Restoring a river, reviving nature
- Bruce Smith
- Apr 15, 2024
- 1 min read
Updated: Aug 3, 2024
This linked 5-minute video tells a very big story -- so big that there has never been such a restoration of a river system and its salmon undertaken before this. With the removal of all dams on the Klamath River, there is hope that one of the historically great anadromous fisheries will recover, and consequently renew the livelihoods and cultural identity of Native Americans whose homeland the Klamath flows through.
Dam removal in the U.S. lags far behind ongoing efforts in Europe where 500 barriers were removed in 2023 alone. Many dams have become hazards as a result of increasingly unpredictable rainfall and flooding. Others, like those on the Klamath, produce diminishing electrical power. But nature restoration is a side benefit, if not the principal reason, for reclaiming free-flowing streams.
This is so exciting! And I'm so glad to learn that there is new recognition that the dams have outlived their original purposes and are no longer functioning as intended. More power to these groups of environmentalists who are forging ahead with these plans. I'm thrilled for the over health of the rivers being restored, but I'm also happy for the salmon. And that young girl says it so succinctly - "why would we cause another animal to become extinct when we don't have to?"