World's largest dam removal: Restoring Klamath River's native species and tribal traditions

[@maureenbeckstead6407]

Amazing, thrilling, long time coming. Thanks to all partners. I'm an old supporter of the Elwah dam removal and appreciate the healing.

[@tenaguin1054]

Lived just north of Klamath in early 90's. It is absolutely beautiful there and I am so glad to see attention is being given to the care of the lands and waters. They should be treated as treasures because they are.

[@isaacvarela667]

People underestimate life on Earth. If you leave habitats alone, they will repopulate. It’s been seen many times.

[@carterwgtx]

Just so everybody knows - CDM Smith is a very capable consulting firm that would be very happy to take a long, expensive game dredging out the sediment - they were highly incentivized to recommend such an action. I also tell people all the time that a detection is not indicative of a hazard or problem. We can detect compounds waaaay below doses that’ll actually be harmful. These guys against the dam removal are grasping at straws to oppose the removal. The rivers response is pretty amazing so far - sincerely a professional engineer who works at a firm that directly competes with CDM Smith.

[@carterwgtx]

Also, part of the continued criticism after so many of these projects are people who thought it’d be a disaster…and they were wrong. So rather than admit that they were wrong, they keep looking for problems (there’s always something) to be mad about to keep being “opposed” to the project rather than just admit they were wrong.

[@GeorgeWHaydukeIII6396]

​@@carterwgtxAbsolutely, 💯% correct. I've lived in this region in and around Yreka. For some reason, a lot of these folks in Siskiyou county always have some kind of conspiracy theory, or opposition to any kind of change. It's so weird!

[@cjyoung7372]

As a heavy equipment operator i would love to work on a project like this to pay back for the damage we do as a society would be a privilege

[@manfredstrappen7491]

I like you!

[@ryder6070]

sort of a gangster statement, honor to you

[@BeautifuLakesStreamsBiologists]

We do this everyday, but we don't beat anyone else up for their actions. We just go about improving the land and water. Cheers!

[@peggyjones3282]

The tribes by the Elwha did a 10 year moratorium on fishing to allow the salmon to rebound. Now that the ten years are up, they've decided to only allow pole fishing. I hope the tribes here will do something similar.

[@robktellwild9648]

Gill nets are "supposedly" traditional fishing rights for tribes. I call BS. Our local tribes kill anything or everything they want any way any time of the year. NOT ANIMAL/FISH WELFARE

[@luwigi4630]

Absolutely! It's too early for any meaningful harvest and everyone would be wise to wait.

[@SlavaSesh]

I don't expect good conservation from tribes that believe killing animals is an honor for those animals.

[@ottomatic3123]

If only this much debate was put into the decision to build the dams or not in the first place.

[@GeorgeWHaydukeIII6396]

❤

[@jtkrpm1]

We can all go back to hunting and gathering

[@Matty002]

@@jtkrpm1 not even that. its about corporations being greedy, over working the land and polluting it. we can very easily farm more than enough food while keeping the land healthy and sharing it with native plants and animals. but thats not profitable. we have to go back to putting the value of life over the value of profit

[@jtkrpm1]

@Matty002 and now eggs are 4 times more expensive

[@nevertoopoortotour.3033]

What a great indepth report thanks for sharing

[@dcollay17]

Wild to give voice to the unfounded claims about the sediment but at least you tried to put them to rest.

[@ericascott9645]

Can't wait to see what it looks like in 5 years when the landscape has had time to settle. .

[@NSKINGS420]

Its always the greedy rancher with a cowboy hat that cares only about himself💯

[@tenaguin1054]

Not always.

[@GeorgeWHaydukeIII6396]

Cowboys and Ranchers have probably killed more fish than loggers and miners. They can be really difficult to work with.

[@Mrjonblakely]

But he's indigenous too! 🤣🤣🤣

[@wendymorrison5619]

Its a wonderful, cultural fishing practice. Spring back after the dams are gone. Natural rivers must be respected.

[@WalkingBackwardsIntoTheFuture]

The sediment will be washed to the coast and create new life there too.. big floods coming this year.. the river will be back soon

[@TheGeniuschrist]

Make sure you spend 5 minutes talking about the quack with his own newspaper

[@dcollay17]

Yeah seriously why is the pseudo journalism getting a voice?

[@marcussoininen2084]

@@dcollay17 Let them speak, if it's hogwash, let people see the hogwash and decide for themselves who to listen to.

[@AdventuresWithJaydawg]

Haha and he said he’s indigenous. 😂😂😂

[@lhaaa1059]

Terrific reporting ! Thank you !

