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Undammed: The Klamath River Story

The history of water in the West has been shaped by conflict, greed, and scarcity, but in a remote pocket of Southern Oregon and Northern California, a different Western water story is taking shape. The largest dam removal in history is on the verge of completion on the Klamath River. This moment is the result of a historic decades-long Tribally-led campaign to free the Klamath River and restore salmon and steelhead populations, which are core to Native traditions and foodways. This is a huge triumph. Today the river is a living thread that connects communities who each have their own version of the Klamath, and all of these communities will have to work together to reimagine what this watershed could look like as the river they all rely on transforms. In this podcast, we’ll follow that connective thread between the people and creatures that know the Klamath best to understand how they encounter this transformative moment and envision what the future might hold.
New episodes drop weekly on Mondays.
This podcast is made possible by support from American Rivers and was produced by Blue Canoe Studios with invaluable guidance from Kerry Donahue.

Copyright: © 2024 Undammed: The Klamath River Story

Latest Episodes:

It's Really Just the Beginning Nov 18, 2024

In this episode we look to another river to see if there is anything it can tell us about what the future may hold for the Klamath. The Elwha River, located in the Olympic Peninsula, in Washington state, previously held the title of largest dam removal. It's been over a decade now since the Elwha's two hydroelectric dams were dismantled and so much has changed for the river, the animals, and the people. The Elwha and the Klamath are very different rivers, but in this episode we explore the Elwha's recovery to consider the possibilities for the Klamath. And we also consider what it means to have a connected river system, one that is not just free of dams but one that is holistically cared for.
It may be the last episode, but it's really just the beginning.

This podcast was made possible by support from American Rivers and was produced by Blue Canoe Studios with invaluable guidance from Kerry Donahue.

Passing on the Paddle Nov 11, 2024

What if I told you the first people to paddle the length of the undammed Klamath River will be a group of high schoolers who had no whitewater experience a few years ago. In this episode I visit the Paddle Tribal Waters Program, which is teaching Indigenous youth to whitewater kayak so they can make the first descent of a freed Klamath and become educators and advocates for the river. It's an audacious plan--the undammed Klamath is unknown territory with some serious rapids. But it turns out the next generation is a group of incredibly capable, hopeful, uncommonly determined young people who are bringing their knowledge of and love for the river back to their communities and out into the world. It's enough to make the future seem a little more encouraging.

This podcast was made possible by support from American Rivers and was produced by Blue Canoe Studios with invaluable guidance from Kerry Donahue.

A Lakefront Community No Longer Nov 04, 2024

In this episode we hear from residents of the Copco Lake community who are missing one thing....a lake. The lake was created when the Copco One dam was built and it was drained in January prior to dam removal. I visited Copco Lake in February of this year to find a community reeling from this dramatic transformation to their town and experiencing a lot of grief, frustration, and uncertainty about the future. In this episode we give space to this sense of loss that exists amongst all the celebration and consider if a change in perspective could offer new opportunity for the town of Copco Lake.

This podcast was made possible by support from American Rivers and was produced by Blue Canoe Studios with invaluable guidance from Kerry Donahue.

The Formidable and Marvelous Life of a Salmon Oct 28, 2024

In this episode we get nerdy about salmon. I speak to Tommy Williams, Research Fish Biologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Rob Lusardi, Assistant Professor at the University of California, Davis in Freshwater Ecology, about why salmon are such fascinating creatures and so important to river ecosystems, how dams take away their evolutionary strengths, and why dam removal could offer them their best shot at survival.

This podcast was made possible by support from American Rivers and was produced by Blue Canoe Studios with invaluable guidance from Kerry Donahue.

From Suppression to Stewardship: Bringing Cultural and Prescribed Burning Back to the Land Oct 14, 2024

In honor of Indigenous Peoples' day we're sharing this episode about how Indigenous communities are bringing good fire back to the land and heralding in a new era of landscape and wildfire management.
In recent years a new season has cemented itself into the western calendar: Wildfire Season. Research shows that wildfires are three times more frequent and four times larger than they were in the 80's and 90's. A big reason for this is the fire suppression policies that have been in place for the last century to encourage the growth of timber production. Indigenous communities used to tend to the landscape by conducting controlled burns but since the government made it illegal for them to do so, forests in the West have grown unchecked make it easy for wildfires to spread with unprecedented speed and ferocity.
And the Klamath Basin is no exception. The McKinney Fire consumed more than 50,000 acres the Klamath National Forest in less than 36 hours in 2022. The heavy rains which followed and fell onto the burn scar caused flooding and debris flow and killed tens of thousands of fish in the Klamath River and its tributaries.
But things are changing. There is increasing appreciation for the necessity of prescribed and controlled burns and Indigenous communities are reclaiming the ability to tend to their lands with fire. And some of the most exciting progress in this area is happening in the Klamath basin. In this episode I talk with Lenya Quinn-Davidson and Margo Robbins about what fire has to do with river health, and how they're working to bring good fire back to the landscape and to the Yurok people.

