200 Years of Contact
What has happened to our lands, waters, peoples, and relatives for the last 200 years?
What are the stories our lands have had to endure and stand witness to? What traumas must we learn about to heal for the next generations and the ones behind us?
To heal our spirits (individually, communally, land, water, and other spirits that dwell in our homelands), we must know what we have gone through and collectively work towards the healing, revival, and good health of our Maklaks peoples and places.
25 Years of Contact
1819
Boundary of Oregon defined on paper in the treaty with Spain of 1819: but line not surveyed until 60 years later
1825
Hudson's Bay Trappers make contact with Klamath Modoc Maklaks
1826
Peter Skeen Odgen makes contact with E-ukshi (Marsh) Maklaks: Odgen travels from North to South searching for beavers and navigable river to ocean, 35 men party
1835
French Canadian Trappers contact with Maklaks
1837
Aberts map shows Klamath Lake draining into Cali/ Klamath River then flows back into Oregon
1841
Wilkes map shows 3 lakes, one being the Klamath Marsh draining into California
1843
December 10, 1843: Fremont Expedition fires cannon across E-ukshi (Marsh): Fremont travels from the Dallas to the Marsh
1846
2nd Fremont Expedition
Kit Carson massacre of Klamath Village: Fremont travels from South to Upper Klamath Lake. Fremont bums a ride from Upper Klamath Lake Maklaks in their canoes across the lake. During this year, nearly 100 wagons with 500 Europeans made journeys through the Klamath Lakes region.
Applegate Trail opens: Levi Scott and Jesse Applegate and party from Willamette Valley head this way
Smallpox hits Modocs
1846-60s- Modocs defend territory, retaliate against wagon trains
1847
45 Wagons of settlers travel through Klamath Lakes region, Lester G. Hulin names Lost River
1840s
Maklaks Acquired horses, trade with Columbia River increases
Applegates & Portland notables plot to take Klamath Modoc Yahooskin lands
1852
Lieutenant Williamson explores/ intrudes Klamath Lake lands
1855
Lieutenant Williamson and Abott surveyed the entire route from South to North (seeking route for railroad). They were army engineers. Dr. John S. Newberry traveled with them who was a doctor, botanist, and geologist.
1858
Surveyor General's Report
1826-60s
100+ Europeans in Klamath Lake lands: fur traders, army officers, ranches, miners, immigrants
50 Years of Contact
1850
Expedition from Portland for Oregon Trail
1851-52
State of California spent $1 million per year to exterminate native peoples (Chatterjee 1998).
1852
Ben Wright Massacre
Wallace Baldwin irrigator establishes farm
1853
White people began disrupting Crater Lake (miners from Yreka)
1854
Oregon Superintendent of Indian Affairs, Joel Palmer, visited Klamaths, and tried to convince an agent to explore more in 1855. Palmer wanted to move Willamette Valley Indians to Klamath lands, but decided it was not a good idea.
1855
Abott led 40 manhunts on Klamaths (Klamaths supposedly killed 5 Jacksonville settlers). Oregon Governor John Whittaker reported the 5 killed Jacksonville folk to General Harney and General Clarke, and asked for military protection. Abott recommended military post/ most eligible site for Indian Agency at valley of the Klamath River between the lakes.
1855-60
Ranchers begin moving in UKB
1856
Judge F. Adams irrigator establishes farm, 2,000 head of cattle
California Governor issued a bounty of $0.25 per Indian scalp, increasing it to $5.00 per Indian scalp in 1860, and reimbursed bounty hunters for the cost of ammunition and other supplies.
1857
Abott visited Maklaks to arrange a treaty and select a site for the agency.
1858
Prior to 1858, California and Oregon Volunteers traveled throughout Klamath Basin to punish Indians for their retaliations
Oregon Superintendent of Indian Affairs, J.W. Nesmith wrote to Brig. Gen. W.S. Harney about no luck on exploring more Klamath territory
1859
Abott leads a 10 man hunt of Maklaks for grazing land. Decided to steal land with the protection of the military.
