It is easy for me to understand the feeling of loss and anguish many are experiencing now, but I am exceptionally happy that the dams are being removed. I can see amazing potential in the restoration of the entire river system from the headwaters into the ocean. Oregon and California have not just the opportunity, but the obligation to harvest water efficiently and to restore habitat for fish and wildlife. Wetlands must be created, and groundwater must be replenished. Removing the dams is just one big step in a complicated process. Every step in the process will make things better, but there are many steps before the restoration is complete. This project is to me one of the greatest thing humans have done in my long lifetime. I wish the tribes, and everyone involved in the restoration process tremendous success in this glorious endeavor.
There are other projects AROUND the world the Dust Bowl was one such project while not a river, topsoil and wind needed tweaking and wind rows worked nicely.
Folks that have lived with the lake for so long are certainly suffering a big loss. I am so sorry for your struggles. I can only hope you can come to love a beautiful, wild, healthy and natural river.
What man has destroyed, mother nature will restore. It takes time, but you know mother knows best. Come back in 10 years and marvel at the beauty of the natural world.
Yea but this mess could have been prevented to a minimum. This is just a poor as job of dam removal. If they wanted to restore Mother Nature they could have helped her out more. They messed her up when they put the dam in & now they messed her up when they tore it down & then just left it like this. They could dump a lot of sand or scrapped some of the mud out. They could have made wildlife corridors that helped them cross at a better place.
Take a drive up the road in a few weeks when the snow in the Cascades melts. Visit Mount Saint Helens. If you’re from the West you surely visited within a few years after the eruption. It wasn’t silt, it was volcanic ash, deeper as you approach the mountain. Seeds wouldn’t grow. They’d sprout, but die as the ash excessively drained. It’s the great place to see elk now, although it’s getting harder as the vegetation gets taller. Too much cover. The Klamath River is a much narrower corridor. Seed sources are much closer. Yes, there’ll be dusty days in summer 2024. Meh. I want to see what it looks like May 2025. With a little vision you can see the future scrub oaks. Scrub jays making noise. Deer being quieter. The campground will end up with a nature trail across the flats. Eventually shade from Ponderosa.
Oh no, a handful of deer died. That's gonna make quite a dent in the deer's 2 trillion population. A few fish died due to temporary conditions with no mention of the 70,000 salmon that died due to the permanent toxicity created because of those dam's. Mankind made that mess over 100 years. How about cutting mother nature some slack, & give her the time she needs to set it right.
you have NO IDEA the populations of deer in that area. Yet things will change and within 2-3 years that whole lake plateau will be grasslands and small trees. Fish will NEVER be the same in that area as the area will now never support a high fish population because the aquatic ecosystem has been destroyed.
@@kevinh4631Can you please elaborate on your claim that "fish will never be the same because the aquatic ecosystem has been destroyed" Most all biologists and scientists, agree that the ecosystem is being restored, and fish populations will improve as a result. I'm confused, please educate me.😊
ruclips.net/video/5-f3esRYw18/видео.htmlsi=ThyGkDEjfNt8PXAi 3m:5s in this states something that was previously thought impossible. These aerated waters would be everywhere, hydroelectric damming ruined people's lives and they won't know until they become what's viewed nowadays as a scientist.
I understand why you are upset. YOU bought land without researching a major issue that's been going on for DECADES. YES there will be a great deal of short-term issues, while things change back. In 10- 20 years, the ENTIRE river will be healthier. On top of that, the cost of keeping the dams maintained was way more than removal. Where are the fish? In the river. Eagles will thrive on the increased salmon population. You have a narrow, short term, uneducated outlook. You're like the person who buys a cheap house on the flightpath for a local airport runway, and then sues because the noise is hurting the housing value.
Exactly. The people that are complaining about this project are easily manipulated by political conspiracy theories, and see any change in their world as bad. All they need is a critical thinking course.
You gotta read between the lines on this, the Indians want it for themselves and no one else and intend to make as much money as possible.@@flyingbieke
You people that are insinuating that people in Copco live in luxury homes and are wealthy have no clue. Copco is the most depressed area in Siskiyou, CA. Many of these people have lived in their homes for generations and many are just trying to get by. Obviously you don't live around here so until you come and meet some of the residents and see the town of Copco keep your echo terrist mouths shut. You are ones sitting on thrones.
@@zomalfa4363 hmmm ...sounds familiar. Kinda like the white people did to the Indians 150 years ago? Except the Indians don't want "to make money off it" they just want to live in peace in the place they have always lived next to a life giving river that isn't polluted and dying. Think a little, will ya!
I heard the argument that lawyer woman made, listen to it again more closely and see for yourself if there wasn't a base to it. Sure, its a poor area, does that mean I shouldn't be able to use the river? I after all paid for it. I get a pretty strong impression the tribe wants it all for themselves and I would say that's a bad decision.
I share your concerns, but you have to understand that the Klamath dams were a disaster and they made things very sad for people who live down river. There were huge fish kills from toxins produced by the lakes. To this day there are no significant fish runs on the river; nothing that compares with historic runs. Look at the Mount Saint Helens eruption and you can see that nature can be harsh, but it heals eventually
@@flyingbieke I'm well aware that it is a serious ecological disaster. It's just not as serious of a disaster as leaving the dams in place. When you got two bad choices, you take the better of the two. This world is made of the lesser of two evils.
The fish population has way more to do with. In native invasive species that kill up to 90% of the salmon fry before they ever get to the ocean. Removing cleanest energy production in a state that is requiring electric everything is insane. This isn’t about the fish or saving the river. This is an attack on our nation’s infrastructure. How could they just blow it up so recklessly if they cared about the fish?? It should have been slowly lowered and systematically removed. What they’ve done is criminal!
the ecological disaster happened when the dams were built. Now this land can finally start to heal and recover. You should be grateful but instead are whining about this gift you've been given. @@flyingbieke
Huge effects, and dams continue to have drastic changes over a short timeline. But hey, those that capitalized on the brief changes are butthurt and crave for a 100% stable climate. It's idiocracy really.
@WilliamKiene-yg7rq see i was about to commend you until I read your last sentence! People can comment on whatever they want but when you have a negative approach to inform others you are not taken serious! Be polite and informative and people will gravitate towards your wisdom!
We can’t reverse 100 years of damage in 3 weeks love, in 2 years time the change will be substantial still many more to go till total regeneration. Get your retirement somewhere else that’s place it’s not for you
What this woman refuses to acknowledge is that the damns should never have been built. Imagine the destruction of animals, habitat and ecology those damns created. It's to bad your playground was ruined in an effort to undo the gross meddling with nature caused by man isn't it.
Every local should plant back the native riparian zone trees along the river so the food chain for the native fish is restored. Without native riparian zone trees which account for up to 80% of the nutrients in a healthy diet for the aquatic inhabitants in the river environment the revival will not happen in the river environment.
what do you want people? after removal it will go back normally in an instant? it will take time to heal, look at elwha river now after dam removal,it was back it heal after 3 years or more
I am sorry for all the negative effects on the Klamath River as a result of the dam removals. Each year the river will heal. The longer we waited the worse the silt build up would have been. If they would have removed the dams 20 years ago when they started discussing it think of what it would be like today. I knew a millwright that lived in Klamath from the 1910's until his death. I heard the stories about what the river was before the dams. It was like a fairy tale of what was before the dams. I am sorry what is happening right now. It is a result of foolish greed from a century ago affecting us now. When I see your pictures of Copco Lake as a mud pit, I think about what it will be soon. I hope you also get to experience the positives of dam removal as time moves on.
Absolutely! I personally am looking forward to witnessing the healing process. The Klamath is such a unique river. I hope that the dam at Keno can eventually be removed also, since it is baking up a huge , long, slow stagnant chunk of what used to be a moving, dynamic river. This is a really incredible project, and it gives me hope that humans can start turning things around, and start fixing their mistakes.
The dams were bad deal all along. I certainly understand how the makers of this video feel. But, sometimes we need to look at the big picture. I feel it's a small sacrifice now for a huge gain later. Then there are the Tribes. The tribes have been here for thousands of years. The tribes have been screwed for 150 years. So I don't mind doing something positive for the tribes. It's an emotional issue. Hopefully, time will show, and people can see, this was the right thing to do.
They drained a lake, and LESS than 2 months later, you expect mother nature/mankind planting to have magically created a full river ecosystem? That's silly to expect that. Let us know what the Copco dam / river area looks like in 2 years.
People have been lied to for so long that they don’t understand the science involved and they are so selfish that they can’t see beyond their own needs. It was already a toxic waste of a river and scientists are fixing the mistakes of the past. This will be gorgeous in a decade. Buy now if you get a chance. These people are sitting on a future paradise.
I believe the people who enjoyed this spot for as many years as they have. People who truly cared for the wonderful place will see that change can be wonderful and possibly better than before. I can imagine the spring bloom on the lake bottom in the next few years. I was down at Iron gate recently. They have already started planting thousands of saplings and seedlings. It is a beautiful area.
Yes, it's interesting how some folks have a long term vision and can understand and visualize the long-term beneficial results of this project. And other folks can only see what's in front of them at that moment. It's like trying to drive your car down a road, and only looking at the 3' of road in front of your bumper instead of the 300' yards you can see as you drive. It's sad to see how short-term and narrow minded some folks are.😢
You are right I don’t understand the science but I have been to Klamath Lake. I just not sure this is going to work. Is it possible to get a pristine river downstream from Klamath Lake? I don’t know either do you. My opinion of science is a bunch of people of average intelligence and to much education explaining (mostly to each other) why things like this are somehow good. Don’t forget common sense
@@JimFarmer-l3n so if I'm understanding you correctly, you're saying that the opinion of someone who is a casual observer, and just makes a few occasional observations, is just as relevant and valuable as someone's opinion that has studied the issue most of their life? And that the scientific process is not the best means of making important decisions? That's kind of like saying that a school bus driver is just as qualified as an astronaut to drive the space shuttle.
