Undamming the Klamath

Standing over 160 feet, the Iron Gate Dam on the Klamath River blocks salmon and steelhead from reaching spawning habitat upstream. Photo by Scott Wright/Flickr. In early January, the Klamath River Renewal Corporation began to deconstruct the Iron Gate dam, the second of four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River slated to come down by the end of the year. One of the largest dam removal projects in world history, the undamming of the Klamath represents a major milestone in a decades-long struggle to restore this key salmon-bearing river. For the Yurok, Karuk and other tribal communities that live and depend on the Klamath, dam removal also represents a moment of continued healing from colonialism and an opportunity to restore traditional lifeways. On this week’s episode, Terra Verde’s new host and producer Hannah Wilton is joined by Annelia Hillman from the Yurok Tribe, a longtime #UnDamtheKlamath activist and Food Village Coordinator for the Tribe’s Food Sovereignty Program. Annelia shares her first-hand experience watching Iron Gate come down and her vision for long-term healing and food sovereignty in the Klamath watershed. The post Undamming the Klamath appeared first on KPFA.