This podcast was made possible by support from American Rivers and was produced by Blue Canoe Studios with invaluable guidance from Kerry Donahue.

Snorkeling, Science, and Salmon Oct 07, 2024

Spring Chinook are treasured by Indigenous communities in the Klamath basin, who have long recognized the distinction between spring and fall Chinook runs. However, the view of Western science has been that spring Chinook could easily re-evolve from fall Chinook if they disappear, and as a result, there have been no special conservation provisions for spring Chinook. But a few years ago a team of researchers made a discovery that could completely change the way we see these salmon and how they should be protected. In this episode, we'll dive into the Salmon River, which is a tributary to the Klamath, with the annual Spring Chinook and Summer Steelhead snorkel survey, which aims to track these fish populations and understand how they are changing. And we'll explore what fish and river conservation could look like if it's led by people with a deep understanding of these systems and what they need to thrive.

This podcast was made possible by support from American Rivers and was produced by Blue Canoe Studios with invaluable guidance from Kerry Donahue.

Of Farmers and Fish Sep 30, 2024

When it comes to conversations about water, farmers are usually pitted against tribes and conservationists. The tensions between farmers and tribes in the Klamath basin have developed over decades and, in some instances, have teetered on the edge of violence. Today, many farmers recognize the plight of the salmon but are worried that if dam removal doesn't restore fish populations, especially in the short term, they will be the ones to pay the price and lose their water access, which could spell disaster for farm operations. In this episode, I pay a visit to Ryan Walker's farm in Siskiyou County, California where a small but mighty creek with a surprising history has a lot to tell us about why farmers are concerned about dam removal. But it also may hold some lessons about the opportunities for river restoration projects that everyone can get behind.

This podcast was made possible by support from American Rivers and was produced by Blue Canoe Studios with invaluable guidance from Kerry Donahue.

But Why Should I Give a Dam? Sep 23, 2024

In the last two episodes we heard about the incredible effort it took to remove four dams on the Klamath. But American Rivers hopes to support the removal of 30,000 dams by 2050. In this episode I chat with An Willis, California Regional Director at American Rivers about the wild history of dam building into the West, why we've entered into this new era of dam removal, how American Rivers thinks about which dams to remove, and why dam removal is only one piece of the work to revitalize rivers. Because dam removal is not just about removing infastructure, but working hand in hand with dam owners, regulators, and local communities to find economically viable alternatives while restoring a working landscape.

This podcast was made possible by support from American Rivers and was produced by Blue Canoe Studios with invaluable guidance from Kerry Donahue.

How to Free a River Sep 16, 2024

This is the story of a historic grassroots effort to free a river. The removal of four dams on the lower Klamath River is the largest dam removal project in history and has reopened 400 miles of salmon habitat. Indigenous leaders and activists campaigned for over two decades to reach this moment. The dam removals represent an unparalleled victory for native communities and an opportunity for them to reverse decades of environmental degradation and regain their ancestral connection to the river. In this podcast I speak with Molli Myers, Karuk Tribal member, as well as Karuk Natural Resources Policy Consultant Craig Tucker, both at the forefront of the dam removal campaign, about the winding and remarkable road to this point.

This podcast was made possible by support from American Rivers and was produced by Blue Canoe Studios with invaluable guidance from Kerry Donahue.

A Watershed Moment Sep 09, 2024

As of a few weeks ago the Klamath River is officially free of four large hydroelectric dams, marking a watershed moment for the tribes living along the Klamath as well as for river restoration efforts around the world. In this first episode we set the stakes. I talk with Annelia Hillman, Yurok Tribal member and food sovereignty advocate about what these dam removals mean to her personally and for her family and community.

This podcast was made possible by support from American Rivers and was produced by Blue Canoe Studios with invaluable guidance from Kerry Donahue.

Introducing: Undammed: The Klamath River Story Aug 27, 2024

The history of water in the West has been shaped by conflict, greed, and scarcity, but in a remote pocket of Southern Oregon and Northern California, a different Western water story is taking shape. The largest dam removal in history is on the verge of completion on the Klamath River. This moment is the result of a historic decades-long Tribally-led campaign to free the Klamath River and restore salmon and steelhead populations, which are core to Native traditions and foodways. This is undoubtedly a huge triumph. Today the river is a living thread that connects communities who each have their own version of the Klamath, and all of these communities will have to work together to reimagine what this watershed could look like as the river they all rely on transforms. In this podcast, we’ll follow that connective thread between the people and creatures that know the Klamath best to understand how they encounter this transformative moment and envision what the future might hold.

This podcast was made possible by support from American Rivers and was produced by Blue Canoe Studios with invaluable guidance from Kerry Donahue.

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