I think most school bus drivers could fly the shuttle so could you or me why not most astronauts could probably drive a bus?? The “scientific process “ is ok but not foolproof. Scientists disagree with each other that means at least one of them is wrong. They are just people no different than bus drivers and astronauts. Belittle me it’s amusing for both of us but I would rather hear what you think. Is the water from Klamath Lake going to magically turn into something like the Smith River? I hope so. Is hope part of the scientific process
"Truth is that the river and surroundings is dead" This is the farthest thing from the truth we just saw live eagles flying around and ground squarel holes all over. Y all are delusional
Eagles spend most of their lives looking for food. Soon there will be more fish for them. I have recently been all along the Klamath. It is not as you describe. Not even close to dead. On the West side of I 5 towards the Ocean. Miles below the dams. There is little visible change. Not toxic and not dead! Looks like it does after a lot of storms. Why? Because there has been a lot of storms.@@flyingbieke
That’s just what predators like eagles spend much of their time doing every day, looking for food. And you’ll presumably be happy to know that in just a couple years, eagles that live anywhere near the Klamath’s mouth will be eating quite well indeed. That’s because all the sand and mud being washed downstream is going to make excellent new habitat for flounders, sand dabs, soles, halibut-and eagles love themselves a meal of flatfish!
How about showing the river 'before' the dam was built? just wondering what things looked like and what the wildlife was like! And when you look at every one of the dam removal processes it is not good in one way or another!
Removing any dam will cause disruption to flora, fauna and neighbouring people. Removing four will amplify the disruption. In the grand scheme though the shock will be short lived. Nature will work to restore the situation from day one. The Elwa river in Washington seems to be the exemplar from where I sit 5000 miles away. More than 10 years on things appear to be recovering nicely. It will be the same here.
2 days after the deer were put down that were stuck in the mud one was hit by a car on the highway less than a mile from the lake, dont hear of anybody beating themselves up over that!
That's because it's not about deer, fish, or any wildlife. For these folks, it's about resisting change and opposing anything that they don't understand. It will be interesting to look at all these videos and comments when the silt has washed away, the river is running clear, the stream banks are revegitated, and the salmon return.
Yeah I'm so sad over some rich people who don't have late front property now that really bothers me that they can show off they don't have their algae filled lake that poisons the fish I'd much rather have the salmon
I don’t think you’re going to have salmon. Taking out dams on the Rogue River hasn’t seemed to help. Salmon and steelhead populations have really gone down since 2010.
I think the native salmonids evolved to encounter periodic periods of high turbidity. I'm sure the levels we're seeing as a result of this project killed a few, but I'm sure many have moved into clear flowing tributaries. I've seen steelhead do this in the spring when flows get really high and turbid.
Most of the baby salmon died before they ever got to the tributaries because of the lack of oxygen in the water. Soon baby salmon will be trying to return to the ocean in the same conditions and they will die also. Coho salmon are not very hearty fish and are not native to this river. They have never thrived here or even in their native river in Oregon. I believe the Chinook is the native salmon to this river though their young will meet the same fate.
@@kristilawrence3282 I'm sorry Kristi, but you are wrong on all accounts. I don't know where you heard that nonsense, but that is exactly what it is. Nonsense! Coho are 100% completely native to the Klamath River. The smolt tend to stay in the tributaries they were born in longer than Chinook. Most of the coho smolt were in the tributaries when the drawdown occured, that is why they chose to do it now. As the stream channel finds it's way through the sediment in the former reservoir footprint, the river will gradually clear, and as it does, coho, Steelhead and Chinook smolt will begin migrating downstream to the estuary. This project was well thought out prior to being implemented. Things will be just fine. I understand your concerns, but they are unfounded.
Nature is remarkable when left to manage itself. The silt will eventually flush and create estuaries elsewhere; further improving the environment. The dams were destructive on so many levels to the ecosystem. The "lake" was unnatural to begin with. Change is difficult, but 10-20 years from now life in and around the river and the perspectives of the disenchanted will remarkably improve.
You do not have a clue. You only read what is scripted by the KRRC, that caused this tragedy. It's easy for you to spout what you think are comforting words from your armchair. This will take 50 or more years and we the people that live on or near the river have to go out every day and see a whole eco system that has been destroyed by an ecoterrorist agenda.
Wow that looks horrible. Hopefully higher flows can wash it out. One thing I don't hear anyone talking about is the fact that with Klamath Lake remaining I don't see how the water quality will improve much. Klamath lake is over 40 miles long of algae and routinely closed to swimming.
They screwed that up when they blew the dikes around the old tulena farms properties and the straights between Agency and Klamath Lake years back. All that did was create another HUGE shallow algea bloom plateau.
Klamath Lake is actually barely 20 miles long and it's a natural lake. Yes Link River dam did raise the water level a few feet, but Klamath Lake is not an artificial reservoir like Copco & Irongate reservoirs. Much of the algae growth in Klamath Lake is caused by agriculture. Much of the chemical fertilizers they use, wash into the lake and end up fertilizing the algae. There are a lot of people working on fixing that problem too.
@@georgehaydukeiii6396 Klamath Lake might be somewhat natural but the water quality is terrible for salmonids. Last year the outflow was 79 degrees F on the USGS gauge. That is lethal for fish. Downstream of the deeper reservoirs the water cooled to 74 degrees. So will the river be hotter after removing the lower dams?
@@bigfish222 I check the USGS gauging station online at Link river dam in late summer before I fish the Malone springs to Rocky point canoe trails just to get an idea of how stressed the trout could be. But I have caught & released many red band trout in that part of the lake over 10 lbs & 24" long. There are a lot of springs and subterainial flows that keep the deep water cool through that stretch. Those trout are some of the biggest, healthiest fish I have ever caught. While much of the lake might really warm up and get a little to eutrophic for most salmonids, the Klamath Red bands seem to have evolved to do just fine in that lake. While the outflow at Link River might get pretty darn warm sometimes, it is usually just fine. Have you ever seen Eagle Lake rainbows? They live in water warmer than Klamath Lake! The water down river will be cooler without the reservoirs. JC Boyle, Copco 2, and Irongate. All of those dams drew water off the top, rather than the bottom. That's where most of the temperature issues came from. Many reservoirs like Lost Creek dam on the Rogue in Oregon, draw water off the bottom of the reservoir. That's why the Rogue is so cold below Lost Creek Lake. The reservoir is on the Klamath would warm the Klamath River up because they were shallow and the water came off the top of the lake, rather than the bottom where it stayed cold.
It will act as a sediment barrier for the river, a large settlement pond. Maybe a necessary evil until the sediment can be washed out gradually without destroying the river below.
The phrase to listen for while watching this is "property owners" or "my property". These are all wealthy people that are upset about their vacation/retirement homes losing value. Notice that no one with a deep understanding of these habitats is concerned about this, it's all just people complaining about seeing dead fish and deer or losing their lakefront real estate set to melancholy piano tracks.
This is untrue. We are not wealthy people financially. Lots of people here are on welfare. You obviously don’t know what you are talking about. Keep watching to find out more. Thanks
This community is the most depressed area in Siskiyou, Co. Most have lived here for many generations because they love it. If you have never been here you have no right to assume anything. If there were alot of wealthy people we could have stopped this nightmare. Big money and greed and an ecoterrorist agenda are why this happened.
@@kristilawrence3282....not only the most depressed community in Siskiyou county, but also the most uneducated and uninformed community in Siskiyou county. Sorry, but it needed to be said.
I know. I live near the river too, that's why I left the comment. Just because these people happen to own some land right on the river/lake doesn't mean they're the only people who are paying attention. Most of us that live in the area that care about this are excited to watch how the river heals, because we care about the health of the WHOLE river system. The only people that are acting all melodramatic like this are these property owners, because all they care about is their lakefront access or their pretty view (meaning: their property value!!) That's why all of you inevitably start babbling about nonsense like "ecoterrorist agendas" or anti-vax BS - because the science, and everyone else that actually cares about the health of the river, disagrees with you, and you can't explain that away.
Big money, greed and an ecoterrorist agenda are what put those dams there in the first place. The property values will now rise. Enjoy! @@kristilawrence3282
Who knows, you could be correct. But I've seen some pretty fast recoveries when it comes to riparian species and river systems. I'm just glad the dams are being removed, and the Klamath is being given the opportunity to recover. It's going to be fun to watch it heal.
That’s the most ignorant comment. They should have systematically lowered the water and removed the dam in a much more ecologically friendly manner. This is insane, they don’t care about the river this is about removing infrastructure in rural America. This is total bull shit what they’ve done. The local tribes are gonna be kicking themselves in the ass for promoting this atrocity.
You must not know much about this project. They did exactly that. Copco one 1st. A year later they released water from 2 reservoirs during high water flows to wash as much gook downriver as they could during the winter storm season. Drawing both lakes down with the dams still to be removed starting later this summer. Has nothing to do with current infrastructure. These were old obsolete dams that pacific corps no longer considered viable. The lakes had shrunk to less than 50% capacity due to sediment buildup from dead algae. I would say your were the ignorant one, but that wood be poor manners.@@unboxinglife2308
Next year it will be green. And they will probably plant trees as well and it would look great again. Even if the lake is gone nature will take back and it will look nice.
Everyone needs to understand that this river and entire ecosystem can now recover and will come back in multiples better after dams are gone. What you are seeing now is renewal not destruction. Sure there is always suffering after change. BUT nature has and will always adapt and recover as it has for millions of years. If we would just stop messing it up we could all enjoy our rivers, streams and all the wonderful things that come with it. Honestly we humans don't live long enough to always witness the evolution of nature so we hyper judge events that honestly occur naturally all over the world that destroy massive ecosystems (see Mt Saint Helens eruption) yet they come back over time. Fortunately my parents taught me delayed gratification and sometimes it takes time for something wonderful to happen. I can guarantee if we leave the Klamath alone and allow it to run free to the Ocean as it did for millions of years the entire river ecosystem will flourish. The river is flushing all the human created garbage (silt and stagnate vegetation) down the river that it would normally do over long periods of time in just a few months. So yes you are seeing suffering now but just relax and enjoy the transformation. It will be wonderful to watch if we just stay out of its way and show a little patience. God bless and I hope you can find peace with it and enjoy the renewal. In 20 years no one will even remember or want to ever go back to a lake or dams once the river restores itself. Just wait and see.
You think we dont understand? You do not have a clue. Yes mother nature will heal this area but the silt is toxic and contaminated with heavy metals. The heavy metals are a natural thing in this area and wash down into the river naturally. When they come to and area where the water slows down, like a lake or reservoir, it drops to the bottom and eventually gets covered with plants and animals that have died. It is contained in a natural bed and not toxic until it is released by something like a dam breach. If this silt is not removed it will be running into the river a very long time. There is no plan in the KRRC'S agenda to remove the silt. They were advised by Paul Hauser, the head scientist of research for this project that the silt needed to be removed before letting any water out of the dams. He was fired in 2021 because his opinion did not go along with the governments narrative. The silt dust is toxic to people, fish and wildlife. I just really dislike people that sit in their armchairs and spout about something that they know nothing about.