1860s
Explorer/Intruders Piper and Lord make contact with Maklaks: Lieutenant Alexander Piper arrived in Klamath Basin with 66 soldiers, and established a military post near Keno on Spencer Creek. John K. Lord visited Klamaths on Williamson River, he met with a chief and gave him a bag of flour, and then threatened him with King George if Klamaths didn’t let him pass. Piper set up a military camp by Keno to keep Indians away and protect Applegate travelers.
Maklaks try to protect themselves through Ghost Dance, Earth Lodge Cult, Dream Dance
“Exploration” era ends, drainage features were fairly well known. With the Swamplands Act of 1850, the act was extended into Oregon in 1860. Marshland was sold for $1.00 per acre, 10% down, with harvesting 3 crops of hay prior to the title becoming final.
Start of Reservation Period, conversations between California Indian Agents begin. Prior to the reservation era, farmers would make payments to tribal peoples for the land (prior to 1860).
1862
Crater Lake named Blue Lake
Homesteading Act of 1862: Granted 160 acres of land to each settler. You had to live on the land and develop it, or could pay $1.25 per acre to acquire immediate title.
1863
Ft. Klamath established, saw mill built, post office established.
1860s
Massacre of Klamath women & children near Ft. Klamath
1864
Klamath Tribes Treaty of 1864~ Tribal leaders intimidated and manipulated, Ceremonies banned
Approximately 23,000,000+ acres of Klamath Modoc Yahooskin lands were ceded (stolen) by the United States Government.
The U.S. Government included One million nine hundred thousand (1,900,000) acres of land in the 1864 Reservation- the Sycan and Sprague included. Still, the U.S. government also decided to take control of those lands (steal). Two tracts of land were valued at 621,824 acres, worth $537,000 in 1906.
A grant to the State of Oregon to build Oregon Central military road
1865
Crater Lake was renamed again from Blue Lake to Lake Majesty
1866
Agency post office established
1867
George Nurse established reading post in Klamath Falls
1868
Maklaks Cremation Practice ends
Manipulation of water begins- Two white settlers dig the first irrigation ditch in the Upper Klamath Basin. George Nurse and Joe Conger built irrigation ditch East side of Link River, which eventually became apart of Steel-Ankeny Ditch
1869
Treaty terms altered by the U.S. Government, Military Road built, Crater Lake renamed again from Lake Majesty to its current name, Crater Lake
First wooden bridge constructed over Link River, First private sawmill above Spencer Creek on Klamath River
1870
Saw mill at Agency built, Saw mill 10 miles west of Fort Creek, moved to Jinx in 1893, operated until 1899 until it burned
Lucien Applegate files for irrigation rights in Swan Lake Valley; Silas Kilgore files for rights along the Lost River; water rights established along Sprague River for irrigation
1871
Treaty Ratified, Reservation Boundaries Survey #1
First permanent ranch in the Wood River area by John Loosely. Loosely filed for a homestead, had a strong herd of cattle (until 1889-90 severe winter killed almost the whole herd), and dug the first irrigation diversion from Wood River. By 1985, the original ditch irrigated more than 35,000 acres.
Applegate and Carr plan to build an irrigation ditch from Lost River (Olene) to Klamath River to be able to irrigate 350,000 acres. Cost of the ditch and land was $1 million. Bureau of Reclamation constructed ditch along the same line years after
Linkville, Langell Valley, Jinx Post Offices established
1872
Tule Lake moved from Oregon territory to California territory
Modoc War begins
1873
Four Modoc Leaders were hung and beheaded at Ft. Klamath. A portion of Modocs were taken as war prisoners to Oklahoma (banished from Klamath Modoc homelands)
Sprague River Post Office established
1874
Klamath Tribes Reservation Schools begin. One of the first Indian Boarding Schools in the state. First one established was at Agency, the second school at Yainx. It stayed operational until 1927 when students set it on fire.
Second private sawmill by Linkville, naked Grandpap
1875
Lost River Post Office established
1876
Military Road grant rights sold to Pacific Land Company for $1.25 per acre, who then sold land parcels to individual settlers.
Keno, Dairy, Bonanza Post Office established
Bonanza Mill
1877
Lower Klamath Lake large-scale irrigation begins, Charles & Rufus Moore build an irrigation ditch to transport logs from Upper Klamath Lake.
