Disputes over managing the Klamath River system have existed between farmers and conservationists for years. Growers and ranchers have wanted the water for irrigation and cattle, while conservationists have sought to protect species who depend on the system for sustenance and breeding, including the Chinook salmon.
Adding to the discussion is the recent removal of four federal dams from the Klamath River, which runs 250 miles through Oregon and California. To date, it’s the largest such removal in U.S. history.
Leading up to — and after — the dam removal project, Oregon State University anthropology professor Bryan Tilt and a team of three current and former graduate students decided to learn more about the competing interests. They found there’s more common ground to be had for the groups.
Tilt said his team, including Hannah Boone, Jenna Davis and Rebecca Wheaton, interviewed 55 farmers and conservationists and found four main areas of mutual understanding: future uncertainty; a need for better collaboration and trust; an ecosystem-based approach to river restoration; and a desire to experiment with new management approaches.
“Our group visited Klamath Lake, where ranchers are essentially participating in land swaps, and farmers as well,” Tilt told KLCC. “So, they'll actually take a portion of their land out of cultivation for a few years, return it to wetlands and get some compensation and some incentives from the Natural Resources Conservation Service.”
According to an OSU news release, the researchers determined how opinions on management priorities differ and align between farmers and conservationists. For agricultural producers, nearly half — 47% — said their top priority was fair representation. After that, data-informed decisions, community well-being, water storage and supply, and water and property rights took priority.
For conservation groups, the largest majority — 40% — said restoration and conservation was their top priority, followed by river ecosystem health, responsible irrigation, fish, and water quality.
Tilt said he hopes this research gives policymakers a sense of the ecological science, as well as the human impact of their decisions. With more dam removals expected over time, he said the Klamath River stands to be an important model for others weighing the outcomes.
According to OSU, the American Rivers Dam Removal Database listed 2,095 dam removals as of 2024, with a majority occurring in the past two decades.
The research was funded by Oregon Sea Grant through NOAA's National Sea Grant College Program, U.S. Department of Commerce. It can be found in the latest edition of Society and Natural Resources.
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