Vanport Flood’s legacy in Columbia River dams: Guest opinion Updated May 30, 1:36 PM; Posted May 30, 1:15 PM Vanport Flood (LC- Oregon Historical Society) The Oregonian/OregonLive By John DeVoe A building on Second Avenue in Portland has two small markers: One says “High Water Mark – 1894.” That marker is about at my shoulder level. The second marker says “High Water Mark …
Columbia River Treaty watchers hope to right 50 years of wrongs
Columbia River Treaty watchers hope to right 50 years of wrongs By: ROB CHANEY rchaney@missoulian.com April 13, 2018 Fire up half a dozen bulldozers over a summer and Canada could turn the Kootenai River away from Libby Dam and pour its water into the Columbia River.
New treaty must address ecosystem concerns
GUEST VIEWPOINT New treaty must address ecosystem concerns By John DeVoe The Register-Guard January 28, 2018
Klamath dam removals heavily supported by community
Klamath dam removals heavily supported by community by Natalya Estrada The Eureka Times-Standard January 12, 2017 Close to 100 people showed up to speak for the removal of the four dams on the Klamath River at a public meeting put on by the California State Water Resource Control Board in Arcata on Thursday evening. The board set out to gather …
On the Klamath, a surprising win for river advocates
On the Klamath, a surprising win for river advocates Dam removals on the Oregon-California border move forward without water deals for irrigators By Paige Blankenbuehler High Country News Feb. 5, 2016 Klamath Basin tribes and allies from the commercial fishing and conservation community stage a rally at the 2006 meeting of the International Hydropower Industry. Patrick McCully, Flickr User Earlier …
Guest Opinion: Removal of obsolete dams benefits rivers, the public and landowners
Guest Opinion: Removal of obsolete dams benefits rivers, the public and landowners By Jim McCarthy and Tonya Graham Medford Mail-Tribune September 6, 2015 Demolition crews knock out first notch in Wimer Dam on Evans Creek, a tributary of the Rogue River. Photo by Scott Wright, River Design Group. In recent years, the growing number of successful removals of obsolete dams …
Tribes call on bureau to release fish-kill prevention flows this week
Tribes call on bureau to release fish-kill prevention flows this week By Will Houston Eureka Times-Standard August 17, 2015 2002 Klamath River fish kill. With ceremonial dam release flows expected to reach the Trinity River waters near Hoopa this evening, federal and tribal officials are still working out the details and timeline on another set of dam releases proposed to …
Top Priority Dam Removal Nears Completion in Rogue River Basin
For Immediate Release August 10, 2015 Contacts: Bob Hunter, WaterWatch of Oregon Board Member, 541-778-3310 Brian Barr, Geos Institute Project Manager, 541-621-7226 Denise Hoffert, American Rivers, 541-619-5896 John DeVoe, WaterWatch of Oregon Executive Director, 503-295-4039 Photos and map showing both dams are available here. Video of Wimer Dam removal available here. Top Priority Dam Removal Nears Completion in Rogue River Basin Demolition …
State will test fish-passage mitigation bank
State will test fish-passage mitigation bank By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune August 7, 2015 State fish managers will test-drive a new, big-picture approach to fixing fish-passage barriers by bypassing otherwise required work on some bridges and culverts in favor of larger barriers that will generate greater benefits for wild salmon and open more usable habitat for them. Despite warnings that …
2 Of Oregon’s Worst Dams For Fish Are Coming Down
2 Of Oregon’s Worst Dams For Fish Are Coming Down by Jes Burns OPB/EarthFix August 5, 2015 Demolition crews knock out first notch in Wimer Dam on Evans Creek, a tributary of the Rogue River. Photo by River Design Group Evans Creek is barely a trickle. A dry summer in Southern Oregon means the important salmon and steelhead creek, a …
Major Grant Awarded to Top Priority Rogue Basin Dam Removal Project