Flood control has been a great side effect of having the dams. Even though they were not built for that purpose, it kept our property from flooding with normal heavy rains or big snow melts. Also that was limited. But now without the dams, our property doesn’t have that safety guard anymore. Not that anyone would care, but us. Thanks
They did this in January when we have plenty of rain and snow flying. What will the river look like in the summer? Especially late in the summer when we haven't had any precipitation for months. It'll be interesting to see if perspectives change after the summer.
Yes, the reservoirs were drained in January so that the increased precipitation would increase the flows, and help wash all the sediment out of the river, and into the ocean. That's why it was planned that way! As far as summer time flows are concerned, they will be unchanged, except for the fact the water will be colder and clearer with less algae. Now that the dams are gone, we won't have those big bathtubs full of nutrients and fertilizers heating up in the sun and creating toxic conditions. The river will flow naturally like it has for tens of thousands of years. You'll see, it will be restored.
The disaster is that you selfishly miss your view. This land will repair just like the land down below, so the eco system can be repaired. The most complaints are self-absorbed.
Obviously you do not live nearby the lake nor the river. You must have no idea of the situation what it really is. And I don’t blame you, how would you know. These are no complaints of soft nature, these are real life man made disasters. Mother Earth has lots of healing to do. Thanks
@flyingbieke I live near the mouth of the klamath in yurok County. The first complaint out of everyone's month is that they lost their view. It is shameful
Thank you for posting. Hopefully you can continue to document as the months pass. ONLY time will tell. Hoping it's the case of pulling the arrow backwards to shoot forward. I'm not educated on this situation so I will refrain from making ignorant comments. Just grateful you can document and educate to help with making decisions in the future...God bless..
I'm curious how many people giving this couple a hard time about leaving mother nature to her business are also in support of solar farms? This was not done correctly and has caused emmense disaster. The gaslighting is coming from KRRC amd PacifiCorp NOT the locals whitnessing the aftermath.
Those dams weren't built over night and neither should they have been demolished in such a short time. I'm all for restoration of natural resources but I definitely think there could have been a slower more methodical way of going about it. Balance is key to most things. Yes nature will heal itself but this was like ripping off a Band-Aid before the wound was healed.
The actual dam removal will take 6 months, is that long enough for you? Literally dozens of experts agreed that the method chosen to use pulse flows in winter and early spring, was the best method. I'm sorry they didn't consult with you prior to proceeding with this project. Are you a hydrologist? Geologist? Fish biologist? What are your credentials?
on October 15th several pairs of Chinook were observed spawning in Jenny Creek! that means next year even more will. This project is a tremendous success!
They compare Elwa removal, but Elwa is in rainforest whereas Klamath isn't- two different climate zones. Hope for the best! Dams really need to come down, not all but many are abandoned and just inhibiting rivers from being productive.
The Elwa and Klamath do have many differences. The have a lot in common as well. There are many lessons from the Elwa that helped plan the Klamath project. We are new at this. It will take some time to get it right. I live near the Sandy River in Oregon. They took out an old obsolete powerhouse and the river now runs free to the Ocean. The recovery has been better than anticipated.
There is way more in common. Salmon, Rivers, Tribes, habitat restoration, sediment removal and control, replanting naitive plants and tress, steelhead and many other fish, Ocean. feeder creeks and much more@@jesse75
Yes it did! And that is a good thing in this case. They were almost all introduced species that didn't belong there. You should have payed more attention in science and biology class, then you'd understand.
Hey! Thank you so much for documenting this situation. At the 2:41 mark you are standing right above where the mother and baby were shot and killed the day before on January 27, 2024. On January 29, 2024 is the day that the 8 deer, mothers and babies died stuck in mud. The pictures you show in your video are mine. So just want to clarify, they died on their own, completely helpless to extricate themselves. They were not euthanized! And THANK YOU again for getting our voices out. We have a you tube channel but need help in getting things uploaded and such. We would appreciate your help with our channel. My tech guy is a 16 year old boy from out of the area. We are the news now and you are doing a great job covering what's really going on here. The KRRC always talks about being a "good neighbor" but the reality is they have done nothing but lie, threaten, continue to treat locals with disdain and disrespect and carry on as if this is all normal......... THIS IS NOT NORMAL! And God forgive us if we let this become normal, here and anyplace else. We must protect our water resources from enemies foreign and domestic. What happened here at Copco Lake and to the entire Klamath River is not ok.
At the moment I was taking the video at the lake, I did not know that I was standing near the dead deer. When I was there it felt like I was at a funeral. People who would care about the environment or nature would never let this happen. Their agenda is very sickening and the news won’t cover it. I can’t stand for that. Thank you so much for reaching out.
Chrissie, those are some pretty extreme words about the KRRC. I think you are just really upset about losing your view of an artificial reservoir. The fact is, Copco was making the entire river really sick! I think it's selfish of you to want to continue to watch over 150 miles of river suffer and die, so you can see water out your window. The scientists who made these decisions, know a lot more about our local ecosystem and the health of this river then a handful of people living on a toxic blue-green algae cesspool. I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound insensitive, but this is ridiculous! And as far as those deer are concerned, please, why don't you focus your time & energy on helping to create some wildlife corridor safety crossings over major roads and highways. Like I always say, more deer die in ONE DAY on Siskiyou county's roads, then will ever die in the mud around Copco reservoir. We all need to start looking at the big picture, and not just the little piece of ground we are standing on!
@@flyingbieke @chrissiereynolds4058 I implore you both to read up about aquatic ecology/general ecology or take a course at an online university. Many of your concerns will be addressed...
Check out where the Klamath River comes from. Klamath Lake is known to get very warm in summer, along with severe algae blooms. It lasts until early fall when the salmon are near the end of their journey with the final act of spawning. Klamath Lake water is a barrier to migratory salmon, just like the rainbow trout that must seek shelter during the summer by finding springs and spring fed tributaries. Also consider all the other factors affecting Chinook up and down the coast. All the way to Alaska.
I grew up and lived in Copco 2 and loved the river lakes and fish. I know that the river ran free more than 100 years ago. I don't think that the salmon are ever going to return to what some people think. What is over looked, is what all of the other fish and wild life that thrived with in these lakes. The Bass, Perch, Blue gill, Crappie, Catfish are all going to die out. We will have to see what comes of this.
There were a lot of bass, yellow perch, crappie, bluegill and catfish in both those reservoirs. But as sad as it is, they were non-native species and were having a negative impact on the native salmon and steelhead populations. It's sad to see those species go, but they will not survive in the free-flowing Klamath. When things recover a little more, I will look forward to Steelhead and Salmon fishing all through the Wards Canyon stretch! I suspect there will be some big resident rainbows that move into that part of the river too.
@@georgehaydukeiii6396I've seen catfish all the way down to Weitchpec. People catch perch ice fishing every year. When I catch a string of them, I'll post them for you to look. You are a self appointed expert in your own mind.
@@georgehaydukeiii6396 I'm 76 y.o. , I fished the Trinity in the 60's. I live in Virginia now. I have hope to catch steelhead and salmon there again, because of this project.
All political,no concern for balance or effects,the silt released by the removal has destroyed the steelhead & salmon reeds for years to come,let alone the smolts & eggs from this year,both species are in short supply & numbers are all ready down,oh wait as usual will just replace them with stocked hatchery fish,again short term solutions to a long term problem & what's next,tired of political gain overthinking the long term issues 😢😢
Most of the salmon, and all of steelhead spawn in the tributaries to the Klamath, so their redds are safe. If the dams had been removed earlier, when we started noticing the negative effect on fish populations, and the river in general, there would not be so much sediment built up behind those dams! As far as tying politics to this project, you fail again! Progressives have been trying to address this problem since when it started occurring close to 100 years ago. It's the far-right, money grubbing, GOP that has resisted, and continues to resist any change. Remember, you brought up the political part of this. I'm just correcting you.
My friend. Most of the salmon and steelhead have spawned in tributaries of the river. So the redds are protected even if the river gets muddy and full of silt. Next October if you are around, I can show you one of the tributaries which salmon spawn in.
@@flyingbieke In my opinion the damage has been occuring for the last 200 years. Trying to undo that much damage is going to look messy at times, but in the long run it will be worth it.
I look forward to seeing how salmon and steelhead populations respond to this new environment over the next 20 years. Salmon and steelhead populations have steadily declined on the Rogue River since the dams were removed or seems that way. I’ll bet the numbers back up my guess.
When was the last time you fished the Rogue? Where are you hearing this rumor. The Rogue is getting better every year! We're having an awesome steelhead run this year. Savage Rapids & Gold Ray were fish killers. Maybe you just miss fishing for carp in Kelly slough?😅
Corners were cut purely for economic reasons. A lot of the sediment could have been removed prior to removal. If Mark Bransom and the Klamath River Renewal Corporation have reservations about growing their family vegetable garden with the sediment that accumulated from the bottom of the dam then they should clean it up.
They probably would have loved to spend tens of millions more dollars dredging or excavating the bottom of the reservoirs. But people are already complaining that this project cost too much. Why not just let the river do what rivers have always done? The muddy conditions we saw in the river are only temporary. A lot of the sediment has already washed out to sea. It isn't always some kind of huge conspiracy. People are actually doing their best to fix some of the mistakes we made in the past.
By not trying to reduce the impacts from the impounded sediment it will prolong the recovery time and greatly reduce take of native and listed species in the process. The long term cost will greatly exceed any short term savings. Removing the dams is good but cutting corners for economic reasons has a cost to the environment.
@@T_Goff I don't agree. The papers I have read indicate it better to flush the system as quickly as possible, rather than prolonging the mobilization over a period of years. It's my understanding that a lot of effort has gone into timing and coordination of flow regimes. By utilizing winter precip, snow runoff and the ability to send pulses down from Keno and Link dams, the majority of the sediment should be at minimum by the time smolt start out-migrating and adult spawners start entering the system. What I think people are forgetting, is that there is tons of life in all the tributaries that flow into the Klamath. From crayfish to mottled sculpin, speckled dace, suckers, macro invertebrates, amphibians.....They will all be working their way out of the tributaries into the mainstem Klamath. You can monitor turbidity levels and flows at waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/11516530/#parameterCode=00065&period=P7D&showMedian=false
@@georgehaydukeiii6396 Time will tell how it all end up but the same experts killed 830,000 chinook smolts. Not exactly hopeful that they have it all figured out.