[@curtisgrindahl446]

Thank you for these reports. This really is about honoring our relationship with the world that sustains us... something the Indians have done for millenia. They are the only natives on this land... the rest of us are immigrants.

[@fumble_brewski5410]

They’re also immigrants. The “Native Americans” migrated across the connecting land/ice bridge from Asia to N. America circa 12,000 - 15,000 years ago. And after arriving in N. America, they spent the next 10,000 years fighting and killing one another before European settlers arrived. History.

[@jerometeyssier3171]

European settlers fled the wars and oppression that ravaged the European continent. And what did they bring with them to the American continent? War and destruction in the name of love for one another, in the name of Jesus. Did the Native Americans invade the entire planet and kill millions of humans? No, that is a European skill. The French, English and Spanish are the best at killing. We are the best at killing, dear Christians. Amen. Did the Native Americans start two world wars? No, because they did not receive and understand Jesus’ message of love as we do. I am sure Jesus would be proud of what we have accomplished. But we are only progressing on the path he has shown us. We still have so much to destroy to accomplish his will. I have so much hope that his new prophets, Trump and Putin, will help us overcome the last obstacles. We are on the right track to fulfill the Holy Scriptures. The apocalypse is near, let us rejoice. Alleluia.

[@GeorgeWHaydukeIII6396]

​@@fumble_brewski5410 I'd be curious about your opinion of immigration today?

[@daveadalian4116]

Don't forget the pre-Clovis culture the Indians wiped out. Very honorable.

[@robktellwild9648]

Bs

[@DowntownsUptown]

I needed to hear something positive! This is it!

[@GeorgeWHaydukeIII6396]

❤

[@marianneleth4957]

What a gigantuan project - and how wonderful to see these rivers being restored to their natural beauty (maybe not quite 100% - but close...). The toxicity issue in the sediment seems overblown - what toxins are found on the upper reaches of the Klamath? If anything, probably farm waste...

[@ant-1382]

You go salmon!!

[@zacwlf]

Nice reporting and beautiful shots!

[@henkmagnetic3103]

Love this series. A lot of thought, planning, execution and follow up. Just thinking when I listen to the imperial measurements used, that it must have been emotional when slide rules could be retired with the introduction of calculators for the convoluted imperial system used by the US of A. Lucky for accuracy's sake, it is calibrated to the international metric standard.

[@TheRangerBob]

Change is one of those constants in life. Some have a really hard time with change, other understand it, and accept the reality.

[@GeorgeWHaydukeIII6396]

Well put.👍

[@SlavaSesh]

You could also say that to the natives who were conquered and still haven't accepted it.

[@ryder6070]

@@SlavaSesh wow...your sort of an assnugget

[@John-eq8cu]

excellent reporting

[@lindahendry59]

So glad to see the salmon coming home at long last.

[@curtiswilson137]

This is really good news for humanity and the environment. These obsolete dams were not profitable and they were harming the Klamath River, so I am hoping that the critics of that salmon's return to a receiving river will embrace change. I love how the first Americans are putting in sweat equity into the replacing of native grasses and trees. This is a win-win for everyone.

[@ron9381]

Mismanagement of the resources by the Democrat it’s what we have here pretty soon. We’ll be living in a tent with the open fire.

[@marcshelstead5355]

Awesome

[@JB-rr1or]

William Simpson-"we're indigenous". What a joke.

[@TG22222]

Immediately discredited his argument

[@colleeneggertson2117]

Glad the salmon are able to get upstream again.

[@02TMM]

My blood boils! The rancher grazing those Angus cattle on the new grass with heavy metals is going to take them to market and profit. Someone is going to eat the beef having no idea that the beef has heavy metal, though in very low amounts. You wanna complain? Keep your cattle off of the grass.

[@GeorgeWHaydukeIII6396]

The grasses and brush the cattle are feeding on don't pick up any dangerous elements. William Simpson just made that up. But both the cows and horses ARE doing tremendous damage to the revegetation project, and need to be removed/excluded. William Simpson is just another Siskiyou county troglodyte who hates any kind of change in backwards Siskiyou county.

[@gerryl5593]

Thank you for reporting on this and very well done! On most of these large projects returning eco systems back to a more normal state, we are all for progress, but it is the change we can't stand. Give the Klamath some time to heal.......I can't wait to visit the river this summer on my vacation.

[@mikebower9795]

Is this more about commercial fish netting for tribes than hook and line sport fishing?

