Dam celebration 

At a public session following an hour-long celebration that closed to the press and public, the six speakers took turns praising a Nov. 17 license surrender order by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The decision is seen as the last major hurdle in implementing a plan to remove the four dams — Irongate, Copco 1, Copco 2 and J.C. Boyle. The decision also means the non-profit Klamath River Renewal Corporation can take action to remove the dams and implement restoration activities.

Based on a previous filing by the Klamath River Renewal Corp. removing the four dams will cost $446 million, which is with the project’s $450 million budget. The removals will open about 400 miles of upstream habitat for threatened coho salmon and steelhead. The Klamath River flows 257 miles from the Klamath Basin in Oregon to the Pacific Ocean in California.

Haaland, the first Native American Interior Department secretary, praised ongoing efforts to remove the dams, which began almost two decades ago, saying, “Clean water, healthy forests and fertile land made the Klamath River Basin and its surrounding watershed a home to tribal communities, productive agriculture, and a place where abundant populations of migratory birds, suckers, salmon and other fish could thrive. We must take urgent and necessary action to protect this special place.”

During her talk, Haaland announced that four Tribal water projects in the Klamath River Basin will receive $5.8 million through the Bureau of Reclamation to “restore aquatic ecosystems, improve the resilience of habitats, and mitigate the effects of the ongoing drought crisis.” She said the funding is being made available through BOR’s Native American Affairs Technical Assistance to Tribes Program.

“Clean water, healthy forests and fertile land made the Klamath Basin and its surrounding watershed home to Tribal communities, productive agriculture, and abundant populations of migratory birds, suckers, salmon and other fish,” Haaland said.” But over the past 20 years, the Basin has been met with unprecedented challenges due to ongoing drought conditions and limited water supply. The projects we are funding today — combined with millions of dollars in water and habitat resilience investments from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — will help restore this once abundant ecosystem for the benefit of all its inhabitants.”

Haaland complimented former Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, who attended the gathering, for her efforts working with tribes during her years in the position.

Huffman, whose Congressional district includes the Lower Klamath, noted “the incredibly deep connections they have to the Klamath River,” referring to the Yuroks, Hoopa Valley, Karuks and Klamaths. Huffman noted the removal project and restoration effort will be the largest in U.S. history.

“For so many people, today is the culmination of a lifetime of work to restore the healthy waters and fish stocks of the Klamath Basin,” Brown said. “It has taken a broad coalition working together to finally realize the removal of these dams, and that over 400 miles of the Klamath River will flow freely again. This is an incredibly important step forward on the path toward restorative justice for the peoples of the Klamath Basin, and toward restoring health to the river, as well as everyone and everything that depends on it.

“The natural wealth of the Klamath River has underpinned the physical well-being and cultural identity of Native peoples since time immemorial. The Klamath was once the third-largest salmon producing river on the West Coast and teemed with salmon and trout in what seemed to be an inexhaustible supply before the construction of concrete dams beginning in 1918 to generate electricity blocked migratory salmon and steelhead from accessing more than 350 miles of critical river habitat.”

She drew laughs closing her brief talk by noting, “We can say with certainty these dams will come down … and it’s damn time.”

“Today we celebrate a historic victory for the health of the Klamath River and the well-being of all the communities, livelihoods and ecosystems that depend on this vital waterway,” Newsom said. “We also celebrate the resilience and tenacity of the many partners who have advanced a powerful shared vision for this effort over 15 years to bring us to this moment. The incredible progress we have made proves that working together, we can forge a path forward through complex challenges to create a brighter future for all.”

Klamath Tribes Chairman Clayton Dumont, who did not attend the gathering, issued a statement saying, “The Klamath Tribes are ecstatic about these dams being removed. We are grateful to Governors Brown and Newsom, to our downriver Tribal brothers and sisters, and to all who worked tirelessly to make this huge contribution to restoring our Basin ecosystem.”

“Creator has answered our prayers,” said Yurok chair Joe James. In referring to restoring the river and riverside habitat he noted, “We’ve got a number of years of work to do.”

“Today’s celebration was well earned by the thousands of people who fought for clean water, healthy fisheries, and environmental justice for Klamath River communities,” Attebery said. “I am grateful to everyone, from the youth to the elders, Governors Newsom and Brown, and the team from PacifiCorp who made this possible.”

“My dream is not only to bring the salmon back, but to bring back a way of life,” Attebery added. “I’m looking forward to the fish coming back home.”