Klamath Tribes continue fight to restore River ecosystem
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Members of the Klamath, Modoc, and Yahooskin Paiute Tribes in Oregon and California are working to fully restore the Klamath River, despite the removal of four dams between 2023 and 2024.
The Klamath Tribes ceded over 22 million acres of land to the U.S. government in 1864, retaining water rights and treaty rights to hunt, fish, and gather.
However, the construction of dams beginning in 1909 severed their connection to the river’s salmon, and the U.S. government terminated their status as a sovereign nation in 1954. Although the Klamath Tribes regained federal recognition in 1986, they report ongoing challenges including toxic water conditions and the need to remove the remaining Keno and Link Dams. They believe that proclaiming the river “free” after only partial dam removal erases their history of displacement and the ongoing harm to the ecosystem.
The Klamath Tribes traditionally used fire to manage the landscape, creating resilient ecosystems and preventing large wildfires. After being prohibited from this practice in 1911, they’ve demonstrated the effectiveness of traditional fire stewardship through co-management with the U.S. Forest Service, and are advocating for its wider implementation. They see fire as essential for healing both the watershed and their people, and are concerned that the introduction of cattle to reduce fuel loads is a harmful replacement for this knowledge.
