Oregon Senate passes permanent dredging-ban bill

Oregon Senate passes permanent dredging-ban bill By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune April 10, 2017 A permanent ban on suction dredging in Western Oregon’s wild salmon habitat championed by the late Democratic Sen. Alan Bates passed out of the Oregon Senate on Monday

Miners go to court over suction dredge moratorium

Miners go to court over suction dredge moratorium By Mark Freeman Medford Mail Tribune October 21, 2015 Miners have asked a federal judge to block Oregon’s upcoming moratorium on suction dredge mining in wild salmon rivers such as the Rogue, claiming federal mining laws trump state restrictions on federal lands. A consortium of mining interests filed suit Monday in U.S. …

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 …

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 …

Diverse Coalition Celebrates Landmark Upper Rogue Valley Water Plan

For Immediate Release September 26, 2012 Contact: State Rep. Peter Buckley, 541-488-9180 Bryan Baumgartner, Rogue River Valley Irrigation District, 541-261-2465 Bob Hunter, WaterWatch of Oregon, 541-778-3310 Leigh Johnson, Medford Water Commission, 541-944-2222 Steve Mason, WISE Project Coordinator, 541-951-0854 Diverse Coalition Celebrates Landmark Upper Rogue Valley Water Plan Rep. Buckley presides over ceremony kicking off comprehensive local water infrastructure improvement agreement …

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 …

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 …

$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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Removal Commences on Rogue River’s Savage Rapids Dam

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Removal Commences on Rogue River’s Savage Rapids Dam U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Announces Work Crews Will Begin Task by End of Next Week Apr 01, 2009 Media Contacts: Bob Hunter, WaterWatch, 541-826-4399 Carolyn Devine, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, 503-986-0195 Dan Shepard, Grants Pass Irrigation District, 541-476-2582 Darren Funk, Slayden Construction Group, 503-769-1969   April 7th will mark …

Gold Hill Diversion Dam Removal: An Accomplishment to Celebrate

Gold Hill Diversion Dam Removal: An Accomplishment to Celebrate July 16, 2008   At 10:00 AM on Wednesday, July 16th WaterWatch joins project partners and elected officials in celebrating the removal of the Gold Hill Diversion Dam Removal.  This cement diversion dam is the second greatest barrier to fish passage in the Rogue River. The public is welcome! What: Gold Hill …

End of a controversial dam

End of a controversial dam By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune July 16, 2008 Explosives launch a $7.9 million project to notch Elk Creek Dam for salmon recovery TRAIL — The crack of explosives Tuesday sent waves of concrete crumbling and launched a plume of dust skyward, signaling the beginning of the end to Elk Creek Dam. Construction crews detonated the …

Gold Hill Celebrates Dam Removal

Gold Hill Celebrates Dam Removal By Chris Jones KTVL News 10 July 16, 2008 They’re celebrating in Gold Hill as crews prepare to remove the Gold Hill Dam. Part of the dam was torn out last week and the rest will be gone by the end of the month. Before long you’ll be able to see the Rogue River near …

Salmon runs on Rogue expected to revive once dams come down

Salmon runs on Rogue expected to revive once dams come down By Matthew Preusch Oregonian June 09, 2008   One of Oregon’s storied rivers is on the cusp of a major makeover. What’s happening on the Rogue River isn’t so much transformation as reversion. Dams built during the previous century will come down. Reservoirs will return to running water. And …

Rogue River dams to come down

Rogue River dams to come down By Matthew Preusch Oregonian June 08, 2008 Salmon runs are expected to grow in iconic Oregon river GRANTS PASS — One of Oregon’s iconic rivers is on the cusp of a major makeover. What’s happening on the Rogue River isn’t so much transformation as reversion. Dams built during the previous century will come down. …

The End of an Era

The End of an Era By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune May 16, 2008 Credit: Mail Tribune ROGUE RIVER — As the last steel panel descended by crane and slipped into place at Savage Rapids Dam, Grants Pass Irrigation District Manager Dan Shepard was too distracted to relish history. His eyes were riveted on three GPID workers, all wearing life jackets, …

Un-Damming Elk Creek: Controversial Rogue River dam to make way for salmon

Un-Damming Elk Creek: Controversial Rogue River dam to make way for salmon By Camilla Mortensen Eugene Weekly May 15, 2008   More than 20 years after its construction was halted in 1987, the Elk Creek Dam, which has long blocked endangered salmon runs in the Rogue River Basin, is coming down. Mostly, anyway. The Army Corps of Engineers is starting …

Exciting Progress in Removing Fish Killer

Exciting Progress in Removing Fish Killer OWEB reports on the Savage Rapids Dam Removal Project. By OWEB Oregon.gov March 18, 2008   Six years ago the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) invested over $3 million in the Savage Rapids Dam Removal Project. At the time, the Savage Rapids Dam Project was the single largest OWEB investment. It showed the state’s …

Clock ticks for Savage Rapids Dam

Clock ticks for Savage Rapids Dam By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune July 03, 2007   ROGUE RIVER — Construction crews have entered a key summer window of work that largely will determine whether Savage Rapids Dam gets removed from the Rogue River, and out of the way of migrating salmon, as early as next year. Over the next few months, …

Budget boosts Savage Rapids work

Budget boosts Savage Rapids work By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune February 07, 2007 President Bush’s proposed $2.9 trillion budget for next year includes $15 million toward completing a pumping plant that will lead to the removal of Savage Rapids Dam from the Rogue River by 2010. The money is proposed as part of the federal Bureau of Reclamation budget for …

The beginning of the end

The beginning of the end By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune October 07, 2006 The days are numbered for Savage Rapids Dam: the structure will likely be a footnote by Dec. 19, 2009 Construction crews are scheduled next week to begin the precursor work that eventually will lead to Savage Rapids Dam’s removal from the Rogue River. Slayden Construction Group Inc. …

Savage Rapids Dam’s days are numbered

Savage Rapids Dam’s days are numbered By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune August 10, 2006   A Salem-based construction firm with Rogue Valley crews received the first part of its $28 million federal contract Wednesday to remove Savage Rapids Dam. The Bureau of Reclamation awarded the contract to Slayden Construction Group Inc. of Stayton to remove the dam by late 2009 …

Money to remove Oregon dam headed for Senate floor

Money to remove Oregon dam headed for Senate floor Associated Press July 05, 2006 ROGUE RIVER, Ore. (AP) — Plans to remove Savage Rapids Dam from the Rogue River for the benefit of the river’s salmon and steelhead runs are moving forward. The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bill Friday containing $13 million for removal of the dam, which is …