On August 28th, Tribal members gathered alongside government officials and nonprofit partners to cheer as the final cofferdam was breached at Iron Gate reservoir, freeing the Klamath River from Lake Ewauna to the Pacific Ocean. After over two decades of Tribal advocacy, an agreement was reached to remove four hydroelectric dams, Iron Gate, Copco 1 and 2, and JC Boyle, re-opening over 400 miles of the river and tributaries to the legendary salmon runs that have been stifled by these impoundments for over a century. A truly historic moment for the Tribes and the region’s iconic salmon populations they’ve depended on since time immemorial. 

We enthusiastically applaud these tireless Tribal advocates and our conservation partners, whose dedication to seeing salmon return to their historic breeding grounds in the tributaries and upper reaches of the Klamath watershed has brought a successful example of large-scale dam removal and river restoration to national attention. This freeing of the Klamath River from dams is only the beginning of a restoration process that American Whitewater is committed to helping move forward and to seeing a successful recovery of the river’s ecological integrity and salmon populations, while at the same time helping Tribes and other river managers welcome and direct respectful recreation on the newly free-flowing Klamath. 

We expect river recreation opportunities to start sometime in 2025, however there are a number of access and other management issues we are working to address before boaters begin to descend the free-flowing river corridor. The Shasta Indian Nation is prepared to welcome people to their lands, but is also still in the process of developing  a management plan for visitor use and a mechanism for funding stewardship of project lands they are set to receive. Alongside opportunities to run the river, you can also expect to see the completion of a cultural heritage trail and other ways to visit and appreciate this restored landscape. It’s an honor to participate in the return of ownership to the Tribes of their most spiritual land, and we can not wait to see the reclaiming of the river through the Paddle Tribal Waters students first descent of a free-flowing Klamath!