The Klamath River Reborn: Salmon Return to Ancestral Waters for the First Time in Over a Century For the first time in more than 100 years, wild salmon are spawning freely in the upper reaches of the Klamath River—past the sites of every hydroelectric dam that once blocked their path. This remarkable event marks not only the rebirth of a river but the dawn of a new era in how we restore and protect our most vital ecosystems. Flowing from the high country of southern Oregon through northern Calif

When salmon return from the ocean to the Klamath River after the world’s largest dam removal project ends this fall, they will regain access to 400 miles of historical spawning habitat their species has been cut off from for more than a century. From the river to the lab, looking at the very ear bones of fish, scientists with the University of California, Davis, are playing a key role helping to answer a big dam question: Will it work? Will a diverse population of salmon thrive again once the da