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CapitalPress.com
Friday, July 15, 2022
OSU, Yurok Tribe partner to study
Klamath River after dam removal
By GEORGE PLAVEN
Capital Press
KLAMATH, Calif. — On
the precipice of the largest
dam removal project in U.S.
history, researchers at Oregon
State University are partner-
ing with a northern Califor-
nia tribe to envision what lies
ahead for the Klamath River.
Demolition of the J.C.
Boyle, Copco 1, Copco 2 and
Iron Gate dams could begin as
early as next year, though fed-
eral energy regulators are still
reviewing plans submitted by
the Klamath River Renewal
Corp. to decommission and
raze the structures.
Removal of the four dams
is expected to open 400 miles
of upstream spawning habitat
for endangered salmon. It will
also dramatically alter parts
of the river system, impacting
water quality, water use and
the aquatic food web.
Desiree Tullos, professor
of water resources engineer-
ing at OSU, is leading a multi-
year study to assess these
changes and help inform
future management decisions
in the basin.
“We want to fill in gaps in
the Western science, as well
as gaps in how we make equi-
table decisions based on both
ecological science and Indig-
Associated Press File
Copco No. 1 Dam on the Klamath River near Hornbrook, Calif., is one of four dams
slated for removal.
enous knowledge,” Tullos
said.
To address the latter, OSU
is working with the Yurok
Tribe, which has fished for
salmon in the Klamath River
for centuries.
Barry McCovey Jr., direc-
tor of the Yurok Tribal Fish-
eries Program, said the tribe
has been fighting to remove
the four Klamath River dams
since they were built between
1903 and 1967. He esti-
mated the river has lost 90%
of its historical fish runs,
which once numbered in the
millions.
“We’re trying to fix the
ecosystem,” McCovey said.
“We want to restore it so that
it’s intact for future genera-
tions, and for all the people to
come.”
The collaboration with
OSU, McCovey said, will
help chart a future for the
river after the dams are gone.
Tullos said the proj-
ect was recently awarded
$870,000 from Oregon
Sea Grant to conduct the
research, including out-
reach among five key stake-
holder groups — tribes, irri-
gators, commercial fishing,
recreation and conservation
organizations.
“The idea is really get-
ting a very comprehensive
view of how these stake-
holders understand the sys-
tem, and what their tools
are to respond to these
changes,” she said.
A big piece of the puz-
zle is learning how dam
removal will affect water
quality in the river. Res-
ervoirs behind the dams
have caused problems
in the past with increas-
ing water temperature and
trapping nutrients such as
phosphorous and nitrogen,
resulting in harmful algal
blooms.
From there, Tullos said
researchers will be able to
develop new ecological and
cultural models for the river
based on interviews with
stakeholders. Those mod-
els can then inform man-
agement decisions to max-
imize the river’s social and
economic benefits.
“By working with the
tribe and stakeholders in
the basin’ we’ll capture a
really comprehensive set of
perspectives,” Tullos said.
“And the more perspectives
we have, the better deci-
sions we’ll make.”
In addition to the Yurok
Tribe, the research team
includes Bryan Tilt, Julie
Alexander, James Peterson
and Guillermo Giannico
of OSU, and Laurel Gen-
zoli of the University of
Montana. Tullos said she
expects outreach in the
basin will begin next year.
McCovey, with the
tribe’s fisheries depart-
ment, said the project is “a
really great opportunity to
get this right, and include
Indigenous people in the
decision-making process.”
“We can make smart
management
decisions
accordingly, based on
those modeled projections,
so we don’t endanger any-
body’s livelihood or any
species,” McCovey said.
“We definitely don’t want
to go backwards.”
Fourth backyard flock tests positive for bird flu in Oregon
By GEORGE PLAVEN
Capital Press
SALEM — Another
backyard poultry flock has
tested positive for highly
pathogenic avian influenza
in Oregon’s Willamette
Valley.
State agriculture offi-
cials confirmed the dis-
ease was detected July 6 in
a non-commercial flock of
about 40 chickens in Linn
County. The flock’s owner
had contacted the Oregon
Department of Agriculture
to report sick and dying
birds.
ODA says birds from the
flock have since been eutha-
nized, and will not enter the
food system.
It is the fourth case of
bird flu in a backyard flock
in Oregon this year, with
the first being reported May
6, also in Linn County. Two
other cases have been found
in Lane and Polk coun-
ties. So far, the disease has
not struck any commercial
poultry in the state.
While bird flu does not
pose any immediate pub-
lic health concern, ODA
advises both commer-
cial poultry farmers and
backyard flock owners to
be vigilant with biosecu-
rity measures. “Reduc-
ing or eliminating contact
between wild birds and
domestic flocks is the best
way to protect domestic
birds from this disease,” the
agency stated.
According to the U.S.
Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention, the
latest strain of H5N1 bird
flu has infected more than
40 million poultry in 37
states nationwide, along
with 1,805 wild birds in 43
states.
Sierra Dawn McClain
Capital Press File
Bird flu has
been found in
backyard flocks
in Oregon.