Klamath Dams Down - Will Ranches Survive?

Take a look at Theodora Johnson’s latest article, released 2/22/24, about Klamath dam removal, the environmental disaster it has caused thus far, and the likely devastating effects on Klamath River’s fish populations. With millions of cubic yards of sediment now unleashed in the Klamath River, Chinook salmon, steelhead trout, and coho salmon (listed as “threatened” under the endangered species acts) will likely suffer drastically—and for many years to come. Small farms and ranches along the Scott and Shasta rivers (tributaries to the Klamath) have reason to worry about their own futures. If history is any measure, they will be called upon to sacrifice water to help recover Klamath fish populations. These farmers and ranchers have already sacrificed much in the name of the very fish that are now threatened by irresponsible dam removal methods.

This disaster could have been avoided. But instead of upgrading the dams for fish passage, or dredging out sediment from behind the dams before breaching them, the agencies and the Klamath River Renewal Corporation decided to “flush” out the sediment via the Klamath River—the salmon’s lifeline. Click here to read Johnson’s article calling to attention the risks facing our salmon, steelhead, and millions of other organisms that comprise the “food web” in the Klamath River ecosystem. Johnson calls for thorough monitoring and transparent reporting by the agencies responsible for the ongoing disaster, so that agriculture is not again made a scapegoat. Read the story, published in The CATTLE Mag (Spring 2024), RB9Publishing.com.