[@curtis1003]

You are not indigenous to this land Rancher Simpson.

[@GeorgeWHaydukeIII6396]

William Simpson is a pseudoscience, anti-government, paranoid, conspiracy theorist! That is all he is, and will ever be!

[@daveadalian4116]

The people of North America who were here when Europeans arrived had already displaced the population that preceded it. Are you going to take them to task for not being native enough too? Who's going to stand up for the lost heritage of the pre-Clovis peoples? How far back are we going to take this? Who's going to speak up for the australopithecines? Life moves on. You should too.

[@drsin6856]

Nice 😮

[@cjyoung7372]

He may not be indigenous but he is native to the area

[@manfredstrappen7491]

@@cjyoung7372”Birthright indigenous” then?

[@BallardBaller]

People can ague at the sky all day. Let's see in 10 years, My bet is the salmon will rebound, not to what they were, but halfway there.

[@laynelins9564]

É preciso plantar árvores que dão frutos...as margens dos rios. As frutas alimentam os peixes.

[@ApakaFilms]

Did simpson just say he is indigenous? That is absolutley absurd and totally disrespectful to the native people of this land. Sir you need to check your self.

[@GeorgeWHaydukeIII6396]

He's known for his disrespectful, blatant lying and spewing of paranoid conspiracy theories.

[@andyslater2320]

the horse rancher claiming to be indigenous? HA! he might be, but his dam horses arnt! him and his horses should be relocated.

[@916outdoors2]

So they say that chinook salmon don’t go far into the elwah because they weren’t reared there for years. Literally just start releasing hatchery fish further up river to replenish the population faster

[@williamcalderon3792]

Thats why u leave the natural rivers alone,i indians were here first,the lord made it for a reason.

[@GeorgeWHaydukeIII6396]

The local tribes are awesome. They are some of the best folks to work with on land management.

[@johnnynitro7523]

We need city removals.... human removals.... and eco restorations next ..... Its time ....

[@SlavaSesh]

Cities are the only places on earth worth living in.

[@noextrafood]

Off yourself big talker

[@4loops43]

LA listened! 🔥

[@skybluskyblueify]

I want to see that sediment area in the spring. What will it look like now that there's been rain this year [2024]?

[@GeorgeWHaydukeIII6396]

I'll bet it looks just like a river, except with a little less sediment on its banks, and a lot cooler, cleaner water. The folks that are making such a big deal about the sediment mobilization are just hyperbolic, anti-government, conspiracy theorists.

[@danielkingery2894]

​@@GeorgeWHaydukeIII6396 until summer...when the low water levels dry out the river.

[@GeorgeWHaydukeIII6396]

​@@danielkingery2894 It's never going to happen. All you have to do is look at a map of the entire watershed. The Wood river, Williamson river, Sprague river and about 20 smaller streams feed upper Klamath lake. The flows out of that lake are controlled by the Link river dam. The Bureau of Reclamation would restrict upstream irrigators and all other water users before they'd stop all flows out of Klamath lake. I don't know who started this rumor, but it sure is ignorant!

[@Jeffrey-w2b8x]

Any native Americans protesting removal of the dam ?

[@johnbrown3951]

If only the powers that be here in Scotland would listen & watch these videos they would maybe learn a thing or two from you guys on hatcheries to re populate rivers or we are going to lose our Atlantic Salmon in the next few years in my humble opinion.

[@MidasMullligan]

Of course they feature the horse rancher. FFS.

[@GeorgeWHaydukeIII6396]

Like most profit driven media companies, they thrive on controversy! Quit feeding the trolls!

[@emmettkennedy8388]

If we want to build hydroelectric dams, then we should look for really tall waterfalls like Snoqualmie Falls, it’s over 250 feet and the slapped a dam on it, it doesn’t hurt the native salmon and trout, and it provides power to a large costomer base.

[@GhangisKham]

Is that legal

[@stevenhunter3212]

Where is this?

[@ourv9603]

Those that have $$ to lose will be the loudest protestors. !

[@stevengilman-u1u]

why would there be salmon in the river now when the run is in august?

[@GeorgeWHaydukeIII6396]

Because the fall Chinook run just barely starts in August and goes into November.

[@tomguarino2317]

Like North Caroina

[@shedrickfranklin7707]

Where are thes rest original tribes.

[@ianmiles2505]

If they want to live tribal then they should get rid of all modern ammeneties.

[@PACstove]

Im curious what tribe this tribe slaughtered to get this fishing spot. Please tell that story too.

