Two Steps Forward, One Step Back for Klamath River
Klamath fish advocates are excited that the Klamath River Renewal Corporation plans to break ground on the world’s largest salmon restoration project this Spring. The removal of the lower four Klamath River dams has been years in the making and promises to be a boon for ailing fish runs. At the same time, federal agencies are pumping millions of restoration dollars into the Klamath from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. This good news comes as fishery managers issued a dismal estimate of salmon ocean abundance for Klamath and Sacramento stocks.
Unfortunately, the Bureau of Reclamation is undercutting these gains by curtailing Klamath River flows below what has for years served as the ‘biological minimum flows.’ The Bureau claims that California’s record-breaking snows have largely skipped the Klamath Basin and cites the need to fill Upper Klamath Lake to improve conditions for endangered suckers. Others point out that the Bureau allowed agricultural diversions last summer that set up the conflict between lake and river needs, an act of flagrant mismanagement of Klamath water resources.
News
Low fall-run chinook salmon expected on Sacramento, Klamath rivers
State and federal officials on Wednesday announced one of the lowest adult fall-run chinook salmon population estimates since 2008.
Are the feds risking endangered salmon for fries and potato chips? — High Country News – Know the West
Tribal nations say the decision to reduce water flow on the Klamath River “has more to do with potatoes than it does fish.”
Is California’s antiquated water rights system racist? - Los Angeles Times
As calls mount to reform California’s antiquated water rights system, some are calling on lawmakers to address the system's legacy of racism.
Water managers could withhold Klamath County drought permits this year - OPB
Emergency use permits allow users like farmers and ranchers who don’t have groundwater rights to access that water during an emergency drought declaration when above-ground sources, like rivers and lakes, are too low. Groundwater in the Klamath Basin has dropped by 20-30 feet over the last three years alone, and now water managers are considering withholding those drought permits in Klamath County.
State officials consider water restrictions in Klamath, Harney basins – Oregon Capital Chronicle
The Oregon Water Resources Department is considering a designation that would give it broad latitute in curtailing water rights.
Klamath Countdown: Researchers Hustle Before Largest Dam-Removal Project Begins - Resilience
By the end of 2024 the Lower Klamath River will run free for the first time in a century, enabling fish like salmon and steelhead to reclaim 400 miles of river habitat in California and Oregon.
The Science of Saving Salmon as Klamath Dams Come Down | UC Davis
The world’s largest dam removal in history is slated for 2023. Led by Indigenous tribes in partnership with organizations, lawyers, scientists and activists, the project will remove four dams, clearing the way for the lower Klamath River to flow freely for the first time in more than a century.
The Institute of the Environment’s monthly seminar series recently brought together a panel of experts intimately tied to the project to discuss the history and outlook for these changes.
Klamath Tribes file notice to sue government | Water | capitalpress.com
More legal battles are brewing in the Klamath Basin as tribes and irrigators jockey for water amid ongoing drought.
The Klamath Tribes filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue the Bureau of Reclamation on Jan. 30, arguing the agency is failing to meet minimum water requirements in Upper Klamath Lake for C’waam and Koptu — two species of critically endangered sucker fish.
That status of condors right now and future plans for the big birds | Arts & Culture | Spokane | The Pacific Northwest Inlander | News, Politics, Music, Calendar, Events in Spokane, Coeur d'Alene and the Inland Northwest
The most recent annual reports on condor status from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service tell a measured but generally positive story. After several tenuous years in the bowels of the San Diego Zoo and then in dank cages at the World Center for Birds of Prey outside Boise, the world population of living California Condors now exceeds 500. Almost 200 of those birds remain behind bars, but the remainder are flying free. Each year, 15 or so new wild chicks fledge out, and close to two dozen rehabilitated captives are given another chance at freedom.
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CDFW News | Fishery Scientists Announce Poor 2023 Outlook for California’s Ocean Salmon Stocks
At the annual Salmon Information Meeting held virtually today, state and federal fishery scientists presented the numbers of spawning salmon that returned to California’s rivers late in 2022 and announced the abundance forecasts for key California stocks. The 2023 projection for Sacramento River fall Chinook, the most predominant stock harvested in California’s fisheries, is estimated at 169,767 adults, one of the lowest forecasts since 2008 when the current assessment method began.
Editorial: Newsom's drought order threatens iconic California species - Los Angeles Times
Gov. Gavin Newsom has effectively ended environmental regulations protecting California rivers and migratory fish by extending drought-year waivers.
California’s lower-income communities enduring more frequent wildfires: study | The Hill
While California’s wealthy have long been considered most at risk from wildfires, new research suggests that lower-income communities experience such events most frequently. Wildfire managers typic…
Klamath River to rebuild community hall after McKinney Fire
The town of Klamath River announced plans to rebuild its community hall after the building was destroyed by the McKinney Fire in July, 2022.
Declining salmon population could trigger ban on fishing - Los Angeles Times
California's latest estimates of fall-run Chinook salmon show a population decline. State officials say the fishing season could be scaled back or shut down.
California may bar commercial salmon fishing, first time since 2009
Despite the recent rains, California’s longstanding drought has taken a severe toll on the population of king salmon along the Pacific Coast, which dropped to its lowest point in 15 years.