Reclamation awards more than $1M for Klamath Basin salmon recovery

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Bureau of Reclamation today announced four projects totaling more than $1 million to be awarded as part of two Klamath Basin Salmon Restoration grant programs. Reclamation is partnering with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to administer the programs. The awarded projects will generate over $2 million in matching contributions for a total conservation impact of more than $3 million.

Flowing from the Oregon high desert to the redwood forest of the Northern California coast, the Klamath River boasts one of the most unique and productive watersheds in the Western United States. The Klamath River historically supported the third largest Pacific salmon runs of any river system in the continental United States. The shallow lakes and wetlands of the upper basin are a globally important stop for migratory birds on the Pacific Flyway, as well as habitat for endemic suckers and salmon species.

Today's announcement follows the historic agreement signed in February by the Klamath Tribes, Yurok Tribe, Karuk Tribe, Klamath Water Users Association, and the Department of the Interior to advance collaborative efforts to restore the Klamath Basin ecosystem and improve water supply reliability for Klamath Project agriculture. The Department has also launched the Klamath Basin Drought Resilience Keystone Initiative, one of nine key conservation initiatives through a new restoration and resilience framework that will guide $2 billion in investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.

Today's investments will support two programs:

• Reclamation's Klamath River Coho Restoration Habitat Program focuses on voluntary projects along the mainstem of the Klamath River below Iron Gate Dam and tributaries from Klamath River mile 190 to the Klamath River estuary. The two projects selected will improve riparian and instream habitat; promote fish passage; provide access to cold water pools; and support design, planning and monitoring activities. For more information about the Klamath River Program and to view the complete grant slate, visit: https://www.nfwf.org/sites/default/files/2024-07/NFWF-Klamath-20240719-GS.pdf.

• Reclamation's Trinity River Program prioritizes voluntary habitat restoration activities within tributary watersheds of the Trinity River between Lewiston Dam and Weitchpec, including the South Fork Trinity River and its tributaries. The two projects selected will improve aquatic habitat by reducing fine sediment delivery, improving fish passage, and pursuing increases to tributary flows in the dry season in tributaries of the Trinity River; all to mitigate impacts of the Trinity River Division of the Central Valley Project on the mainstem fisheries of the Trinity River.

  For more information about the Trinity River Program and to view the complete grant slate, visit: https://www.nfwf.org/sites/default/files/2024-07/NFWF-Klamath-20240719-GS.pdf.

Reclamation is committed to supporting long-term restoration and resiliency in the Klamath Basin, from its headwaters in Oregon to the Pacific Coast in California. For more information about work to protect water and related resources in Klamath Basin communities, visit: www.usbr.gov/mp/kbao, www.trrp.net, and https://www.nfwf.org/programs/klamath-basin-restoration-program.