William S. Moore built sawmill on west side of Linkville, operated until 1907, fourth private mill
1878
Linkville Water Ditch Company built a canal from Linkville to Klamath Falls, towards Olene and then Poe Valley. Ankney-Henley Ditch.
Timber & Stone Act of 1878, made land available for $2.50 per acre in 160 acre lots, which was immediately sold to timber companies at higher prices.
1879
Klamath Maklaks run cattle
1860-1890
90 Million Board Feet of timber harvested
75 Years of Contact
1880s-
Reservation divided into allotments
Cooper brother build sawmill, 3 miles west of Keno
1881
Naylox Post Office established
First steam powered boat on Klamath Lake waters
1882
The First Canal to Klamath Falls was built: Irrigation of agricultural lands in the Klamath Project was initiated in 1882, with the construction of a ditch to the land from White Lake
Klamath County, once a part of remote Wasco County, separated in 1882 from Lake County.
1883
1883- The first Ditch company in Upper Klamath Basin, Van Brimmer Ditch Company, given priority water right for irrigation
1884
KA 1004 Water Right (March 21, 1884) given to UKB white irrigators
Olene, Clear Lake Post Office established
1885
Bly Mtn. Mill
1887
Railroad between Portland and San Francisco
1888
Reservation Boundaries Survey #2
Third private sawmill: Herbert Cooper borrows money from Dan Vanbrimmer to build mill
Bryant Mtn Mill
1890
Klamath County listed 332 ranches, total acreage of 137,841 acres, average of 400 acres per farm: Potatoes = 115 acres, Hay = 18,000, Wheat = 3,043, Oats = 1,013, Rye = 777, Barley = 571, Beef Cattle = 15,592, Dairy Cattle = 1,688, Horses= 5,056, Swine = 1,104, Sheep = 301
Many irrigation ditches/ diversion dams built (horse drawn scraper used to dig shallow ditches), 453 Farms. By the 1900s, lots of dikes on all marshlands to prevent flooding, only 129/453 farms were irrigated crops, other farms only used dry farming methods. When irrigation began, many soil problems emerged, not noticed during dry farming.
1891
Through a Act of Congress, Cascade Reserve established
USGS published first topographic map (surveyed during 1882-84)
1933
Cascade Range Forest Reserve began management of Crater Lake
1894
Hilderbrand Mill
enacted by Congress in 1894,"Carey Act," which donates 1,000,000 acres of public land in each of the arid states, to the states themselves, to be reclaimed at the hands of the respective states, or through contract with private corporations. The terms of settlement under the Carey Act are not as rigorous as under the Reclamation Act.
1895
Altamont began as a ranch, and by 1895 it was made a post office.
100 Years of Contact
1900s
Agency/Day School Starts
Early timber sales begin
Linkville Cannery began selling canned cwaam
Klamath Basin significantly altered: lands cleared, ditches dug for drainage and irrigation, settler population of 3,960 in Klamath County. Irrigable land for Upper Klamath Lake was 48,000 acres, Lower Klamath Lake was 188,000 acres. No rail lines yet.
1901
BIA negotiated an agreement with the Klamath Tribes for the cession of the excluded lands from the reservation boundary surveys. Two large tracts of land- Sycan and Sprague. (621,824 acres)
1902
First railroad from Thrall, CA to Pokegama, in Klamath Basin
President Roosevelt made Crater Lake the sixth national park in the United States
Approval of Reclamation Act: The Bureau of Reclamation stepped in with the specific mission to fund the Klamath Irrigation Project. The BORs mission is to store and deliver water to the Klamath Irrigation Districts (nation-wide operation)
AS Liebling made study of timber resources of Klamath Lakes region
1903
Pokegama to SW region railroad completed to export timber. Pokegama was a logging town that existed from 1903 to 1909.
1905
Klamath Irrigation Project authorized: US. Reclamation Service files notice with the Oregon State Engineer for federal control of Klamath River and Lost River water; Klamath Water Users Association formed; approval for the Klamath project by the Secretary of the Interior; Oregon cedes rights to the federal government to drain Lower Klamath Lake, lower levels of Upper Klamath Lake, use the resulting lake beds for storage and to cede reclaimed lands to the federal government; first "A" canal construction contract awarded.