For Immediate Release April 28, 2015 Contacts: John DeVoe, WaterWatch of Oregon Executive Director, 971-322-5635 Bob Hunter, WaterWatch of Oregon Board Member, 541-778-3310 Brian Barr, Geos Institute Project Manager, 541-621-7226 Major Grant Awarded to Top Priority Rogue Basin Dam Removal Project Funding Means Salmon and Steelhead to Regain Access this Fall to 70 Miles of Habitat on Key Spawning Tributary …
Conservationists Seek Solution to Critical Salmon Barrier on Rogue Basin’s Evans Creek
For Immediate Release Contacts: Jim McCarthy, WaterWatch, 541-708-0731 Janette Brimmer, Earthjustice, 206-343-7340 x1029 Conservationists Seek Solution to Critical Salmon Barrier on Rogue Basin’s Evans Creek Fielder Dam Ranks in Oregon’s Top Ten List of Barriers Harmful to Salmon, Steelhead For a pdf copy of the legal complaint click here. For additional background on this issue click here. Medford, OR -– In …
Rogue River Runs Free at Former Gold Ray Dam Site
For Immediate Release WaterWatch Of Oregon * Rogue RiverKeeper * National Center for Conservation Science and Policy October 14, 2010 Media Contact: Bob Hunter, WaterWatch, cell: 541-778-3380 Lesley Adams, Rogue RiverKeeper, 541-488-5789 Brian Barr, NCCSP, cell: 541-621-7226 Rogue River Runs Free at Former Gold Ray Dam Site Project marks river’s fourth significant dam removal in three years Central Point, OR …
Rogue River Runs Free at Savage Rapids
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Rogue River Runs Free at Savage Rapids Storied Salmon Stream Undergoes Historic Restoration October 8, 2009 Contact: Bob Hunter, WaterWatch Staff Attorney, 541-778-3310 John DeVoe, WaterWatch Executive Director, 971-322-5635 Tomorrow, the Rogue River will move freely for the first time in nearly a century on a stretch of river near Grants Pass, Oregon, when work crews pull …
Rogue River to Run Free at Savage Rapids Dam Next Week
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Rogue River to Run Free at Savage Rapids Dam Next Week Storied Salmon Stream On the Verge of Historic Restoration Oct 02, 2009 Media Contact: Bob Hunter, WaterWatch, 541-826-4399 For more information online, visit www.waterwatch.org By October 9th, the Rogue River will move freely for the first time in nearly a century on a stretch of river near …
Latest Klamath Dam Removal Proposal Delays Decision to Remove Dams
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Latest Klamath Dam Removal Proposal Delays Decision to Remove Dams Joined Agreements Protect Dam Owner and Agribusiness, Leave Fish and Wildlife at Risk PORTLAND, OR Sep 30, 2009 Portland, OR –WaterWatch of Oregon, an ardent advocate for the removal of four salmon-killing dams on the Klamath River, joined other conservationists in criticizing a final draft dam removal plan …
New Level of Protection Achieved for Rogue River Flows, Fish, and Recreation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE New Level of Protection Achieved for Rogue River Flows, Fish, and Recreation Substantial New Instream Water Right Provides Certainty for Rogue’s Future The Rogue River Watershed (click image to enlarge) MEDFORD, OR Aug 14, 2009 Bob Hunter (541)826-4399 Continuing an unprecedented series of recent restoration achievements for the Free the Rogue Campaign, this month WaterWatch of Oregon announced …
Bids go out for Gold Ray Dam removal
Bids go out for Gold Ray Dam removal By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune July 24, 2009 If a December 2010 deadline is missed, Jackson County could lose out on a $5 million grant Jackson County officials say they will know in four weeks whether Gold Ray Dam can be removed from the Rogue River by the end of 2010. The …
Scientists test sediment behind dam
Scientists test sediment behind dam By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune July 15, 2009 GOLD HILL — A 7-foot tube of gooey muck stuck for decades behind 105-year-old Gold Ray Dam is splayed out Tuesday before geologist Bill Elliott, and the mud-loving kid inside the Southern Oregon University professor all but takes over. Elliott’s gloved hands pick and squeeze the clay, …
Fishy stimulus money
