Klamath River

The Klamath River (Karuk: Ishkêesh, Klamath: Koke, Yurok: Hehlkeek 'We-Roy) flows 257 miles (414 km) through Oregon and northern California in the United States, emptying into the Pacific Ocean. By average discharge, the Klamath is the second largest river in California after the Sacramento River. Its nearly 16,000-square-mile (41,000 km²) watershed stretches from the high desert of south-central Oregon to the temperate rainforest of the North Coast. Unlike most rivers, the Klamath begins in a desert region and flows through the rugged Cascade Range and Klamath Mountains before reaching the ocean; National Geographic magazine has called the Klamath "a river upside down".

The Klamath is the most important North American river south of the Columbia River for anadromous fish migration. Its salmon, steelhead and rainbow trout have adapted to unusually high water temperatures and acidity levels relative to other rivers in the Pacific Northwest. The upper Klamath Basin includes large areas of tule marshes, which provide key habitat for migratory birds. Most of the lower basin is on national forest land, with much of it designated wilderness.

Native Americans have depended on the river and its fisheries for at least 7,000 years. In the 1820s, fur trappers were the first Europeans to enter the Klamath River basin, establishing the Siskiyou Trail along the Klamath and Trinity rivers into the Sacramento Valley. The California Gold Rush drew thousands of prospectors and drove the early settlement of the region, leading to conflicts with indigenous tribes. Conflict and disease reduced the indigenous population by 90 percent. Although most tribes in the upper river were moved to reservations, several tribes along the lower river retain some of their original lands.

During the late 19th century, the upper Klamath basin developed into a productive farming region surrounding Klamath Falls, Oregon, and many of the wetlands surrounding the river were drained. Steamboats provided transportation on the area's lakes before the arrival of railroads. Several hydroelectric dams were built on the river from the 1920s to the 1960s. In the mid-20th century, the Klamath River was targeted by federal water management agencies with ambitious proposals to direct its flow to populous central and southern California. These projects, such as the Klamath Diversion, were canceled due to opposition from tribes, environmentalists and the fishing industry.

With some of the longest undammed stretches of river in California, the Klamath is popular for recreational boating and fishing. However, dams and diversions in the upper basin often cause water quality issues in the lower half of the river. Tribes and environmental organizations have proposed broad changes to water use in the Klamath Basin, including the removal of several dams on the river to expand fish habitat. They put forth their concerns in what is now the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement, a water management plan signed by local communities, governments, tribal groups, environmentalists, and fishermen. In 2019, the Yurok tribe declared personhood for the Klamath River. Four dams on the river are slated for removal by the end of 2024, in one of the largest dam removal projects ever undertaken in the US. However, heavy use of Klamath River water for irrigation, as well as pollution associated with agricultural runoff, remain at odds with management of the river's fisheries and wider ecology.