During my 27-year career as a hydrologist, I participated in numerous efforts to restore ecological function to watersheds and rivers. As glamorous as that may sound (or not), the work was often not fun. The work involved years of wading through mind-numbing paperwork, government bureaucracy, and meetings to get through the tortuous path of planning, analysis, permitting, and collaboration. Once implementation began, I mostly stayed in the office as an upper-level manager, putting out various administrative fires, while the staff I supervised spent unbelievably long, hot, dirty, and stressful days getting the work done.
However, I always enjoyed witnessing the incredible speed at which ecological processes responded to our actions. The vegetation turned greener, erosion decreased, and wetland and aquatic plants and animals visibly benefited.
The last, and largest stream channel restoration project implemented under my supervision was behind my house, where I walk the dog almost daily. It's hard to even remember the previous degraded state of the river channel and meadow. Watching ecological vigor and resiliency increase year after year is still fascinating.
Therefore, in August of 2022, when I first read about the final decision to remove not one but FOUR dams on the Klamath River in California, chills of delight ran down my spine. This would result in a restoration, unlike anything I had ever seen. Part of me also thought it would likely not happen. Someone was going to go to court to stop it. And they would probably win. It was just too huge of a concept for even me to imagine.
I rafted a multi-day section of the Klamath River a few years ago. The river canyon and beach camps were beautiful, and the rapids were fun. We saw many bald eagles and ospreys, and the boys spent hours catching and releasing hundreds of tiny frogs that had just transformed from tadpoles.
But the water in the river was also unnaturally warm; a thick, slimy green algae was growing on the rocks in the river, and another scummy algae floated on the surface in some of the larger eddies. We did not submerge our heads when we swam to cool off. Over the years, I have read about the deadly outbreaks of blue-green algae and the resulting fish kills. I knew the river was sick.
Well, I was wrong about the powerful forces behind this dam removal. PacifiCorp, the original owner, was a cooperator because the dams were no longer profitable for producing energy. The adverse environmental impacts of the dams, compounded by the effects of climate change, had become irrefutable. This led to an eager coalition of over forty partners, including conservation groups, federal, state, and local governments, and most importantly, the native american tribes that have lived along the river for centuries, in support of restoring a free-flowing Klamath River.
For centuries, the Yurok, Karuk, Hoopa, and several smaller tribes have depended on the salmon runs on the Klamath River. The river is the lifeblood of these tribes. Their history, culture, identity, spirituality, and economic survival have always relied upon the Klamath River. The dependence and interdependence of the tribes on the river's resources cannot be overstated.
For over 100 years, the dams' impacts have devastated the river and the tribes. The once abundant spring-run Chinook salmon are down to less than 2% of pre-dam populations.
But that is soon to change.
By October 2024, the work to remove these four dams is expected to be completed. Every speck of concrete, rebar, and rubble associated with these dams will be removed, and the 257 miles of the Klamath River will be restored to a free-flowing state.
Over the last month, while reading the nationwide press about this, the largest dam removal project in American history, one of the things that struck me was how often powerful women from the Klamath River tribes were quoted.
The number of Native American river warriors/ healers involved in this decades-long fight is greater than I can include in this blog. However, based on my research, I highlighted three women who stood out, including links to learn more about them and their work.
Danielle Rey Frank
Director of Development and Community Relations, Rios to Rivers
Danielle Rey Frank, age 20, is a Hoopa tribal member and Yurok descendant. With Rios to Rivers Daniell is a co-leader of the Paddle Tribal Waters program, training a group of Indigenous youth who will be the first to paddle the 257 miles of the undammed Klamath River from its source to the Pacific ocean.
Danielle is also currently working as the native youth coordinator for the Native Americans in Philanthropy organization, where she is using her experience with grassroots organizing to help make more funding available for Indigenous communities. She is also the Youth Coordinator for Save California Salmon, where she works predominantly in her community, providing resources for native youth and advocating for environmental justice. In August of 2022, Danielle accepted the title of Miss Na:tini-xwe' from the Hoopa Tribe, serving as a role model for young Indian Women and as a Cultural Ambassador for the Hoopa Valley Tribe. She is attending Cal Poly Humboldt University, where she is studying political and environmental science. The video of her speech in the first link in so inspiring!
