Session Coordinators: Bob Pagliuco, Marine Habitat Resource Specialist, NOAA Fisheries Restoration Center; and Mike Belchik Sr. Water Policy Analyst, Yurok Tribe

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 proposed dam removal project in the country and will remove 4 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 highlighted 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.

 

Klamath Dam Removal – Deconstruction Update, Mort McMillen, Executive Vice-President McMillen Inc., Owner’s Representative. 

 

Klamath Dam Removal – Restoration Update, Dave Coffman, PG. Director, Northern California and Southern Oregon RES

 

Researching What "Water Quality" Means as it Relates to the Future of the Klamath River with Dam Removal, Brook M Thompson, Yurok Tribal Member, Ph.D. Student Environmental Studies, University of California Santa Cruz. 

 

A Release Study Assessing the Survival of Juvenile Spring-Run Chinook Salmon in the Upper Klamath River Basin to Inform Reintroduction, Rachelle Tallman, UC Davis 

 

The Klamath Basin Fisheries Collaborative: Science and Collaboration across a Newly Connected Basin, Summer Burdick, USGS and Betsy Stapleton, Scott River Watershed Council

 

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Dam Removal on the Klamath River Using SONAR and Radio Telemetry, Damon H. Goodman, California Trout

 

Klamath River Dam Removal and the Future of Dam Removal in California: 4 Down, 150 to Go, Ann Willis, PhD, California Regional Director, American Rivers