Salmon return to the Klamath

In case you missed it, here's a feel-good, high-impact story you won't want to miss:

Photo by Brandon on Unsplash

Last year, a monumental decision was made to remove dams along the Klamath River in Oregon and California and restore the waterway and surrounding wetlands to a pristine ecosystem.

Just days after the dam removals were completed in October, salmon have been spotted swimming upstream for the first time in over one hundred years!

The Klamath River was the third-largest salmon-producing river in the West before 1918 when the first dams were constructed. With the river unobstructed now comes the long healing process for the largest river restoration project ever attempted.

State and federal agencies will track migrations of native Chinook and Coho salmon and steelhead trout to monitor how fish and wildlife are growing and thriving in their restored environment. Local indigenous communities have seedlings of almost 100 different native plant species ready to be replanted in the rich, damp soil of the receding reservoir lakes.

Four dams were removed in total, opening up 400 miles of running river, wetlands, and floodplains to replenish native species and rehabilitate the river ecosystem.

As we navigate correcting for past environmental mistakes, some 2,000 dams have been dismantled over the past 25 years, and more thoughtful consideration has been given to generating hydroelectric power in a way that doesn't devastate wildlife, plant life, the salmon supply, and the well-being of local communities and indigenous tribes.

400 miles of reconnected and reopened river, wetland, and floodplain habitat is exactly the kind of victory that is helping to combat climate change, renew hope, and fuel our determination to advocate and take action for the long haul.