Amy Bowers Cordalis
Principle, Ridges to Riffles
Amy Bowers Cordalis is a mother, fisherwoman, attorney, and member of the Yurok Tribe. She served her Tribe as General Counsel and was a staff attorney at the Native American Rights Fund.
In 2020, Amy and her partner established Ridges to Riffles, an Indigenous-led conservation organization whose mission is to help Indigenous Peoples protect and restore the natural and cultural resources they rely on to maintain their identity and sovereignty. They have served in leadership roles in tribal, state, and federal governments and as board members of national conservation organizations. Amy and Daniel saw a need to provide more legal, policy, and advocacy support for natural resource management in Indian Country. Since colonization, every generation of Amy's family has fought for Yurok's Rights. Her family's Supreme Court case, Mattz v. Arnett, reaffirmed the status of the Yurok Reservation as Indian Country, laying the foundation for the exercise of the Tribe's sovereignty and the enjoyment of its federally reserved water and fishing rights.
Amy continues her family legacy by focusing her work on Klamath River restoration, including dam removal, water rights, and fisheries issues. She was instrumental in establishing a Yurok Tribe resolution allowing legal cases to be brought on behalf of the river as a person in tribal court. This action declaring rights of personhood for the Klamath River — is the first to do so for a river in North America.
Brook Thompson,
Restoration Engineer, Yurok Tribe
Brook Thompson is of Yurok and Karuk descent and a Ph.D. student at UC Santa Cruz in Environmental Studies in the Environmental Engineering program and works part-time as a Restoration Engineer for the Yurok Tribe. The focus of her Ph.D. thesis is how to integrate Indigenous knowledge into California Water Policy, determine how spring and fall salmon in the Klamath River differ in nutrients and DNA, and producing a guidebook on how non-tribal organizations can work better with tribes in California on restoration projects.
Brook's goal is to bring together water rights and Native American knowledge through engineering, public policy, and social action. Current fights for her include undamming the Klamath River, supporting Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), and encouraging women and Natives in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and mathematics (STEAM) fields. She also plans to join Rios to Rivers in their paddling journey on first descent through the undammed Klamath River.
This is how Brooke responded when I asked her about her involvement in the historic achievement of the Klamath River Dam removal.
"Witnessing the dam removal first hand has felt like all those tons of concrete and rocks that compose the dams have been lifted off my back. Dam removal comes with a sense of freedom, knowing that I could have a small contribution and witness what so many who fought for this moment could not see in this lifetime because they passed away over the last 22 years. I was only a small part of a large fight, but even if my signs, or my body, or advocating at events made an impact on anyone or gave support to those fighting the fight in the meeting rooms or those behind desks that made decisions that led to this accomplishment, I feel a sense of pride. I hope this feeling like anything is possible will stay with me so that I can continue advocating for Indigenous Youth climate involvement. This is not the end of the fight for salmon, but it is the start of a future of hope for the future of successful water policy and infrastructure, which I plan to benefit not only our human relatives and neighbors but our aquatic ones too! I will enjoy the twists, bends, hydrology, and sounds of the undammed Klamath for the rest of my natural life. "
No one can say precisely how long it will take for fisheries' health and abundance to return to pre-dam levels. My bet is it will be faster than people think. Experts predict the fisheries will take 12 to 25 years to be fully restored. I believe the tribes and other river users will see noticeable ecological benefits much sooner. The removal of dams will make late-season river rafting no longer an option, but I can't wait to make a late spring/early summer trip to see how the river responds.
Increasing the health and resiliency of rivers almost always leads to improving the health and resiliency of communities in those watersheds. The tribes know this, river runners know this, and hopefully, the rest of the world will soon.
If you want to dig even deeper to learn more about this historic event, I have curated a small video collection for you to explore.
American Rivers - Klamath River Dam Removal
Such inspiring women!! Thanks for writing about them. And about the demolition of 4 dams on the Klamath River. Your article gives me hope. Elise
Great article, Sue! Thanks for sharing! - Meghan
This is an amazing feat, who would have thought removing 4 dams on the Klamath would ever actually happen. What brilliant , tough, and resilient native women are doing here is so inspiring. Now, upward and onward.