Fishy stimulus money By High Five “Today’s Must-Reads” Oregon Business Magazine July 06, 2009 The U.S. Commerce Secretary has announced that Oregon will be receiving $7.3 million in stimulus funds. The money is designated for tearing down a Rogue River dam and restoring a salmon habitat, among other things. The money is part of $167 million going to 50 …
Making the river wild again
Making the river wild again By Opinion Mail Tribune July 03, 2009 A federal grant will help remove Gold Ray Dam, but the clock is ticking Jackson County leaders have a golden opportunity and a big challenge: Move quickly to take down Gold Ray Dam before the clock runs out on federal stimulus money awarded Tuesday to help pay for …
Dissecting the Klamath
Dissecting the Klamath By Steve Pedery Fly Fisherman Magazine July 01, 2009 Dissecting-the-Klamath-Fly-Fisherman-Mag-July-09
$5 million made available for taking out Gold Ray Dam
$5 million made available for taking out Gold Ray Dam By Paul Fattig Mail Tribune July 01, 2009 The federal stimulus money has to be used by December 2010, even though Jackson County hasn’t decided the dam’s fate yet Uncle Sam has unleashed $5 million in federal stimulus funds to remove 105-year-old Gold Ray Dam on the Rogue River. Removing …
Stimulus money to fund possible Gold Ray Dam removal
Stimulus money to fund possible Gold Ray Dam removal By Ron Brown & Associated Press KDRV News Watch 12 July 01, 2009 GRANTS PASS, Ore. – Jackson County officials announced Tuesday that they’ve received $5 million to complete studies on the pros and cons of removing the Rogue River’s Gold Ray Dam, a defunct hydroelectric dam built in 1905 …
Commerce Secretary Gary Locke Announces $167 Million in Recovery Act Funding for 50 Coastal Restoration Projects
Commerce Secretary Gary Locke Announces $167 Million in Recovery Act Funding for 50 Coastal Restoration Projects National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration June 30, 2009 Commerce Secretary Gary Locke announced today 50 habitat restoration projects that will restore damaged wetlands, shellfish beds, coral reefs and reopen fish passages that boost the health and resiliency of our nation’s coastal and Great Lakes …
Stimulus money pays for Rogue River dam removal
Stimulus money pays for Rogue River dam removal Associated Press June 30, 2009 GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) – Federal stimulus money will pay for removal of another dam from the Rogue River in southwestern Oregon, adding to a string of dam removals designed to help salmon and steelhead. Commerce Sec. Gary Locke announced Tuesday that $5 million will go to …
$5 million of Federal Stimulus Awarded to Remove Rogue River’s Gold Ray Dam
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE $5 million of Federal Stimulus Awarded to Remove Rogue River’s Gold Ray Dam Project will mark fourth significant dam removal on Rogue River in three years MEDFORD, OR Jun 30, 2009 Media Contact: John DeVoe (971) 322-5635 Continuing an unprecedented wave of dam removals on the internationally famous Rogue River, today federal officials announced that $5 million …
Savage Rapids Lesson: Removing Dams No Easy Task
Savage Rapids Lesson: Removing Dams No Easy Task By Jessica Robinson OPB News/Jefferson Public Radio June 24, 2009 After two decades of conflict, crews are finally jackhammering the Savage Rapids Dam into oblivion. The southern Oregon dam on the Rogue River doesn’t even produce electricity. Yet, removing it proved complicated and controversial. Efforts to return other rivers to free-flowing channels …
Savage Rapids Dam deconstruction takes break for fish
Savage Rapids Dam deconstruction takes break for fish Associated Press June 22, 2009 GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) – Workers taking apart a dam on the Rogue River in Southern Oregon say they’re at the end of the first part of the work. Now, they will give the spring and fall chinook salmon a chance to get past the Savage Rapids …
Big rigs ripping out concrete
Big rigs ripping out concrete By Jeff Duewel Daily Courier June 09, 2009 A $6,000-a day hydraulic shear chewed through iron rebar and a hoe ram punched holes in concrete that held back the Rogue River for 88 years, as demolition of one side of Savage Rapids Dam entered full swing Tuesday morning. “We could probably be done next …
