Undammed: The Klamath River Story
The history of water in the West has been shaped by conflict, greed, and scarcity, but in a remote pocket of Southern Oregon and Northern California, a different Western water story is taking shape. The largest dam removal in history is on the verge of completion on the Klamath River. This moment is the result of a historic decades-long Tribally-led campaign to free the Klamath River and restore salmon and steelhead populations, which are core to Native traditions and foodways. This is a huge triumph. Today the river is a living thread that connects communities who each have their own version of the Klamath, and all of these communities will have to work together to reimagine what this watershed could look like as the river they all rely on transforms. In this podcast, we’ll follow that connective thread between the people and creatures that know the Klamath best to understand how they encounter this transformative moment and envision what the future might hold.
New episodes drop weekly on Mondays.
This podcast is made possible by support from American Rivers and was produced by Blue Canoe Studios with invaluable guidance from Kerry Donahue.
Undammed: The Klamath River Story
It's Really Just the Beginning
In this episode we look to another river to see if there is anything it can tell us about what the future may hold for the Klamath. The Elwha River, located in the Olympic Peninsula, in Washington state, previously held the title of largest dam removal. It's been over a decade now since the Elwha's two hydroelectric dams were dismantled and so much has changed for the river, the animals, and the people. The Elwha and the Klamath are very different rivers, but in this episode we explore the Elwha's recovery to consider the possibilities for the Klamath. And we also consider what it means to have a connected river system, one that is not just free of dams but one that is holistically cared for.
It may be the last episode, but it's really just the beginning.
This podcast was made possible by support from American Rivers and was produced by Blue Canoe Studios with invaluable guidance from Kerry Donahue.