[@GeorgeWHaydukeIII6396]

You should contact the Yurok, Karuk, Shasta and Klamath tribes directly. I'm sure they'd be glad to talk to you about it.

[@tj7870]

i'm not so concerned about the native's as i am for the fish and river

[@Clacka89]

What were the numbers before the dam removal vs after? We just had the best wild coho return since they started keeping track in 1958 and they count those above the three damns on my home river. When you idiots are freezing in the dark down there in southern Oregon don’t ask for any of our power!

[@manfredstrappen7491]

Yeah, I’m sure they’re living in the Stone Age now because nobody but you and your genius mind had the expertise to understand how power transmission works. 😂 Please tell me you don’t have kids.

[@tombeno8746]

When you idiots say dumb things in the dark of your mind we'll laugh.

[@GeorgeWHaydukeIII6396]

Wow, that's one of the most ignorant comments yet😮

[@PACstove]

Good thing we got batteries for back up power. RIP hydro dams.

[@kirkstewart-vf6hg]

Oh really then why does the BS of stopping gold dredging in the summer months creating tiny amounts of sediment bad ? I call BS

[@GeorgeWHaydukeIII6396]

Because it (dredging) occurs all the time. This project had to be done and now we won't have to worry about silt anymore. I used to count dredges from an airplane for CDFW back in the early 1990's, there were a lot then, and some of the 6 & 8" dredges were putting out huge plumes all summer long.

[@kirkstewart-vf6hg]

The small amount of silt from the dredge's wouldn't amount to a drop in the bucket of one river raise let alone millions of cubic feet of 100 + years of dam silt. I call BS I'm 62 born in Del Norte county.

[@jthrasher47]

That guy said it's the perfect balance.. no the reality is his ancestors figured out that the fish spawned there every year and then they made their ceremony revolve around that it's not the perfect balance it's them having common sense

[@scottsheldon4788]

I dont want to hear about flooding in towns downstream when they yank that dam out...

[@GeorgeWHaydukeIII6396]

Don't worry, you won't. Those damS didn't provide any flood control.

[@chrismoyler]

Of course folk want the salmon back, the river alive. Amen. But do the farmers still have enough water for their needs? People need food. Food comes from crops. Crops need water. Any thoughts please?

[@GeorgeWHaydukeIII6396]

Yeah, most of what's grown with Klamath water is alfalfa. People don't eat alfalfa, cows do. Maybe if we really like to have clean healthy rivers, we should quit eating so much beef! I don't buy Western beef anymore. I mostly eat elk and venison. It's not really a great place to raise cattle anyway. It's much more profitable and better in the Midwest and South.

[@mikeprice4103]

Let the gill netting begin!!!

[@StevenEgleston-f5m]

Why, not instead of huge dams, we just have a series of trout and habitat friendly steps going down the entire length? Answer: they need the free hydroelectric power to make free money from public water,

[@jtkrpm1]

Now they can stop wearing modern clothes and using modern things like electricity.

[@travis5481]

Clever.

[@edwardthacher1622]

Maybe in 15 to 20 years that river should be back on track but before that low salmon counts will continue. If bad sediment is coming down the river vegetation will die off making food scarce for fish to survive not to mention the pesticides that’s in sediment even if there was no contamination in the sediment the sediment itself is bad for the river remember they outlawed dredging in California because they said the sediment was bad for the fish and killing off vegetation food for the fish populations because the fish in the river like clear water. And for certain there is other fish that made it into the river from the lakes above the dams predator fish that love to eat trout and salmon making it hard for the offspring to make it to the ocean if they don’t die from the sediment and pesticides first and predator fish. They could’ve made it worse for the river and time will tell and I understand about removing the dams but I just think it could’ve been done a better way like fish latter’s. But I don’t think taxpayers should have to pay for all the wasted fish they killed off by removing the dams by raising fishing and hunting licenses fees and if they do raise the fees because of it the people should do a class action suit against the state or county or companies involved because we have highest hunting and fishing license fees in all 50 states and it’s getting ridiculous. They killed off thousands of fish on kerns river this past August 2024 by stopping the flow of water so who’s paying for all those dead fish. California is just filled with bad policies all around and the people are suffering for it by bad decisions. It’s like saying goes be carful on what you ask and wish for it just could be devastating.

[@GeorgeWHaydukeIII6396]

Wow! Where did you get your fisheries and nature-water degree? Sounds like you've got it all figured out! Perhaps you should apply for a job at the Forestry and wild animal management department. You could probably lead the department with ideas like that.

[@sweynforkbeard8857]

"These poles have not changed" You had nylon netting and mill cut planks to use?