Say goodbye to the Savage Rapids Dam
Say goodbye to the Savage Rapids Dam By Staff KATU June 09, 2009 Watch the video (external link) NEAR GRANTS PASS, Ore. – A big demolition project is under way in southern Oregon to try to get a river to flow free again. Savage Rapids Dam, located 107 miles from the ocean, is the first man-made obstacle that salmon and …
Savage Rapids Dam demolition update
Savage Rapids Dam demolition update By Ron Brown News Watch 12 June 08, 2009 View Video (external link) NEAR GRANTS PASS, Ore. – Contractors broke through the first section of the nearly 90-year old concrete Savage Rapids Dam Monday. According to the Bureau of Reclamation’s website, the concrete on the top half of the Rogue River dam is …
Demolition of Savage Rapids Dam begins
Demolition of Savage Rapids Dam begins By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune June 03, 2009 Jackhammers break away part of one concrete bay on Monday ROGUE RIVER — Construction crews this week are literally doing to Savage Rapids Dam what wild salmon advocates have been doing figuratively for decades — punching holes in the Rogue River’s biggest fish-killer. Workers unceremoniously …
WaterWatch Media Advisory: Demolition Commences on Rogue River’s Savage Rapids Dam
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WaterWatch Media Advisory: Demolition Commences on Rogue River’s Savage Rapids Dam Work Crews Move Closer to Historic Restoration GRANTS PASS May 28, 2009 Media Contact: Bob Hunter, WaterWatch, 541-826-4399 For more information online, visit www.waterwatch.org June 1st will mark another milestone in the ongoing restoration of the Rogue River when dam demolition will commence on the northern six …
ENVIRONMENT-US: Free-Flowing Rivers Back in Vogue
ENVIRONMENT-US: Free-Flowing Rivers Back in Vogue By Matthew Berger Inter Press Service May 26, 2009 NE W YORK, May 26 (IPS) – It may come as no surprise that a dam impeding the flow of a major river would negatively impact fish populations, but it is only recently that benefits of free-flowing rivers in the U.S. Pacific Northwest are beginning …
Upper Klamath water rights issue settled
Upper Klamath water rights issue settled By John Driscoll The Times-Standard May 22, 2009 One of the most contested issues between irrigators and American Indian tribes in the Upper Klamath Basin has effectively been resolved, potentially simplifying talks on a much larger dam removal and restoration deal. On Thursday, Klamath water users and the Klamath Tribes announced a settlement of …
GPID flips switch on new pumps
GPID flips switch on new pumps By Jeff Duewel Grants Pass Daily Courier May 12, 2009 For the first time in 89 years, the Grants Pass Irrigation District has begun delivering water from something other than Savage Rapids Dam. Switches were flipped on six pumps Monday, pushing water into the Gravity, South Highline and Tokay canals, another milestone in …
Removal of Rogue dam spells end of bitter battle
Removal of Rogue dam spells end of bitter battle By Jeff Barnard AP April 07, 2009 GRANTS PASS, Ore.—Within weeks, jackhammers will start knocking Savage Rapids Dam into rubble, and with it two decades of bitter battles over whether to keep what had become a crumbling symbol of a bygone era when rugged pioneers bent nature to their needs. …
Beginning of end for landmark dam
Beginning of end for landmark dam By Jeff Duewel Grants Pass Daily Courier April 03, 2009 The removal of Savage Rapids Dam begins in earnest next week, when Slayden Construction begins building a 26-foot-tall coffer dam to reroute the Rogue River away from demolition of the north side of the dam. The 88-year-old dam on the Rogue River has been …
Another Dam Bites the Dust
Another Dam Bites the Dust By Dennis Newman Natural Oregon April 02, 2009 Derided by environmentalists as a “fish killer”, next week marks the beginning of the end for Savage Rapids Dam on the Rogue River near Grants Pass. After it’s gone, almost 126 miles of the Rogue will be free flowing. It starts Tuesday with the construction of …