The Upper Klamath: An Ecosystem on the Edge
The Klamath River begins at Crater Lake and with the wetlands and refuges in South-central Oregon. These wetlands and refuges provide habitat for more migrating birds then anywhere else in the lower 48. These wetlands also provide for the “C’wam”, or endangered Lost River suckers” and the needs of the Klamath Tribe.

Klamath Dams Need to Go
The River then goes through a series of dams and diversions that pollute the water and cause it to stagnate, before winding into the steep wild canyons of the mid-Klamath. These dams, which are owned by Pacific Power, block all migrating fish and cause toxic alga that are dangerous to humans and animals, and warm the water. These dams are up for renewal, which gives us a rare opportunity that only happens every fifty years, to remove these fish killing dams. All tribes and environmental groups that work on the Klamath are working to remove these dams.

The Wild Mid-Klamath
The wild waterways of the mid-Klamath cause the Klamath to be the only river in the United States to improve in water quality as it flows toward the ocean. These watersheds support the Klamath Fall and Spring Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Spring Steelhead, Lamprey Eel, and Green Sturgeon. All these species are important for subsistence and culture for the Karuk and Yurok tribes, which take the responsibility of protecting these species very seriously. With millions of acres of wilderness in the mid-Klamath, it remains a fish stronghold, however irresponsible logging by private corporations and the US Forest Service, along with an extensive poorly planned road system, and a hundred years of fire suppression in this fire dependant eco-system threaten this area.

The Lower Klamath and Trinity River
The Klamath River then winds to meet the mighty Trinity River, which is home to the Hoopa tribe, then continues to the Yurok Reservation and the coastal redwoods before meeting the sea in the remote redwood coast of far Northern California.