“For years, California was slated to undertake the world’s largest dam removal project in order to free the Klamath River to flow as it had done for thousands of years.
Now, as the project nears completion, imagery is percolating out of Klamath showing the waterway’s dramatic transformation, and they are breathtaking to behold.
ALT
Pictured: Klamath River flows freely, after Copco-2 dam was removed in California.
Incredibly, the project has been nearly completed on schedule and under budget, and recently concluded with the removal of two dams, Iron Gate and Copco 1. Small “cofferdams” which helped divert water for the main dams’ construction, still need to be removed.
The river, along which salmon and trout had migrated and bred for centuries, can flow freely between Lake Ewauna in Klamath Falls, Oregon, to the Pacific Ocean for the first time since the dams were constructed between 1903 and 1962.
“This is a monumental achievement—not just for the Klamath River but for our entire state, nation, and planet,” Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement.“By taking down these outdated dams, we are giving salmon and other species a chance to thrive once again, while also restoring an essential lifeline for tribal communities who have long depended on the health of the river.”
“We had a really incredible moment to share with tribes as we watched the final cofferdams be broken,” Ren Brownell, Klamath River Renewal Corp. public information officer, told SFGATE. “So we’ve officially returned the river to its historic channel at all the dam sites. But the work continues.”
ALT
ALT
Pictured: Iron Gate Dam, before and after.
“The dams that have divided the basin are now gone and the river is free,” Frankie Myers, vice chairman of the Yurok Tribe, said in a tribal news release from late August. “Our sacred duty to our children, our ancestors, and for ourselves, is to take care of the river, and today’s events represent a fulfillment of that obligation.”
The Yurok Tribe has lived along the Klamath River forever, and it was they who led the decades-long campaign to dismantle the dams.
At first the water was turbid, brown, murky, and filled with dead algae—discharges from riverside sediment deposits and reservoir drainage. However, Brownell said the water quality will improve over a short time span as the river normalizes.
“I think in September, we may have some Chinook salmon and steelhead moseying upstream and checking things out for the first time in over 60 years,” said Bob Pagliuco, a marine habitat resource specialist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in July.
ALT
ALT
Pictured: JC Boyle Dam, before and after.
“Based on what I’ve seen and what I know these fish can do, I think they will start occupying these habitats immediately. There won’t be any great numbers at first, but within several generations—10 to 15 years—new populations will be established.”
Ironically, a news release from the NOAA states that the simplification of the Klamath River by way of the dams actually made it harder for salmon and steelhead to survive and adapt to climate change.
“When you simplify the habitat as we did with the dams, salmon can’t express the full range of their life-history diversity,” said NOAA Research Fisheries Biologist Tommy Williams.
“The Klamath watershed is very prone to disturbance. The environment throughout the historical range of Pacific salmon and steelhead is very dynamic. We have fires, floods, earthquakes, you name it. These fish not only deal with it well, it’s required for their survival by allowing the expression of the full range of their diversity. It challenges them. Through this, they develop this capacity to deal with environmental changes.”
Good news! The first salmon to return to the upper Klamanth basin in Oregon was spotted 2 days ago by Oregon Fish and Wildlife. Back after 112 years. They have video:
!! Thank you for the awesome addition! Back after 112 years! The river and the salmon are finally getting to heal.
i listen to this podcast by two priests who talk about what life as a priest is like because I find their stories interesting, and one of the best moments was when the younger priest, baby priest we shall call him, absolutely lost it on the podcast because he had been preaching, then he saw someone do a full body sigh, shoulders up and down, then look at their watch, and then shoot baby priest a dirty look. Because priests are human too, this priest found it irritating on a human level, which, okay, I can see that–and then, he spent several minutes vehemently (and jokingly, but also, vehemently) proposing that Catholicism should update its rules so if anyone does that, the priest is allowed to come down from the altar and challenge the person to hand-to-hand combat. He argued that more people would come back to church if there was a chance of seeing the priest getting in a fistfight and in fact they might go to church multiple times a day. He stubbornly refused to allow exemptions for little old ladies. he was fully and passionately committed to the idea of Catholicism allowing priests to fistfight parishioners in the middle of mass, and I’m going to say it: i think he was right
“OP why are you mad that your words are being misinterpreted you’re on the piss on the poor website” actually i think it’s very reasonable to demand people pay attention to the words they use, the choices they make, the things they believe, and their capacity for empathy and comprehension and that it’s sort of weird that you’re finding humor in making excuses to just believe that there simply is no possible way to improve your actions
As Democrats undergo their quadrennial “why aren’t we winning big against this guy?” freakout, a quick thought:
Social science has an informal dictum called “parsimony.” Parsimony means that the best explanation is the simplest one that explains the most variance. It might not be a total explanation, but it’s the best explanation.
We are in a particularly unparsimonious moment. Pretty much everyone believes that if only Kamala Harris would follow their preferred strategy – more interviews! fewer interviews! more radical politics! more mainstream politics! – then she’d be winning big.
If only.
In contrast, let me suggest five core elements of this campaign that have not and cannot change. Accordingly, the dynamics of the race are fairly fixed and fairly close. In five words, these are: woman, color, context, cult, and media.
Woman: Kamala Harris is one. And like it or not, misogyny is a strong thing (as we were reminded in 2016). Lots of people don’t think women are or can be leaders/presidents/competent. That isn’t likely to change during a presidential race. It’s not “fair.” It’s just true.
Color: Kamala Harris has one that isn’t white. Racism is a strong thing (as we are reminded constantly). Lots of people don’t think people of color are or can be leaders/presidents/competent. That isn’t likely to change during a presidential race. It’s not “fair.” It’s just true.
Context: Fairly or not, the last few years have been “blamed” on Joe Biden. Lots of people have decided that the events of COVID and protests of 2020 (when Donald Trump was president) are Biden’s fault since he was *elected* in 2020. Inflation, immigration, and Israel have overwhelmed the stunning number of real accomplishments of the Biden administration. That isn’t likely to change during a presidential race. It’s not “fair.” It’s just true.
Cult: Donald Trump leads one. His supporters *believe.* Facts are reinterpreted to fit the narrative. Obvious failures are explained away or outright ignored. Empirical experiences are denied by those who experienced them. None of this is likely to change during a presidential race. It’s not “fair.” It’s just true.
Media: It fundamentally *loves* Donald Trump. Not, notably, because its members support his politics. Rather, most US media is for profit and Donald Trump drives clicks, eyeballs, retweets, whatever. He is an anchor of the attention economy. So long as we pay attention he will dominate attention. None of this is likely to change during a presidential race. It’s not “fair.” It’s just true.
Five core factors don’t change with temporary tactics.
What might work? Turnout. Massive turnout favors Democrats. It’s about who shows up and votes and election day, not about specific campaign tactics. It always has been.
ALT
ALT
ALT
ALT
ALT
ALT
amhrancas 