast, and is home to runs of spring- and fall run Chinook salmon, Coho salmon, and steelhead, in addition to populations of Pacific lamprey, eulachon, green sturgeon, and resident native fishes such as bull trout, redband trout, and several species of suckers. The Klamath Basin is home to several tribes, including the Yurok, Hoopa, Karuk, Quartz Valley, Shasta Indian Nation, Modoc Nation, and Klamath Tribes, who are inextricably tied to this land for harvesting plants, terrestrial animals, and fish for sustenance and cultural practices. The degradation of habitat and decline of these culturally important species have significantly altered the tribes’ major food sources, cultural practices, and way of life.

The Klamath River dam removal project is the largest dam removal project in the country and will remove four mainstem dams. This monumental project will provide over 420 miles of reconnected habitat, improved water quality conditions, a reduction in blooms of toxic blue-green algae and disease and is expected to increase commercial and sport fisheries while producing positive effects on traditional tribal ceremonial and fishing practices.

This session will highlight the current state of dam removal, science and monitoring, future restoration needs, and what lies ahead following implementation of the largest river restoration project in the country.