Oregon State University scientists, students and alumni have been engaged in the Klamath Basin for decades. Their work is now contributing to our understanding of the largest dam removal and salmon restoration project in history.
Take a deep dive into stories of research and resilience as we look behind the scenes of this massive transformation.
Unrestricted Flow
This short film follows OSU faculty members Desirée Tullos and Bryan Tilt as they lead a class of river engineering students down the Klamath River just prior to the dam removal. These students were given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to gain hands-on experience in an ecosystem just as it was about to undergo a massive change.
- Water Quality, Ecology and Equitable Decisions in the Klamath
- Rivers Lab at OSU
- OSU Science Pub: Dam Removal and Beyond
Both an alum and former faculty member of OSU, Mark Bransom earned his Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering in 1997. Now he's spending his career capstone project as CEO of the Klamath River Renewal Corp., a Berkeley, California-based company managing the biggest dam-removal project in U.S. history. He shares how his education guides his work in this short video.
When Art Meets Science
Jerri Bartholomew is a research scientist and an artist. This video explores how her artwork searches for the intersection between the two disciplines and how they inform each other. Through her dual paths of inquiry, Jerri tackles the understanding and meaning behind the largest dam removal in history.
The removal of four dams from the Klamath River was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to capture the interplay of science, engineering, and culture. Desirée Tullos, professor of water resources engineering at Oregon State University assembled a collaborative team that unites Western science and traditional ecological knowledge of Indigenous people.
News and Media
- The largest dam removal project in the US is completed - a major win for Indigenous tribes, September 1, 2024
- Scientists are tracking ecological changes as the Klamath River dams come down, May 1, 2024
- Water quality discussed after completion of Klamath reservoir drawdown, February 18, 2024
- Researchers, tribes, residents prepare for a century of sediment released from the Klamath dams, January 5, 2024
- How Klamath River dam removals affect salmon populations, November 15, 2023
- Klamath Dam removal will lower risk of fish die-offs, scientists say, November 3, 2023
- Dam removals, restoration project on Klamath River expected to help salmon, researchers conclude, November 1, 2023
- Scientists develop tool to predict dam removal costs by analyzing 55 years of past removals, July 25, 2023
- The Largest-Ever Dam Demolition Will Restore Salmon Habitat, December 1, 2022