Podcast: Inside the Klamath Dam Removal Project, with Mark Bransom

[@mikebellmore4132]

I started at Keno Wednesday, spent a freezing night at Frain Ranch and finished off below Iron gate. They were stocking fall chinook parr and I was so impressed with the water quality below the dam. Such an investment in the rivers future. I feel sorry for local property owners but, those dams were outdated and severely damaging to the river. The property owners suffered but Pacific Power didn't want to invest the necessary funds to complete the required updates.

[@johnkilty5091]

I am glad you went an looked for yourself. Too much BS online about how the river has been destroyed. You and myself have seen with our own eyes that the river is in recovery. I was West of I 5, 3 weeks ago along the river. Looked much like most years after a good rain. I know many locals are unhappy. In a few short years they will see a wonderful change. No one knows more than the locals about what the water in the lakes looked like when the hot weather set in. Smelled like a bucket of hot frogs.

[@samstheman6178]

This is such BS. They destroyed all living life in the Klamath including all the trout, insects. We are pushing EPA to step in. 6O minutes is reviewing. The Indians can't drink the water.

[@dayofthejackyl]

@@samstheman6178 yeah sure, buddy

[@dayofthejackyl]

the local property owners have been given a gift, free of charge. they should be thankful instead of whining and crying like entitled brats.

[@georgehaydukeiii6396]

I'm glad everything is going well and mother nature seems to be cooperating. I was on the dam reach of the Klamath just a couple days ago and it looks like much of the native seed is germinating and the river banks are already getting green. This is an amazing project, and I feel so privileged and lucky to watch it take place. Keep up the good work!

[@thems_the_brakes]

Congrats to mark. Seems like the right guy for the job!

[@lorenzomanx3686]

I took a long drive on Copco and Topsy roads from Iron Gate to Keno on June 19th and saw lots of new vegetation and tributaries channeling clear water to the river. While a dramatic site to witness I can see a future of a river valley of beautiful meadows and rocky gorges. The Jenny Creek area was full of wild horses enjoying the huge meadow with the newly emerged creek bed flowing thru. So so many deer I lost count, so while I was saddened by reading about deer dying in the mud flats during drainage they are thriving. Saw a bobcat, grey fox, osprey, and at upper Klamath dispersed camping area, group circle hunting by white pelicans on the river, floating down and flying back upstream time and time again...and they were devouring lots of fish. the river has a muddy look to it throughout as expected. Some private property owners will be impacted more than others for sure. The key for them will be access to the river if they are on the far side of a meadow that was once a lake. I'll take another look next year after the dam removal is complete to see the progress on this great river revival.

[@BungayLad]

Will the naysaying ever end. It is disheartening to see the constant backbiting and negative commentary clouding the future view of a very positive thing. Keep up the hard work, I am sure there are far more people who appreciate your efforts then the minority of detractors.

[@peterdorn5799]

exciting to watch this happen

[@JimFarmer-l3n]

People who have never built anything should not be allowed to tear things down

[@frankalessio3374]

Notice they never discuss Netting.

[@johnworthington2116]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/oarIgmSOrNujrZY

[@Jdiddy-dt9yj]

Do any of you guys even live in the area

[@dayofthejackyl]

does it matter? I've seen a lot of people who live in the area pouting and throwing fits about their toxic algae bloom lakes disappearing. Typical con bs.

[@MrSoarman]

I am 78 years old, I just pray I can live to see a healty salmon stock return to its land where they were born, thanks to the tribes that did not give up, kutos to all.

[@LiterallyOverTheHillAdventures]

I have yet to see any major discussion on the three isolated, smal bull trout populations in some of the headwaters above the dams. Has anyone done any study what so ever on these populations? I know that both the summer run steelhead, which were supposed to be extirpated, and the bull trout on the Elwha really had positive responses to the two dams on it being removed.

[@johnkilty5091]

Nice work people.

[@normanmyrick]

Mark you blew it.

[@LiterallyOverTheHillAdventures]

I don't know about that. It all seems to be going well. In a few years the river will be healthier than it ever was after the dams were put in. I am interested in the three isolated populations of bull trout that were stranded in the headwaters above the dams. Once they start getting salmon spawn and fry to feed upon and access to the main stem of the river allowing out migration to the sea, they should take off.