After more than two decades of relentless advocacy, the indigenous tribes have celebrated a monumental victory with the complete removal of four dams on the Klamath River. This historic initiative, recognized as the largest dam removal in U.S. history, signifies a pivotal moment for local tribes that have fought tirelessly to “liberate” the Klamath River, which spans hundreds of miles between California and Oregon.

In a report by the Associated Press, it was noted that local tribes gathered substantial evidence through protests, public hearings, and legal challenges to highlight the environmental devastation caused by the hydroelectric dams, particularly their adverse effects on salmon populations.

Salmon are deeply woven into the cultural and spiritual fabric of the tribes. They argue that the dams disrupted the fish’s connection to their natural habitats, resulting in significant die-offs attributed to deteriorating water quality.

Mark Bransom, CEO of the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, the organization leading the restoration efforts, emphasized that the removal of the dams would not have been achievable without the tribes’ persistent efforts to shine a spotlight on the environmental and cultural damages inflicted by these structures.

PacifiCorp, the utility company responsible for building the dams between 1918 and 1962 for power generation, has seen these structures obstruct what was once the West Coast’s third-largest salmon nursery. This disruption has severely affected the salmon’s life cycle, even though they spend the majority of their lives in the Pacific Ocean and return to cooler streams to spawn.

The Klamath River Renewal Corporation also pointed out that the dams provided only minimal power—sufficient for about 70,000 households—without offering any irrigation, drinking water, or flood control benefits.

Michael Belchik, a senior water policy analyst with the Yurok Tribe, noted that since the removal of the dams, salmon are returning to their habitats, along with noticeable improvements in water temperature and quality.

However, advocates from the tribes and social activists stress that the environmental restoration process is still ongoing. Their current focus is on rehabilitating vegetation along the Klamath River and its surrounding areas.

Molli Myers, a member of the Karuk Tribe who participated in the dam removal protests, shared her story of traveling to Scotland in 2004 with 25 fellow tribespeople to attend a shareholders’ meeting of their parent company, ScottishPower. It was their chance to advocate for the removal of the Klamath dams, and she was pregnant with a toddler in tow—making it her first trip abroad.

Gathered at Calton Hill in Edinburgh, outside the venue of the ScottishPower meeting, they protested for hours, wielding posters, singing songs, and drumming. They cooked fish over whiskey barrels, sharing it with locals to explain their cause.

Having grown up as a traditional fisherwoman on the Klamath River, Myers expressed, “I was nervous, especially being pregnant; for me, it was about internalizing my responsibility to care for my child’s future.”

She poignantly recalled witnessing thousands of salmon perish due to low water levels and high temperatures, a painful reality that fueled her determination to advocate for the dismantling of the dams.

Reflecting on her journey at 41, Myers said, “What if that moment hadn’t happened? It truly felt like a call to action from the Creator.”