Klamath River

     The Klamath Tribes, a confederation of the Klamath, Modoc and Yahoosin Tribes, traditionally inhabited southern Oregon and northern California. By 1864, the Klamath Tribes had given up 20 million acres in exchange for peace, two million acres and the rights to fish, hunt and gather from their traditional lands. In 1954, a Congressional Act terminated a federal relationship with the tribe in efforts to promote assimilation. More importantly, the act preserved the fishing and water rights of the Klamath Tribe.
     Jumping ahead another half century, both the states of California and Oregon, plus local farmers tried to challenge this 50 year old water rights ruling. Now that water is a precious commodity in the semi-arid Upper Basin, pressures on the Klamath Tribes continued, forcing an unsuccessful challenge in the U.S. Districts Courts.
     As the Klamath River zigzags its way to the southwest, the 263 mile course cuts through the Cascade Range and the Klamath Mountains. Its flow today is impeded by a string of dams, cutting off salmon and steelhead breeding waters. Once the Klamath River Basin supported the third largest salmon run on the west coast, but the altered flow has brought fish species to near extinction. American Rivers has furthered efforts to restore the Klamath to its former free flow. The Klamath River dam-removal project will be the largest river restoration plan ever tackled. Hoping to remove all dams on the Klamath by 2020, estimated costs are placed at nearly a half billion dollars, plus, adding in all the concerns of 28 involved parties . . . it's easy to see the plan has many challenges. Hidden in the fine print, in a deal for a free flowing Klamath River, Natives may lose once again; this time it’s their water rights.