Karuk tribal member Alauna Grant, who works as crew lead with the Yurok Tribe, gathers native sunflower seeds alongside the Iron Gate Dam reservoir, in September 2023. The work is part of the plans to replant the land that will be exposed during dam removal.
Todd Sonflieth, Todd Sonflieth / OPB
After decades of advocating, tribal members cheered as a blast at JC Boyle Dam this year kicked off the process of drawing down the reservoirs behind three Klamath River dams.
The removal is expected to restore the river and reopen spawning habitat that salmon haven’t been able to reach for more than a century. OPB science reporter and editor Cassandra Profita brings us the perspective of the tribes living along the Klamath River: what the country’s largest dam removal project means to them and their hopes for the future.
Listen to all episodes of The Evergreen podcast here.