KA 1000 Water Right (May 19, 1905) given to UKB white irrigators
First governmental Upper Klamath Lake level survey:
Upper Klamath Lake- depth 47 feet, 98 ft down from old shoreline
Lower Klamath Lake- depth 15 feet, 156 feet down from old shoreline
Tule Lake- depth 25 feet, 184 feet down from old shoreline, no longer has surface outlet
Weyerhaeuser bought Pokegama line
1906
The U.S. Government ratified an "agreement" with the Klamath Tribes, and the two tracts of land were valued at 621,824 acres, worth $537,000 in 1906. The Sycan and Sprague were officially stolen from tribes.
Goose Lake Forest Reserve established
1907
First deliveries of water through Klamath Project "A" Canal , Southern Pacific Railroad builds embankment between Klamath River and Lower Klamath Lake rail line connects to Klamath Falls.
1908
1st Elected Tribal Official
President Roosevelt created the nation's first wildlife refuge for waterfowl, the Klamath Lake Reservation, now called the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge
“Keno Reef” excavated (3 basalt reefs), lowering level of river, and Lower Klamath Lake reduced, remainder of Lower Klamath Lake marshlands used for “wildlife refuge”.
Goose Lake Forest Reserve renamed to Fremont Forest (Fremont includes Silver Lake, Paisley, Lakeview, and Bly)
Private timber companies organize association to control fires
1909
U.S. Congress passed an act to allow Modocs to return home to Klamath Reservation lands
Oregon establishes a water rights permitting system, the Water Code, with pre-1909 rights to be adjudicated
Railroad in Klamath Falls established, the first train from Weed reached Klamath Falls, causing an increase in development.
1910
Dikes were constructed along the shoreline of lakes to reclaim most areas, Klamath County resident population increased to 8,554. Upper Klamath Lake is filled with sediment from vegetation (crops grown), the annual fill of about 0.6 inches of sediment per year.
Eagle Ridge stolen, 600 acres of marshland and timberland: Dr. W.H. Gaddes had purchased from Dan & John Griffin who had build tavern, boat landing (1909), used Eagle Ridge as a summer resort
Beginning of construction for Copco Dam 1 and start of construction for Clear Lake
1911
Oregon legislature made fire protection compulsory
Clear Lake National Wildlife Refuge established
1912
The flu epidemic hit Modoknii Maklaks
1914
World War I: Many Klamath Tribes Maklaks serve in the war
1915
Greenhouse built over hot spring in Klamath Falls
Warren Act of 1915
1917
Opening to homesteaders' land in Klamath Irrigation Project (settler farmers begin stealing Maklaks lands). Homesteading of former Tule Lake bottomland begins
1918
The first dam in the Klamath Hydroelectric Project, Copco 1, becomes operational, ending salmon runs in the Upper Klamath Basin.
1st per capita distributions
1919
Link River dam construction begins, river no longer flowed from the Upper Klamath Lake, instead diverted to east side aqueduct and west side canal. Originally, Link River flowed a little more than one mile downstream into Lake Ewauna, approximately 55 foot drop. There were ledges of basalt that controlled lake levels and river flow. Settlers believe placing at natural rock reef sites would be perfect to control Upper Klamath Lake to irrigate water to ditches.
1920s
Spring Creek riverbanks, meadows, and marshes lined with kerosene by resort family for mosquito control every few years for decades
Several wells drilled
1920s-30s
Tuberculosis Epidemics
1920s-40s
Period of extensive land activity from lumber boom
1921
Link River Dam completed, allowing control of water releases from Upper Klamath Lake.
1923
FP Keen began study of tree rings in Klamath Lake Basin, published in 1937. By 1923, there were 39 sawmills and 8 box mills in Klamath County.
1925
Copco 2 Dam becomes operational.
