Klamath Basin

For more than a century, four hydroelectric dams along the Oregon-California border have cut off habitat to fish swimming up the Klamath River from the ocean. Now, researchers are in the midst of a project to learn how fish will use this ecosystem once the dams are removed.

Last year's allocation was less than a quarter of this year's, due to several years of severe drought.

Restoration contractor Resource Environmental Solutions and area tribes will plant up to 19 billion native seeds as the Klamath Dams come out and reservoirs are drained.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a new batch of funding for ecosystem restoration in the Klamath Basin.

A $500 million project will remove four dams from in Southern Oregon and Northern California and open up hundreds of miles of salmon habitat that's been blocked for more than a century.

Federal officials announced on Thursday that water will be cut off to farmers in the Klamath Basin for the rest of the irrigation season.

The Klamath Basin has been plagued by drought and a lack of water for years, and issues persist. The effects are far-reaching for tribes, ranchers, farmers, waterfowl advocates, and people who rely on residential wells.

The Klamath Tribes remain concerned about the survival of the C’waam and Koptu, also known as the Lost River and shortnose suckers.

An innovative restoration project at Lakeside Farms is a hopeful demonstration of cooperation in a region that has seen bitter fights between tribes, farmers and wildlife advocates over who gets scarce water.

Across the Klamath Basin, water is drying up in aquatic ecosystems home to endemic endangered species, along with several national wildlife refuges meant to support the bulk of western North America’s migratory birds. Native American tribes, farmers and environmental groups are engaged in a bitter tug-of-war that signals future water conflicts throughout the West.