You have no clue the about the enormity of this situation. You armchair eco terrorists spout all of this, oh its going to be fine in a few years. Obviously you dont live here and wont have to suffer with the people who do.Even crab fishermen are seeing above normal dead crab in their nets as far as 10 miles. Crescent city docks are littered with dead crab. The whole eco system has been destroyed and is now toxic. The last estimate that I heard was 50 years.
Good question that all of us that live on and near the river would like have an answer to that question. Supposedly there is a mitigation fund but it will not be enough to cover any of the peripheral and collateral dame done by this project. Even the crab fishermen are seeing above normal, dead crab in their nets, as far as 10 miles out. What is this water doing to seals, otters, mollusks, other fish?
The dams were the real problem. They were the worst thing humans did to this river. They needed to come out. They are being removed, and that is a good thing. But 100+ years of damage caused by them isn't going to be easy, or pretty to clean up! If you feel the need to hold someone accountable, try everyone. Everyone who turned on a light switch, plugged in an electric appliance, everyone who remained silent when Indians, fishermen, biologist and environmentalists tried to fix this problem for the last 100 years. Fixing our mistakes can be difficult, time consuming, and ugly! We all need to get used to it.😢
Don't you understand that the lake bed is polluted with toxic dust? All the people and wildlife living here will be threatened when it drys and the dust starts to blow around.
Kristi, I'm not sure who told you Coho aren't native. But Coho are native. People have got to stop making things up, and spreading dishonest rumors and lies.
Kevin, in case you haven't noticed, wells are going dry all over the region. It's a result of our failure to address climate change because we're addicted to oil.
I don't know how you can make such a bold statement. Are you some sort of top level fish biologist, hydrologist, aquatic engineer or something? Why so negative? There are a lot of really successful projects just like this one. We are just in the ugly stage right now.
@@georgehaydukeiii6396 I was raised in Scott Valley I can remember when the Scott River would run Black with Salmon. During the Winter of 1964-65 we had a massive flooding it wiped out the Salmon and it has never fully recovered. Using that as a rule of thumb I feel confident that my statement hold true. The removal of those Dams has unleashed the same kind of destruction to the Rivers Echo system. Hope I'm wrong, but I really don't think I am .
@@michealtull9033 Awesome, I lived in Oro fino on quartz MTN lookout road for a few years, and across the street from Singtong's and Rusty's bar there in Etna back in the late 1980's. I helped Andrew Hurliman a little when he started Etna brewing. I worked for the Forest Service when the Salmon River Ranger district office was still in Etna! I'm sure we had breakfast together at Bob's, or lunch at Dottie's. Anyway, I know the Scott River well. I've snorkeled every bit of it from Jones Beach on down to the mouth. I've watched that river change over the years a lot myself. Unfortunately, on the Scott, it was the dredging upstream towards Callahan that really did that system in. It's nice to hear from another. Scott Valley native.
The river flow will remain the same because it comes from Klamath lake and the inflow to the lake determines the outflow. This season there may be a bit more water available because of snowpack. Last year because the tribes had a call on the water, so in that case no water was allocated to the wildlife reserve on Lower Lake area. Now with the dams gone the fantasy is " millions" of salmon will soon be showing up. Unanswered question.....who foots the bill for the reclamation of the mud flats river bottom??
From what I have been reading about this project, a good majority of the restoration efforts will be undertaken volunteers, working with and guided by agencies that have been planning this for over a decade. Many of those who fought so hard and so long to have the dams removed are among those who are volunteering to restore the lake bottoms, but many schools and higher education institutions are also volunteering their students, as the restoration offers a fantastic opportunity to teach so many aspects of resource management. Yes, it will be a tough couple of months for local wildlife adjusting to these new conditions, but this, too, has been planned for. And while I know it's hard to see this happening, first hand, as a resident of the area with not only concerns for the wildlife but also justifiable concerns about property values and taxes, Mother Nature is amazingly resilient and by this time next year those mud flats will be covered with new life. Try hard to keep in mind that those dams were abandoned almost 20 years ago and actually represented a greater threat if left standing. In truth, they should never have been built in the first place and taking them down to allow the river to run free again was the best solution available for ALL concerned, including the wildlife.
I didn't know that JC Boyle, Copco #1 & 2 and Irongate were abandoned. Do you mean scheduled to be decommissioned and sold to a different entity? I think they were all generating power until the day they were drained. The river will be much better off without those dams! I can't wait to see the salmon come back!
The dams needed to be upgraded and modernized. To do that they would have had to also put in a fish ladder. Weighing the cost verses the power generated. The math was simple. Even if they had sold to a new entity. The new owners would have had the same restriction. Also the storage capacity of the lakes had shrunk significantly due to sediment from the decaying algae. The water would turn greenish and thick in the summer. @@georgehaydukeiii6396
Yes it is very very sad. Some neighbors are traumatized by this and because it’s our home we can’t just walk away from it. It is truly criminal what they are doing..
@@GardenerEarthGuy Hi, They didn’t leave much time in between. They also didn’t go by the plan they had in place, which was: let water out gradually, take silt out, let water out, take silt out, and repeat. This was too expensive. So this is how they did it, a big hole and let go of all that water pretty much at once.
@@flyingbieke Yeah, flushing the river took everything and the future is seeding, hatchery, and everything new. Taking things down a piece at a time may have preserved genetics that aren't in a corporate profit and loss sheet. The draw down should have taken a year or two minimum, but hippies love corporate directive. Honestly, I hope they all got vaccinated for what they did.
Someone should be heavily fined or prosecuted, Can the dams upstream be used to refill the lake and restore the sediment cycle? They can't after all be allowed to do the same thing. I'm surprised the tribes, homeowners and municipalities are not suing the Hell out of the contractor. What's the EPA doing?
I agree. Whoever built those dams in the first place should be locked up and pay huge fines for completely screwing up the Klamath River. They could use the money from the billionaires who built those dams to pay for this restoration project.
huge mistake im not sure the river will ever recover from this my family and i along with many of our friends have enjoying iron gate lake for 30+ years and we are all heart broken over the draining of that place
It is easy for me to understand the feeling of loss and anguish many are experiencing now, but I am exceptionally happy that the dams are being removed. I can see amazing potential in the restoration of the entire river system from the headwaters into the ocean. Oregon and California have not just the opportunity, but the obligation to harvest water efficiently and to restore habitat for fish and wildlife. Wetlands must be created, and groundwater must be replenished. Removing the dams is just one big step in a complicated process. Every step in the process will make things better, but there are many steps before the restoration is complete. This project is to me one of the greatest thing humans have done in my long lifetime. I wish the tribes, and everyone involved in the restoration process tremendous success in this glorious endeavor.
There are other projects AROUND the world the Dust Bowl was one such project while not a river, topsoil and wind needed tweaking and wind rows worked nicely.
There was never a lake there until man screwed up the total environment 😮
it wasn't copco lake. it was a river, a long and beautiful river. it will be a river again
Folks that have lived with the lake for so long are certainly suffering a big loss. I am so sorry for your struggles. I can only hope you can come to love a beautiful, wild, healthy and natural river.
nah they are going to have to leave.
What man has destroyed, mother nature will restore. It takes time, but you know mother knows best. Come back in 10 years and marvel at the beauty of the natural world.
Yes, it's hard to improve on millions of years of evolution. Mother nature always bats last!
We are praying for Mother Earth
Yea but this mess could have been prevented to a minimum. This is just a poor as job of dam removal. If they wanted to restore Mother Nature they could have helped her out more. They messed her up when they put the dam in & now they messed her up when they tore it down & then just left it like this. They could dump a lot of sand or scrapped some of the mud out. They could have made wildlife corridors that helped them cross at a better place.
Take a drive up the road in a few weeks when the snow in the Cascades melts. Visit Mount Saint Helens. If you’re from the West you surely visited within a few years after the eruption. It wasn’t silt, it was volcanic ash, deeper as you approach the mountain. Seeds wouldn’t grow. They’d sprout, but die as the ash excessively drained. It’s the great place to see elk now, although it’s getting harder as the vegetation gets taller. Too much cover. The Klamath River is a much narrower corridor. Seed sources are much closer. Yes, there’ll be dusty days in summer 2024. Meh. I want to see what it looks like May 2025. With a little vision you can see the future scrub oaks. Scrub jays making noise. Deer being quieter. The campground will end up with a nature trail across the flats. Eventually shade from Ponderosa.
Come back in 2 years and see watch the salmon.
Oh no, a handful of deer died. That's gonna make quite a dent in the deer's 2 trillion population. A few fish died due to temporary conditions with no mention of the 70,000 salmon that died due to the permanent toxicity created because of those dam's. Mankind made that mess over 100 years. How about cutting mother nature some slack, & give her the time she needs to set it right.
you have NO IDEA the populations of deer in that area. Yet things will change and within 2-3 years that whole lake plateau will be grasslands and small trees. Fish will NEVER be the same in that area as the area will now never support a high fish population because the aquatic ecosystem has been destroyed.
@@kevinh4631Can you please elaborate on your claim that "fish will never be the same because the aquatic ecosystem has been destroyed"
Most all biologists and scientists, agree that the ecosystem is being restored, and fish populations will improve as a result.
I'm confused, please educate me.😊
@@georgehaydukeiii6396sounds like Kevin has never spent any time in the Hornbrook area.
If he does, I hope he doesn't hit a deer.
ruclips.net/video/abKqgTIiaaA/видео.htmlsi=1LcOf89gsqh9zrK1
ruclips.net/video/5-f3esRYw18/видео.htmlsi=ThyGkDEjfNt8PXAi 3m:5s in this states something that was previously thought impossible. These aerated waters would be everywhere, hydroelectric damming ruined people's lives and they won't know until they become what's viewed nowadays as a scientist.
