(University of Oregon School of Law, 2023-01-18) Blumm, Michael C.; Illowsky, Dara
The Klamath River, draining some twelve thousand square miles in southern Oregon and northern California, was once the third largest salmon stream on the West Coast, the life force of Native Americans. The river runs 263 miles from headwaters in Oregon and flows through the Cascades to the Pacific Ocean south of Crescent City, California. The river is unusual in that its origin is near the arid deserts of eastern Oregon and proceeds to run through temperate rainforests of California and through a considerable amount of federal and tribal lands.
This Article explains the Klamath, its fish, its farms, and its dams and draws some lessons from what has long been a contentious fight over water, power, and fish. For the first time in recent memory, projections look bright for Klamath River fish and those who depend on them.
