The Klamath River, Climate Change, and the World’s Largest Dam Removal

The recent decision by federal regulators allowing the removal of four dams along the Klamath River has been hailed as a victory by Indigenous Peoples and environmental groups. The long-awaited approval allows the largest dam removal project in the world to move forward and caps decades of contention surrounding use of the Klamath River.

Please join the UC Davis Institute of the Environment Wednesday, Feb. 8, as we host a distinguished panel of experts to discuss the cultural significance of the dam removal, the future of the river, and how climate change may impact the river and its fishes.

This panel will be moderated by Kathleen C Whiteley (assistant professor in the Department of Native American Studies, UCD) and will include Robert Lusardi (research ecologist and California Trout Coldwater Fish Scientist, Center for Watershed Sciences; adjunct faculty, WFCB), Brittani Orona (assistant professor of American Indian Studies, SDSU), Tommy Williams (fish biologist, NOAA Fisheries), Toz Soto (fisheries manager, Karuk Tribe), and Scott Williams (attorney, Berkey Williams, LLP).

Also among the topics of discussion for the panelists will be:

• How can Traditional Ecological Knowledge be used to manage the Klamath River and its fisheries following dam removal?
• Will dam removal reduce fish kills in the river?
• Will salmon and steelhead be able to successfully re-establish above upper Klamath Lake?
• Will dam removal affect the way fish and other organisms use the tributaries to the lower river?
• What role will hatcheries play in the post-dam river?
• What’s the political relevance of the dam removal?