I understand why you are upset. YOU bought land without researching a major issue that's been going on for DECADES. YES there will be a great deal of short-term issues, while things change back. In 10- 20 years, the ENTIRE river will be healthier. On top of that, the cost of keeping the dams maintained was way more than removal. Where are the fish? In the river. Eagles will thrive on the increased salmon population. You have a narrow, short term, uneducated outlook. You're like the person who buys a cheap house on the flightpath for a local airport runway, and then sues because the noise is hurting the housing value.
Exactly. The people that are complaining about this project are easily manipulated by political conspiracy theories, and see any change in their world as bad. All they need is a critical thinking course.
By locals speak you mean play sad music and gaslight the dam removal project?
please watch video #3, I barely have any music there. Thanks
You gotta read between the lines on this, the Indians want it for themselves and no one else and intend to make as much money as possible.@@flyingbieke
You people that are insinuating that people in Copco live in luxury homes and are wealthy have no clue. Copco is the most depressed area in Siskiyou, CA. Many of these people have lived in their homes for generations and many are just trying to get by. Obviously you don't live around here so until you come and meet some of the residents and see the town of Copco keep your echo terrist mouths shut. You are ones sitting on thrones.
@@zomalfa4363 hmmm ...sounds familiar. Kinda like the white people did to the Indians 150 years ago? Except the Indians don't want "to make money off it" they just want to live in peace in the place they have always lived next to a life giving river that isn't polluted and dying. Think a little, will ya!
I heard the argument that lawyer woman made, listen to it again more closely and see for yourself if there wasn't a base to it. Sure, its a poor area, does that mean I shouldn't be able to use the river? I after all paid for it. I get a pretty strong impression the tribe wants it all for themselves and I would say that's a bad decision.
Judging a project like this after a few days is not fair to the scope of the project.
Absolutely! I compare it to starting a 4-year college, and then in 3 years, claiming it's a failure because no one graduated!
It's like looking at someone's chest a couple days after open heart surgery.
I will keep people posted hopefully for a long time. Thanks
Tell that to all the dead and dying wildlife...
@@MrConestogaman 😢
I share your concerns, but you have to understand that the Klamath dams were a disaster and they made things very sad for people who live down river. There were huge fish kills from toxins produced by the lakes. To this day there are no significant fish runs on the river; nothing that compares with historic runs. Look at the Mount Saint Helens eruption and you can see that nature can be harsh, but it heals eventually
Especially the way the dams were taken out makes it for a serious ecological disaster. Also, it was never about the fish.
@@flyingbieke I'm well aware that it is a serious ecological disaster. It's just not as serious of a disaster as leaving the dams in place. When you got two bad choices, you take the better of the two. This world is made of the lesser of two evils.
Watch #2, and #3!
They are in for big law suits
Heavy metals and silt all the way to crescent city in ocean!
The fish population has way more to do with. In native invasive species that kill up to 90% of the salmon fry before they ever get to the ocean. Removing cleanest energy production in a state that is requiring electric everything is insane. This isn’t about the fish or saving the river. This is an attack on our nation’s infrastructure. How could they just blow it up so recklessly if they cared about the fish?? It should have been slowly lowered and systematically removed. What they’ve done is criminal!
the ecological disaster happened when the dams were built. Now this land can finally start to heal and recover. You should be grateful but instead are whining about this gift you've been given. @@flyingbieke
Removing dams helps the environment and the ecosystem recover back to what it was.
Show me what the river looked like before the dams. Please, there must be historical photos. What of the effects on wildlife did the dams create?
Huge effects, and dams continue to have drastic changes over a short timeline. But hey, those that capitalized on the brief changes are butthurt and crave for a 100% stable climate. It's idiocracy really.
@WilliamKiene-yg7rqthat’s all you have to offer?
@WilliamKiene-yg7rq see i was about to commend you until I read your last sentence! People can comment on whatever they want but when you have a negative approach to inform others you are not taken serious! Be polite and informative and people will gravitate towards your wisdom!
@@TB-zw7dt wait how does removing the dams stablize the climate. didn't the dams prevent river flooding?
We can’t reverse 100 years of damage in 3 weeks love, in 2 years time the change will be substantial still many more to go till total regeneration.
Get your retirement somewhere else that’s place it’s not for you
that lake didn't exist until the dam was built! poor property owners, who cares about restoration of the habit we destroyed? oh ya, everybody but you!
Good grief... clutch your pearls a little tighter...🙄
You do the same. Thanks
What this woman refuses to acknowledge is that the damns should never have been built. Imagine the destruction of animals, habitat and ecology those damns created. It's to bad your playground was ruined in an effort to undo the gross meddling with nature caused by man isn't it.
Every local should plant back the native riparian zone trees along the river so the food chain for the native fish is restored. Without native riparian zone trees which account for up to 80% of the nutrients in a healthy diet for the aquatic inhabitants in the river environment the revival will not happen in the river environment.
Vegetation, over the years to come, will alter this scene considerably.
Why wait,google earth can color it in now.
what do you want people? after removal it will go back normally in an instant? it will take time to heal, look at elwha river now after dam removal,it was back it heal after 3 years or more
I am sorry for all the negative effects on the Klamath River as a result of the dam removals. Each year the river will heal. The longer we waited the worse the silt build up would have been. If they would have removed the dams 20 years ago when they started discussing it think of what it would be like today. I knew a millwright that lived in Klamath from the 1910's until his death. I heard the stories about what the river was before the dams. It was like a fairy tale of what was before the dams. I am sorry what is happening right now. It is a result of foolish greed from a century ago affecting us now. When I see your pictures of Copco Lake as a mud pit, I think about what it will be soon. I hope you also get to experience the positives of dam removal as time moves on.
Truer words have never been spoken.
Absolutely! I personally am looking forward to witnessing the healing process. The Klamath is such a unique river. I hope that the dam at Keno can eventually be removed also, since it is baking up a huge , long, slow stagnant chunk of what used to be a moving, dynamic river.
This is a really incredible project, and it gives me hope that humans can start turning things around, and start fixing their mistakes.
The dams were bad deal all along. I certainly understand how the makers of this video feel. But, sometimes we need to look at the big picture. I feel it's a small sacrifice now for a huge gain later. Then there are the Tribes. The tribes have been here for thousands of years. The tribes have been screwed for 150 years. So I don't mind doing something positive for the tribes. It's an emotional issue. Hopefully, time will show, and people can see, this was the right thing to do.
Put a cork in it girl. Come back in five and ten years and see what ol' mother nature has in store for the land and river.
They drained a lake, and LESS than 2 months later, you expect mother nature/mankind planting to have magically created a full river ecosystem? That's silly to expect that. Let us know what the Copco dam / river area looks like in 2 years.
People have been lied to for so long that they don’t understand the science involved and they are so selfish that they can’t see beyond their own needs. It was already a toxic waste of a river and scientists are fixing the mistakes of the past. This will be gorgeous in a decade. Buy now if you get a chance. These people are sitting on a future paradise.
I believe the people who enjoyed this spot for as many years as they have. People who truly cared for the wonderful place will see that change can be wonderful and possibly better than before. I can imagine the spring bloom on the lake bottom in the next few years. I was down at Iron gate recently. They have already started planting thousands of saplings and seedlings. It is a beautiful area.
Yes, it's interesting how some folks have a long term vision and can understand and visualize the long-term beneficial results of this project. And other folks can only see what's in front of them at that moment.
It's like trying to drive your car down a road, and only looking at the 3' of road in front of your bumper instead of the 300' yards you can see as you drive. It's sad to see how short-term and narrow minded some folks are.😢
You are right I don’t understand the science but I have been to Klamath Lake. I just not sure this is going to work. Is it possible to get a pristine river downstream from Klamath Lake? I don’t know either do you. My opinion of science is a bunch of people of average intelligence and to much education explaining (mostly to each other) why things like this are somehow good. Don’t forget common sense
@@JimFarmer-l3n so if I'm understanding you correctly, you're saying that the opinion of someone who is a casual observer, and just makes a few occasional observations, is just as relevant and valuable as someone's opinion that has studied the issue most of their life? And that the scientific process is not the best means of making important decisions? That's kind of like saying that a school bus driver is just as qualified as an astronaut to drive the space shuttle.
I think most school bus drivers could fly the shuttle so could you or me why not most astronauts could probably drive a bus??
The “scientific process “ is ok but not foolproof. Scientists disagree with each other that means at least one of them is wrong. They are just people no different than bus drivers and astronauts. Belittle me it’s amusing for both of us but I would rather hear what you think. Is the water from Klamath Lake going to magically turn into something like the Smith River? I hope so. Is hope part of the scientific process
"Truth is that the river and surroundings is dead" This is the farthest thing from the truth we just saw live eagles flying around and ground squarel holes all over. Y all are delusional
the eagles are looking for food, we see them too
Eagles spend most of their lives looking for food. Soon there will be more fish for them. I have recently been all along the Klamath. It is not as you describe. Not even close to dead. On the West side of I 5 towards the Ocean. Miles below the dams. There is little visible change. Not toxic and not dead! Looks like it does after a lot of storms. Why? Because there has been a lot of storms.@@flyingbieke
That’s just what predators like eagles spend much of their time doing every day, looking for food.
And you’ll presumably be happy to know that in just a couple years, eagles that live anywhere near the Klamath’s mouth will be eating quite well indeed. That’s because all the sand and mud being washed downstream is going to make excellent new habitat for flounders, sand dabs, soles, halibut-and eagles love themselves a meal of flatfish!
I choose to respect the wishes of the "locals" that have been there since my ancestors were still looking for a spice trading shortcut!!
How about showing the river 'before' the dam was built? just wondering what things looked like and what the wildlife was like! And when you look at every one of the dam removal processes it is not good in one way or another!
Removing any dam will cause disruption to flora, fauna and neighbouring people. Removing four will amplify the disruption. In the grand scheme though the shock will be short lived. Nature will work to restore the situation from day one. The Elwa river in Washington seems to be the exemplar from where I sit 5000 miles away. More than 10 years on things appear to be recovering nicely. It will be the same here.
You are wrong
@@adamnicolay2969 How so?
Pass the kleanex!
Wow! So BEAUTIFUL!! Nature starting its work to restore the river to more like it used to be and should be.
2 days after the deer were put down that were stuck in the mud one was hit by a car on the highway less than a mile from the lake, dont hear of anybody beating themselves up over that!
That's because it's not about deer, fish, or any wildlife. For these folks, it's about resisting change and opposing anything that they don't understand.
