Klamath River Dam Removal Is a Victory for Tribes

This year, engineers in California and Oregon are carrying out the largest dam removal project in history.

For decades, salmon and trout in the Klamath River have struggled to survive in the unhealthy water conditions created by four dams and diversions of water for irrigation. And for more than 20 years, Indigenous Tribes that depend on the fish have been fighting for dam removal. In late 2022, after many rounds of litigation to keep water flowing and the fish alive, federal regulators finally approved a dam removal plan.

As the dams on the Klamath come down, members of the Yurok, a Tribe whose reservation sits at the mouth of the river, say they are feeling hopeful about the Klamath’s future. On its own, freeing the Klamath from these massive installations will not restore healthy salmon and trout populations, improve water quality, or ensure that the tribes’ federally…