[@ottomatic3123]

Making assumptions...

[@youruiz]

It takes a special kind of racist to throw shade on a population that the US has celebrated the genocide of for over a century.

[@88TRUNKBACK]

Now we need a law against selling freshwater caught fish so these natives don’t kill hundreds of thousands of fish like they do in Alaska, at least fish wheels are illegal

[@ChrisGarcia-f9m]

Natives only take what they need unlike. You funny guy 😂😂

[@88TRUNKBACK]

@ the indigenous Alaskans kill millions of fish each year to feed dozens of dogs they don’t need. You have no idea what you’re talking about.

[@ChrisGarcia-f9m]

@@88TRUNKBACK They didn't survive for thousands year's abusing fish resource by over feeding them selves and dogs. The dogs at least aren't eating mofied dry dog food like here in the main land. It's Alaska bud, and it's been a way of life for natives since the dawn of time

[@Tanks-In-Space]

99.9% of the salmon get caught by Commercial companies at the mouth of the rivers. The amount of salmon caught by Fishweels is peanuts compared to the commercial fisheries. On some rivers, wheels were banned because there were hardly any salmon left to swim upstream...

[@nikolatesla5553]

I don't mind that they are fishing for salmon as part of their need to eat. Just not a fan of the creator and superstitious bs.

[@BullofBeans01]

That doesnt really affect you... I don't care for Christianity, but im not going to complain if i simply see someone speaking of it

[@cernhutch]

There are none so blind as those who will not see… Prayers for you.

[@youruiz]

Oh? Not a fan? I hope everyone stops to take your preferences into account. Your opinion is truly important to the world. You should go and comment on more stuff to educate the world on the most important topic of the the day.

[@travis5481]

I'm not a fan of people thanking god for success in sporting events or bibles in schools or really any of the crazy things people do for religion. Thanking your god for the fish and river that feeds you seems pretty reasonable compared to all of that.

[@shickakaper8028]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/oaazqaqHg6qco5Ysi=xEwftQsZO_24bTrf

[@kryan318]

why dont you do a story on all the broken promises and short cuts taken during the removal. why not a story on all the native species killed during the teardown include but not limited to endangered chub and other fish that are sacred the the native tribes

[@GeorgeWHaydukeIII6396]

I don't think this news organization is that into spreading misinformation.

[@kryan318]

@@GeorgeWHaydukeIII6396 what misinformation?

[@Brian-cb4zh]

They did talk about the fish and invertebrates that died, as expected, after the initial drawdown. Maybe you didn't watch the video?

[@kryan318]

@@Brian-cb4zh the question why where they allowed to kill so many native , threatened, endangered and especially the endangers sacred species of the local tribes for this project. not even the tribes objected to the loss of all their sacred species of fishes. there were better ways mitigate the losses instead of killing everything and hoping some of it recovers. besides any other project would have been stop to protect those native and endangers species.

[@chadjelliston5652]

So when I fish the river I have to use a barbless hook, no more than 1, only can keep hatchery fish, and a boat load of other rules. And these guys can net em and it’s cool because it’s their culture. I think it’s cool but I don’t understand why I’d go to jail netting fish and they don’t. Make em abide by the laws everyone else has to. Sorry. Not sorry.

[@brucepoole8552]

We are all indeginous to somewhere, can I go back to europe and gill net there?

[@stevengilman-u1u]

the probem is they take more than they need and they end up throwing a lot of them away. how do i know? some them have told me. the yuroks during the 70s were selling them to stores. i was there. fish and wildlike said they sold 1 million lbs of fish. one was silvas fish house in medford. it cost him his business. i know him and he was buying illegal fish to sell in his fish shop

[@GeorgeWHaydukeIII6396]

I don't believe you.

[@Brian-cb4zh]

Yeah, I kind of don't believe you and the 70's was 50 years ago at this point, as well.

[@tomguarino2317]

Just hope it doesn't rain.

[@travis5481]

Yeah, how could nature handle rain without man-made dams?

[@geneconroy7795]

I've salmom fish many times on the Klamath.... It'll only take 2 to 5 years for the environment to re-establish itself.... as long as there is a good snow pack at the upper Klamath River, there should be no issues.

[@robktellwild9648]

If they want to save the salmon, they need to outlaw gill nets. Gill nets should not be TRADITIONAL fishing rights.

[@bodiespizza]

Welcome home.

[@GeorgeWHaydukeIII6396]

❤

[@hobo456]

BSing

[@tombeno8746]

Whining