It will be interesting to look at all these videos and comments when the silt has washed away, the river is running clear, the stream banks are revegitated, and the salmon return.
Yeah I'm so sad over some rich people who don't have late front property now that really bothers me that they can show off they don't have their algae filled lake that poisons the fish I'd much rather have the salmon
No rich people to be found here. Thanks
I don’t think you’re going to have salmon. Taking out dams on the Rogue River hasn’t seemed to help. Salmon and steelhead populations have really gone down since 2010.
The decline is everywhere. Puget sound numbers have plummeted. River restoration is the answer.@@gregoneal2013
I fish this river right below where they blew it an there is still trout rising some fish are alive . native fish all that matters
I think the native salmonids evolved to encounter periodic periods of high turbidity. I'm sure the levels we're seeing as a result of this project killed a few, but I'm sure many have moved into clear flowing tributaries. I've seen steelhead do this in the spring when flows get really high and turbid.
You don't know much about the dam removal. Only 1 dam has been taken out and that was the small Copco dam.
Most of the baby salmon died before they ever got to the tributaries because of the lack of oxygen in the water. Soon baby salmon will be trying to return to the ocean in the same conditions and they will die also. Coho salmon are not very hearty fish and are not native to this river. They have never thrived here or even in their native river in Oregon. I believe the Chinook is the native salmon to this river though their young will meet the same fate.
@@kristilawrence3282 I'm sorry Kristi, but you are wrong on all accounts. I don't know where you heard that nonsense, but that is exactly what it is. Nonsense!
Coho are 100% completely native to the Klamath River. The smolt tend to stay in the tributaries they were born in longer than Chinook. Most of the coho smolt were in the tributaries when the drawdown occured, that is why they chose to do it now. As the stream channel finds it's way through the sediment in the former reservoir footprint, the river will gradually clear, and as it does, coho, Steelhead and Chinook smolt will begin migrating downstream to the estuary. This project was well thought out prior to being implemented. Things will be just fine. I understand your concerns, but they are unfounded.
@@georgehaydukeiii6396Obviously you need to do your research.
Thank You so much for keeping us updated. It is not easy to watch, but necessary to know.
Nature is remarkable when left to manage itself. The silt will eventually flush and create estuaries elsewhere; further improving the environment. The dams were destructive on so many levels to the ecosystem. The "lake" was unnatural to begin with. Change is difficult, but 10-20 years from now life in and around the river and the perspectives of the disenchanted will remarkably improve.
You do not have a clue. You only read what is scripted by the KRRC, that caused this tragedy. It's easy for you to spout what you think are comforting words from your armchair. This will take 50 or more years and we the people that live on or near the river have to go out every day and see a whole eco system that has been destroyed by an ecoterrorist agenda.
Wow that looks horrible. Hopefully higher flows can wash it out. One thing I don't hear anyone talking about is the fact that with Klamath Lake remaining I don't see how the water quality will improve much. Klamath lake is over 40 miles long of algae and routinely closed to swimming.
They screwed that up when they blew the dikes around the old tulena farms properties and the straights between Agency and Klamath Lake years back. All that did was create another HUGE shallow algea bloom plateau.
Klamath Lake is actually barely 20 miles long and it's a natural lake. Yes Link River dam did raise the water level a few feet, but Klamath Lake is not an artificial reservoir like Copco & Irongate reservoirs.
Much of the algae growth in Klamath Lake is caused by agriculture. Much of the chemical fertilizers they use, wash into the lake and end up fertilizing the algae. There are a lot of people working on fixing that problem too.
@@georgehaydukeiii6396 Klamath Lake might be somewhat natural but the water quality is terrible for salmonids. Last year the outflow was 79 degrees F on the USGS gauge. That is lethal for fish. Downstream of the deeper reservoirs the water cooled to 74 degrees. So will the river be hotter after removing the lower dams?
@@bigfish222 I check the USGS gauging station online at Link river dam in late summer before I fish the Malone springs to Rocky point canoe trails just to get an idea of how stressed the trout could be. But I have caught & released many red band trout in that part of the lake over 10 lbs & 24" long. There are a lot of springs and subterainial flows that keep the deep water cool through that stretch. Those trout are some of the biggest, healthiest fish I have ever caught. While much of the lake might really warm up and get a little to eutrophic for most salmonids, the Klamath Red bands seem to have evolved to do just fine in that lake. While the outflow at Link River might get pretty darn warm sometimes, it is usually just fine. Have you ever seen Eagle Lake rainbows? They live in water warmer than Klamath Lake!
The water down river will be cooler without the reservoirs. JC Boyle, Copco 2, and Irongate. All of those dams drew water off the top, rather than the bottom. That's where most of the temperature issues came from. Many reservoirs like Lost Creek dam on the Rogue in Oregon, draw water off the bottom of the reservoir. That's why the Rogue is so cold below Lost Creek Lake. The reservoir is on the Klamath would warm the Klamath River up because they were shallow and the water came off the top of the lake, rather than the bottom where it stayed cold.
It will act as a sediment barrier for the river, a large settlement pond. Maybe a necessary evil until the sediment can be washed out gradually without destroying the river below.
Oh no! Now you have a forest cabin instead of a lake cabin. So sad 🤮
The phrase to listen for while watching this is "property owners" or "my property". These are all wealthy people that are upset about their vacation/retirement homes losing value. Notice that no one with a deep understanding of these habitats is concerned about this, it's all just people complaining about seeing dead fish and deer or losing their lakefront real estate set to melancholy piano tracks.
This is untrue. We are not wealthy people financially. Lots of people here are on welfare. You obviously don’t know what you are talking about. Keep watching to find out more. Thanks
This community is the most depressed area in Siskiyou, Co. Most have lived here for many generations because they love it. If you have never been here you have no right to assume anything. If there were alot of wealthy people we could have stopped this nightmare. Big money and greed and an ecoterrorist agenda are why this happened.
@@kristilawrence3282....not only the most depressed community in Siskiyou county, but also the most uneducated and uninformed community in Siskiyou county. Sorry, but it needed to be said.
I know. I live near the river too, that's why I left the comment.
Just because these people happen to own some land right on the river/lake doesn't mean they're the only people who are paying attention. Most of us that live in the area that care about this are excited to watch how the river heals, because we care about the health of the WHOLE river system. The only people that are acting all melodramatic like this are these property owners, because all they care about is their lakefront access or their pretty view (meaning: their property value!!) That's why all of you inevitably start babbling about nonsense like "ecoterrorist agendas" or anti-vax BS - because the science, and everyone else that actually cares about the health of the river, disagrees with you, and you can't explain that away.
Big money, greed and an ecoterrorist agenda are what put those dams there in the first place. The property values will now rise. Enjoy! @@kristilawrence3282
Years of abuse will take years to recover...
Who knows, you could be correct. But I've seen some pretty fast recoveries when it comes to riparian species and river systems. I'm just glad the dams are being removed, and the Klamath is being given the opportunity to recover. It's going to be fun to watch it heal.
That’s the most ignorant comment. They should have systematically lowered the water and removed the dam in a much more ecologically friendly manner. This is insane, they don’t care about the river this is about removing infrastructure in rural America. This is total bull shit what they’ve done. The local tribes are gonna be kicking themselves in the ass for promoting this atrocity.
the local tribes are celebrating while the rural wyts are whining. That's how you know that this was an excellent move! @@unboxinglife2308
@@unboxinglife2308 Why didn't you take over and lead the project?
You must not know much about this project. They did exactly that. Copco one 1st. A year later they released water from 2 reservoirs during high water flows to wash as much gook downriver as they could during the winter storm season. Drawing both lakes down with the dams still to be removed starting later this summer. Has nothing to do with current infrastructure. These were old obsolete dams that pacific corps no longer considered viable. The lakes had shrunk to less than 50% capacity due to sediment buildup from dead algae. I would say your were the ignorant one, but that wood be poor manners.@@unboxinglife2308
Next year it will be green. And they will probably plant trees as well and it would look great again. Even if the lake is gone nature will take back and it will look nice.
❤❤❤
Everyone needs to understand that this river and entire ecosystem can now recover and will come back in multiples better after dams are gone. What you are seeing now is renewal not destruction. Sure there is always suffering after change. BUT nature has and will always adapt and recover as it has for millions of years. If we would just stop messing it up we could all enjoy our rivers, streams and all the wonderful things that come with it. Honestly we humans don't live long enough to always witness the evolution of nature so we hyper judge events that honestly occur naturally all over the world that destroy massive ecosystems (see Mt Saint Helens eruption) yet they come back over time. Fortunately my parents taught me delayed gratification and sometimes it takes time for something wonderful to happen. I can guarantee if we leave the Klamath alone and allow it to run free to the Ocean as it did for millions of years the entire river ecosystem will flourish. The river is flushing all the human created garbage (silt and stagnate vegetation) down the river that it would normally do over long periods of time in just a few months. So yes you are seeing suffering now but just relax and enjoy the transformation. It will be wonderful to watch if we just stay out of its way and show a little patience. God bless and I hope you can find peace with it and enjoy the renewal. In 20 years no one will even remember or want to ever go back to a lake or dams once the river restores itself. Just wait and see.
You think we dont understand? You do not have a clue. Yes mother nature will heal this area but the silt is toxic and contaminated with heavy metals. The heavy metals are a natural thing in this area and wash down into the river naturally. When they come to and area where the water slows down, like a lake or reservoir, it drops to the bottom and eventually gets covered with plants and animals that have died. It is contained in a natural bed and not toxic until it is released by something like a dam breach. If this silt is not removed it will be running into the river a very long time. There is no plan in the KRRC'S agenda to remove the silt. They were advised by Paul Hauser, the head scientist of research for this project that the silt needed to be removed before letting any water out of the dams. He was fired in 2021 because his opinion did not go along with the governments narrative. The silt dust is toxic to people, fish and wildlife. I just really dislike people that sit in their armchairs and spout about something that they know nothing about.
The Benbow Dam was removed in the Eel Year's ago. These Dams are not for flood control they were short sighted in Damming rivers back in the day.
Flood control has been a great side effect of having the dams. Even though they were not built for that purpose, it kept our property from flooding with normal heavy rains or big snow melts. Also that was limited. But now without the dams, our property doesn’t have that safety guard anymore. Not that anyone would care, but us. Thanks
There are tons of lakes everywhere , move
@@chrismonreal8638 Why you gotta be an asshole?
