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Klamath Reservoir Drawdown Begins
The world’s largest dam removal project takes another step forward as the reservoirs behind Iron Gate, Copco 1 and JC Boyle Dams begin to be drained In the middle of January, early in the morning on a cold winter’s day, the process to reconnect the Klamath River took another huge step forward. Crews opened the…
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The Way Forward for the Eel River
PG&E’s decommissioning plan for the Potter Valley Project on California’s Eel River would remove all in-river facilities and make it the longest free-flowing river in the state On November 17, six weeks after the last remnants of the Copco II Dam on the Klamath River were removed, the Pacific Gas and Electric company (PG&E) announced…
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Naxiyam Wana and the Uniter
Editor’s Note: This Native American Heritage Month, Trout Unlimited is celebrating and honoring the efforts of our tribal partners who, since time immemorial, have been stewards of the lands, waters and wildlife they hold sacred. We are inspired by the stories of the Nez Perce working to recover salmon on the Snake River, of the…
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First of the Klamath dams comes down
All four dams of the Lower Klamath Project will be gone by the end of 2024. The Copco II dam on the Klamath River was only 35 feet high. With the three other dams of the Lower Klamath Hydroelectric Project, however, it completely blocked fish passage and effectively cut the Klamath River in half, decimating…
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Dams out: Maine’s Frost Gully Brook runs free again
In Freeport, Maine the rescue mission was launched with a single word. “Trout!” The operation was anticipated. Construction crews had just an hour prior knocked down a small dam on a tiny stream cutting through Freeport, Maine. As water rushed through the newly formed breach — with a pump aiding the pond-draining effort — the…
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Rapid diversification in Salmon and Steelhead Populations Following Dam Removal
John McMillan returns with a guest column about the ongoing recovery of the Elwha River. It’s been eleven years since the Elwha Dam (the lower of the two dams on the Elwha, located at river-mile five) was removed. I still remember the day the heavy equipment started to roll, and the dam started to fall. …
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Salmon Recovery Must be Built on Ambitious, Achievable Goals Instead of Bare Minimums
The communities and ecosystem of the Columbia River Basin need healthy and harvestable salmon and steelhead populations. Haley Ohms and Rob Masonis Efforts to recover salmon in the Columbia River Basin have been ongoing for more than three decades, since Snake River sockeye salmon were first protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1991. …
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