October 20, 2025 — This month marks the one-year anniversary of dam removal along the lower Klamath River, the culmination of what has been described as “the world’s biggest dam removal project.”
During a virtual news conference on Oct. 9, environmental groups, tribal organizations and state and local agencies celebrated the milestone. Presenters described dramatic successes, as well as potential setbacks, in detail, outlining efforts along one of the most comprehensive environmental restoration efforts in history. ”
Just being out there in the community and talking to tribal fishermen, tribal members, sport fishermen … (and) the community at large, there’s this feeling that the river feels different,” Barry McCovey Jr., director of the Yurok Tribal Fisheries Department, told attendees. “It feels stronger. It feels cleaner. Everyone who’s been out there has had a bit of a different experience this summer and fall, and that experience has been a positive one. So, we’re making progress. I would note the Klamath River is still in that process of healing from those dams, and the scars are still fresh, but the progress that we’ve made in just one year is pretty incredible, and … it provides us with a lot of hope for the future.”