As long as you dont build in the the flood plain , you wont get flooded,@@flyingbieke
I thought they removed Benbow dam every winter ...It is a temporary dam they put up every summer for the resort ...
They did this in January when we have plenty of rain and snow flying. What will the river look like in the summer? Especially late in the summer when we haven't had any precipitation for months. It'll be interesting to see if perspectives change after the summer.
Yes, the reservoirs were drained in January so that the increased precipitation would increase the flows, and help wash all the sediment out of the river, and into the ocean. That's why it was planned that way!
As far as summer time flows are concerned, they will be unchanged, except for the fact the water will be colder and clearer with less algae. Now that the dams are gone, we won't have those big bathtubs full of nutrients and fertilizers heating up in the sun and creating toxic conditions. The river will flow naturally like it has for tens of thousands of years. You'll see, it will be restored.
several pairs of Chinook were documented yesterday spawning in Jenny Creek. This project is already a success!
lol, just showing their ignorance
This lady speaking sounds so hideous.
after the tears are gone,a bright day will return
The disaster is that you selfishly miss your view. This land will repair just like the land down below, so the eco system can be repaired. The most complaints are self-absorbed.
Obviously you do not live nearby the lake nor the river. You must have no idea of the situation what it really is. And I don’t blame you, how would you know. These are no complaints of soft nature, these are real life man made disasters. Mother Earth has lots of healing to do. Thanks
the real life man made disaster was the building of the dams. They are gone now. Enjoy! @@flyingbieke
@@flyingbieke The Klamath River dams have been an environmental disaster since they were installed.
@flyingbieke I live near the mouth of the klamath in yurok County. The first complaint out of everyone's month is that they lost their view. It is shameful
The view will now be a wonderful river and ecosystem. Not a lake full of duck mud.@@aliyyaeaton7876
Thank you for posting. Hopefully you can continue to document as the months pass. ONLY time will tell. Hoping it's the case of pulling the arrow backwards to shoot forward. I'm not educated on this situation so I will refrain from making ignorant comments. Just grateful you can document and educate to help with making decisions in the future...God bless..
Was this lake water used by firefighters during wildfires?
Yes it was used for firefighting. Copco Lake residents were saved because of it. Now this will become far more challenging.
The river is still there and will always have water. You just need a deep spot. Plenty of those.@@flyingbieke
oh, god. jajajajajajajajajaja
That's where fossils come from. Wondering who euthanized dinosaurs
😂👍👍
I'm curious how many people giving this couple a hard time about leaving mother nature to her business are also in support of solar farms? This was not done correctly and has caused emmense disaster. The gaslighting is coming from KRRC amd PacifiCorp NOT the locals whitnessing the aftermath.
Your comment makes absolutely no sense. I've read it three times and still can't understand what you're trying to say.
Those dams weren't built over night and neither should they have been demolished in such a short time. I'm all for restoration of natural resources but I definitely think there could have been a slower more methodical way of going about it. Balance is key to most things. Yes nature will heal itself but this was like ripping off a Band-Aid before the wound was healed.
The actual dam removal will take 6 months, is that long enough for you?
Literally dozens of experts agreed that the method chosen to use pulse flows in winter and early spring, was the best method. I'm sorry they didn't consult with you prior to proceeding with this project. Are you a hydrologist? Geologist? Fish biologist? What are your credentials?
It is done now stop all use of Nets
Its the end of September and I still haven't seen even one fish jump . Normally it would be full of fish 😪
@@carl304 true! I don’t see any life in this river. And barely any wildlife around it either.
on October 15th several pairs of Chinook were observed spawning in Jenny Creek! that means next year even more will. This project is a tremendous success!
They compare Elwa removal, but Elwa is in rainforest whereas Klamath isn't- two different climate zones.
Hope for the best!
Dams really need to come down, not all but many are abandoned and just inhibiting rivers from being productive.
As different as night and day.
The Elwa and Klamath do have many differences. The have a lot in common as well. There are many lessons from the Elwa that helped plan the Klamath project. We are new at this. It will take some time to get it right. I live near the Sandy River in Oregon. They took out an old obsolete powerhouse and the river now runs free to the Ocean. The recovery has been better than anticipated.
@@johnkilty1419 that is great
@@johnkilty1419 the common. They both had dams. That's about it.
There is way more in common. Salmon, Rivers, Tribes, habitat restoration, sediment removal and control, replanting naitive plants and tress, steelhead and many other fish, Ocean. feeder creeks and much more@@jesse75
This killed millions of fish.
Yes it did! And that is a good thing in this case. They were almost all introduced species that didn't belong there. You should have payed more attention in science and biology class, then you'd understand.
Its going to take years for the river to cleanse itself
Depends on the storms. They thought the Sandy river would take years to wash to sediment out. It tool less than 3 months. Lucky timing with storms.
Yes but not removed.
Future fossils to dig up
You must destroy so you can restore
It's not possible for your pets now to go the river to drink or play? I'll leave now...
No record of wildlife deaths when the dam was built. But i'm sure it was substantial.
You're gonna be okay Boomer
Hey! Thank you so much for documenting this situation. At the 2:41 mark you are standing right above where the mother and baby were shot and killed the day before on January 27, 2024. On January 29, 2024 is the day that the 8 deer, mothers and babies died stuck in mud. The pictures you show in your video are mine. So just want to clarify, they died on their own, completely helpless to extricate themselves. They were not euthanized! And THANK YOU again for getting our voices out. We have a you tube channel but need help in getting things uploaded and such. We would appreciate your help with our channel. My tech guy is a 16 year old boy from out of the area. We are the news now and you are doing a great job covering what's really going on here. The KRRC always talks about being a "good neighbor" but the reality is they have done nothing but lie, threaten, continue to treat locals with disdain and disrespect and carry on as if this is all normal......... THIS IS NOT NORMAL! And God forgive us if we let this become normal, here and anyplace else. We must protect our water resources from enemies foreign and domestic. What happened here at Copco Lake and to the entire Klamath River is not ok.
At the moment I was taking the video at the lake, I did not know that I was standing near the dead deer. When I was there it felt like I was at a funeral. People who would care about the environment or nature would never let this happen. Their agenda is very sickening and the news won’t cover it. I can’t stand for that. Thank you so much for reaching out.
Chrissie, those are some pretty extreme words about the KRRC. I think you are just really upset about losing your view of an artificial reservoir. The fact is, Copco was making the entire river really sick! I think it's selfish of you to want to continue to watch over 150 miles of river suffer and die, so you can see water out your window. The scientists who made these decisions, know a lot more about our local ecosystem and the health of this river then a handful of people living on a toxic blue-green algae cesspool. I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound insensitive, but this is ridiculous!
And as far as those deer are concerned, please, why don't you focus your time & energy on helping to create some wildlife corridor safety crossings over major roads and highways. Like I always say, more deer die in ONE DAY on Siskiyou county's roads, then will ever die in the mud around Copco reservoir.
We all need to start looking at the big picture, and not just the little piece of ground we are standing on!
You're right, what happened to the entire Klamath River when they built those dams is not ok!
@@flyingbieke @chrissiereynolds4058 I implore you both to read up about aquatic ecology/general ecology or take a course at an online university. Many of your concerns will be addressed...
Is there quick sa nd there? So how do you go in the l ake?
Check out where the Klamath River comes from. Klamath Lake is known to get very warm in summer, along with severe algae blooms. It lasts until early fall when the salmon are near the end of their journey with the final act of spawning. Klamath Lake water is a barrier to migratory salmon, just like the rainbow trout that must seek shelter during the summer by finding springs and spring fed tributaries. Also consider all the other factors affecting Chinook up and down the coast. All the way to Alaska.
I grew up and lived in Copco 2 and loved the river lakes and fish. I know that the river ran free more than 100 years ago. I don't think that the salmon are ever going to return to what some people think. What is over looked, is what all of the other fish and wild life that thrived with in these lakes. The Bass, Perch, Blue gill, Crappie, Catfish are all going to die out. We will have to see what comes of this.
There were a lot of bass, yellow perch, crappie, bluegill and catfish in both those reservoirs. But as sad as it is, they were non-native species and were having a negative impact on the native salmon and steelhead populations. It's sad to see those species go, but they will not survive in the free-flowing Klamath.
When things recover a little more, I will look forward to Steelhead and Salmon fishing all through the Wards Canyon stretch! I suspect there will be some big resident rainbows that move into that part of the river too.
@@georgehaydukeiii6396I've seen catfish all the way down to Weitchpec.
People catch perch ice fishing every year.
When I catch a string of them, I'll post them for you to look.
You are a self appointed expert in your own mind.
@@jesse75 where do you icefish on the Klamath?
I bet you have nice memories.. thanks
@@georgehaydukeiii6396 I'm 76 y.o. , I fished the Trinity in the 60's. I live in Virginia now. I have hope to catch steelhead and salmon there again, because of this project.
The deer didnt get euhanized they got SHOT!
The most humane way.
Same thing.
All political,no concern for balance or effects,the silt released by the removal has destroyed the steelhead & salmon reeds for years to come,let alone the smolts & eggs from this year,both species are in short supply & numbers are all ready down,oh wait as usual will just replace them with stocked hatchery fish,again short term solutions to a long term problem & what's next,tired of political gain overthinking the long term issues 😢😢
Most of the salmon, and all of steelhead spawn in the tributaries to the Klamath, so their redds are safe.
If the dams had been removed earlier, when we started noticing the negative effect on fish populations, and the river in general, there would not be so much sediment built up behind those dams!
As far as tying politics to this project, you fail again! Progressives have been trying to address this problem since when it started occurring close to 100 years ago. It's the far-right, money grubbing, GOP that has resisted, and continues to resist any change. Remember, you brought up the political part of this. I'm just correcting you.
My friend. Most of the salmon and steelhead have spawned in tributaries of the river.
So the redds are protected even if the river gets muddy and full of silt.
Next October if you are around, I can show you one of the tributaries which salmon spawn in.
Video 3 explains sediment really well.. Thanks, and yes it’s very sad to see a damaged river.
@@flyingbieke In my opinion the damage has been occuring for the last 200 years. Trying to undo that much damage is going to look messy at times, but in the long run it will be worth it.
@@flyingbieke I cried tears of joy seeing the Klamath run free in your shots around the reservoirs post-drawdown
I look forward to seeing how salmon and steelhead populations respond to this new environment over the next 20 years.
Salmon and steelhead populations have steadily declined on the Rogue River since the dams were removed or seems that way. I’ll bet the numbers back up my guess.
When was the last time you fished the Rogue? Where are you hearing this rumor. The Rogue is getting better every year! We're having an awesome steelhead run this year. Savage Rapids & Gold Ray were fish killers. Maybe you just miss fishing for carp in Kelly slough?😅
Corners were cut purely for economic reasons. A lot of the sediment could have been removed prior to removal. If Mark Bransom and the Klamath River Renewal Corporation have reservations about growing their family vegetable garden with the sediment that accumulated from the bottom of the dam then they should clean it up.
They probably would have loved to spend tens of millions more dollars dredging or excavating the bottom of the reservoirs. But people are already complaining that this project cost too much. Why not just let the river do what rivers have always done? The muddy conditions we saw in the river are only temporary. A lot of the sediment has already washed out to sea. It isn't always some kind of huge conspiracy. People are actually doing their best to fix some of the mistakes we made in the past.
By not trying to reduce the impacts from the impounded sediment it will prolong the recovery time and greatly reduce take of native and listed species in the process. The long term cost will greatly exceed any short term savings. Removing the dams is good but cutting corners for economic reasons has a cost to the environment.
@@T_Goff I don't agree. The papers I have read indicate it better to flush the system as quickly as possible, rather than prolonging the mobilization over a period of years. It's my understanding that a lot of effort has gone into timing and coordination of flow regimes. By utilizing winter precip, snow runoff and the ability to send pulses down from Keno and Link dams, the majority of the sediment should be at minimum by the time smolt start out-migrating and adult spawners start entering the system.
What I think people are forgetting, is that there is tons of life in all the tributaries that flow into the Klamath. From crayfish to mottled sculpin, speckled dace, suckers, macro invertebrates, amphibians.....They will all be working their way out of the tributaries into the mainstem Klamath. You can monitor turbidity levels and flows at waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/11516530/#parameterCode=00065&period=P7D&showMedian=false
@@georgehaydukeiii6396 Time will tell how it all end up but the same experts killed 830,000 chinook smolts. Not exactly hopeful that they have it all figured out.
Mother nature will prevail, rebound will take time, just as the dams leathal destruction took time, Klamath will be heald, not by man but but Nature.
You have no clue the about the enormity of this situation. You armchair eco terrorists spout all of this, oh its going to be fine in a few years. Obviously you dont live here and wont have to suffer with the people who do.Even crab fishermen are seeing above normal dead crab in their nets as far as 10 miles. Crescent city docks are littered with dead crab. The whole eco system has been destroyed and is now toxic. The last estimate that I heard was 50 years.
Good question that all of us that live on and near the river would like have an answer to that question. Supposedly there is a mitigation fund but it will not be enough to cover any of the peripheral and collateral dame done by this project. Even the crab fishermen are seeing above normal, dead crab in their nets, as far as 10 miles out. What is this water doing to seals, otters, mollusks, other fish?
The dams were the real problem. They were the worst thing humans did to this river. They needed to come out. They are being removed, and that is a good thing. But 100+ years of damage caused by them isn't going to be easy, or pretty to clean up! If you feel the need to hold someone accountable, try everyone. Everyone who turned on a light switch, plugged in an electric appliance, everyone who remained silent when Indians, fishermen, biologist and environmentalists tried to fix this problem for the last 100 years. Fixing our mistakes can be difficult, time consuming, and ugly! We all need to get used to it.😢
you are a saint in these comment sections, George. @@georgehaydukeiii6396
@@georgehaydukeiii6396 THAT'S RIGHT!!! These complainers are short sighted and selfish.
When the lake bed dries out just think of all the uses it will present.
Don't you understand that the lake bed is polluted with toxic dust? All the people and wildlife living here will be threatened when it drys and the dust starts to blow around.
Like growing lush vegetation.
You people talking about native fish dont realize that Coho salmon are not native to this river.
Kristi, I'm not sure who told you Coho aren't native. But Coho are native. People have got to stop making things up, and spreading dishonest rumors and lies.
I can assure you coho salmon are native to the Klamath Basin and upstream of Iron Gate. Do some research...
just wait till the wells start going dry next summer! Complete ecologic FUCKING failure!
Kevin, in case you haven't noticed, wells are going dry all over the region. It's a result of our failure to address climate change because we're addicted to oil.
@@georgehaydukeiii6396ambiguous and not specific.
he was actually pretty specific and unambiguous. You're just too willfully ignorant to admit it. @@jesse75
@@dayofthejackyl wells are going dry because farmers are pumping more and more ground water.
It's not because of climate change.
Wells were dry right away, and yes it is a HUGE FAILURE!
I feel for you sorry to see the damn go, Ed
It will take 30 to 50 year's for the Fish to recover . This whole thing is more destructive than the dams were !
it will be breathtaking within 10 years. This will be beautiful to watch unfold.
@@dayofthejackyl Yeah , but you can't guarantee the Salmon will survive , between this And Fukushima they really don't stand much of a chance .
I don't know how you can make such a bold statement. Are you some sort of top level fish biologist, hydrologist, aquatic engineer or something? Why so negative? There are a lot of really successful projects just like this one. We are just in the ugly stage right now.
@@georgehaydukeiii6396 I was raised in Scott Valley I can remember when the Scott River would run Black with Salmon. During the Winter of 1964-65 we had a massive flooding it wiped out the Salmon and it has never fully recovered. Using that as a rule of thumb I feel confident that my statement hold true. The removal of those Dams has unleashed the same kind of destruction to the Rivers Echo system. Hope I'm wrong, but I really don't think I am .
@@michealtull9033 Awesome, I lived in Oro fino on quartz MTN lookout road for a few years, and across the street from Singtong's and Rusty's bar there in Etna back in the late 1980's. I helped Andrew Hurliman a little when he started Etna brewing. I worked for the Forest Service when the Salmon River Ranger district office was still in Etna! I'm sure we had breakfast together at Bob's, or lunch at Dottie's. Anyway, I know the Scott River well. I've snorkeled every bit of it from Jones Beach on down to the mouth. I've watched that river change over the years a lot myself. Unfortunately, on the Scott, it was the dredging upstream towards Callahan that really did that system in. It's nice to hear from another. Scott Valley native.
The river flow will remain the same because it comes from Klamath lake and the inflow to the lake determines the outflow. This season there may be a bit more water available because of snowpack. Last year because the tribes had a call on the water, so in that case no water was allocated to the wildlife reserve on Lower Lake area. Now with the dams gone the fantasy is " millions" of salmon will soon be showing up.
Unanswered question.....who foots the bill for the reclamation of the mud flats river bottom??
The bill has already been “footed” - there are plans in place to restore the lake bed.
From what I have been reading about this project, a good majority of the restoration efforts will be undertaken volunteers, working with and guided by agencies that have been planning this for over a decade. Many of those who fought so hard and so long to have the dams removed are among those who are volunteering to restore the lake bottoms, but many schools and higher education institutions are also volunteering their students, as the restoration offers a fantastic opportunity to teach so many aspects of resource management. Yes, it will be a tough couple of months for local wildlife adjusting to these new conditions, but this, too, has been planned for. And while I know it's hard to see this happening, first hand, as a resident of the area with not only concerns for the wildlife but also justifiable concerns about property values and taxes, Mother Nature is amazingly resilient and by this time next year those mud flats will be covered with new life. Try hard to keep in mind that those dams were abandoned almost 20 years ago and actually represented a greater threat if left standing. In truth, they should never have been built in the first place and taking them down to allow the river to run free again was the best solution available for ALL concerned, including the wildlife.
I didn't know that JC Boyle, Copco #1 & 2 and Irongate were abandoned. Do you mean scheduled to be decommissioned and sold to a different entity? I think they were all generating power until the day they were drained. The river will be much better off without those dams! I can't wait to see the salmon come back!
The flow will not be the same. You left out the outflow was largely determined by the dams. In the dry season little water was flowing below the dams.
The dams needed to be upgraded and modernized. To do that they would have had to also put in a fish ladder. Weighing the cost verses the power generated. The math was simple. Even if they had sold to a new entity. The new owners would have had the same restriction. Also the storage capacity of the lakes had shrunk significantly due to sediment from the decaying algae. The water would turn greenish and thick in the summer. @@georgehaydukeiii6396
As is so sad will bring resolve to the same distain we created when we dammed our rivers in hopes of prosperity
You are an armchair eco terrorist without a clue.
So very sad and horrible
Yes it is very very sad. Some neighbors are traumatized by this and because it’s our home we can’t just walk away from it. It is truly criminal what they are doing..
@@flyingbiekewhy didn't they do one dam at a time? Do this over several years instead of flushing the river and overloading it?
@@GardenerEarthGuy Hi, They didn’t leave much time in between. They also didn’t go by the plan they had in place, which was: let water out gradually, take silt out, let water out, take silt out, and repeat. This was too expensive. So this is how they did it, a big hole and let go of all that water pretty much at once.
@@flyingbieke
Yeah, flushing the river took everything and the future is seeding, hatchery, and everything new.
Taking things down a piece at a time may have preserved genetics that aren't in a corporate profit and loss sheet.
The draw down should have taken a year or two minimum, but hippies love corporate directive. Honestly, I hope they all got vaccinated for what they did.
stupidity!@@GardenerEarthGuy
Someone should be heavily fined or prosecuted, Can the dams upstream be used to refill the lake and restore the sediment cycle? They can't after all be allowed to do the same thing. I'm surprised the tribes, homeowners and municipalities are not suing the Hell out of the contractor. What's the EPA doing?
I agree. Whoever built those dams in the first place should be locked up and pay huge fines for completely screwing up the Klamath River. They could use the money from the billionaires who built those dams to pay for this restoration project.
huge mistake im not sure the river will ever recover from this my family and i along with many of our friends have enjoying iron gate lake for 30+ years and we are all heart broken over the draining of that place
Find a new crappy reservoir to water ski on, and get ready to enjoy a free-flowing river full of salmon again.
The news untruth is what got us here
Yup! People like Tucker Carlson, Alex Jones, Rush Limpdick, Sean Hannity and Fox!
@@georgehaydukeiii6396you wouldn't know the truth even if you tripped over it.