125 Years of Contact
1927
On July 12, 1927, Twelve Maklaks girls set the Indian Boarding School at Klamath Agency on fire: Mary John (11), Marios Hecocta (17), Florence Cowen (12), Orthalia Crain (12), Eva Barney (11), Addie Weeks (13), Leola Schonchin (13), Hattie Godowa (14), Audrey Baker (18), Waveriddle (14), Oprha Schonchin (13), and Cassie Bell (13).
1928-1932
Drought period in Upper Klamath Lake region
1928
Dwinell Dam was constructed on the Shasta River, cutting off most of the spawning habitat for the largest Klamath Basin salmon run.
Tule Lake Bird Refuge (now Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge) was created.
Natatorium in use in Klamath Falls
1929
445 million board feet of timber harvested from UKB
Great Depression
1930
Farms increased from 453 in 1900 to 1,197 farms in 1930. All towns had connecting roads at this point. Irrigable lands were 83,000 acres in 1930.
Enlargement and deepening of Lost River canal to control Tule Lake levels, construction began on Clear Lake Reservoir (a culvert was built under Adams ditch).
Kesterson Lumber Company built modern sawmill plant: During the first year of operation the timber supplied from Long Bell Lumber Companies in Northern Klamath County after timber supplied from Walker & Hoveys timber holdings at Scarface, CA, Modoc Point, 5 Mile, Antelope Valley, and Whiskey Creek Unit. It was then sold to G.C. Lorenz in 1943.
1931
Needle Dam on Klamath River constructed, currently known as Keno Dam. During early “investigations”, settlers plotted to drain Lower Klamath Lake and Tule Lake to provide more land for farming and irrigation. Lowest point of the river in the Upper Basin region was at rocky reefs below Keno that regulated the river. Decided to remove (dredge) rock reef, which resulted in the Northern part of the Lower Klamath Lake becoming dry. This dam cut the river off from the Lower Klamath Lake.
Harold Crane & Walter Beane organized Crane Mills in 1931, and built a small band mill saw by Bly, and built a circular mill northwest of Bly, and then sold to Ivory Pines Company.
1932
191 million board feet of timber harvested
1934
IRA Indian Recognition Act
1930-50
Klamath Cattle Program
1936
Geothermal wells drilled in Klamath County
1937
Tule Lake incorporated in new location
Vote to remove Supt. Crawford
Upper Klamath Lake region drought replaced by floods, flood in Lost River washed out Malone Diversion Dam- flow exceeded canal capacity (overflowed 3x in 1940, so canal dredged and made deeper).
1939
Clear Lake Dam completed
1941
World War II: Many Klamath Tribes Maklaks serve in the war
Tunnel to pump water from Tule Lake to Lower Klamath Lake completed.
1942
Agreement with Oregon Fish and Wildlife to reserve and protect certain sites in Tule Lake and Lower Klamath Lake.
856 million board feet of timber harvested
1943
ED Hamacher Lumber Company moved mill from Lake of the Woods to Klamath Lake
1945
Senate Bill 1313
Shut canal “A” and “J” because of overflow and wet year
1946
Bureau of Land Management started
Geothermal Heating installed in Klamath Falls
1947
Senate Bill 122
22 Wood Processing Manufacturing Companies in Klamath County
1949
Crater Lake freezes for the first time in history.
1930s-50s-
Land in farms increased from
1930:
569,000 acres
94,000 harvestable acres
1,197 farms
1950:
1,341,000 acres
288,000 harvestable acres
1,295 farms
1940s-50s
Relocation Programs
150 Years of Contact
1951
Korean War
1953
U.S. Indian Termination Policy
Klamath Tribes were one of five nations specifically targeted due to resources. Along with these five nations, the House of Concurrent Resolution 108 of 1953, issued on August 1, 1953, targeted all the tribes in California, Texas, and New York for immediate termination.
1954
Klamath Termination Act Public Law 587 enacted August 13, 1954.
"Remaining" members became members of a tribal management plan together; 533 members remained. The plan was a trust relationship between tribal members and the United States National Bank in Portland, OR.
"Withdrawing" members received compensation from the "agreement," and 1,600 members decided to withdraw.
Reservation before termination: 762,000 acres
Post-Termination tribal lands: 145,000 acres
Terminated lands: The U.S. Government kept forest lands and sold everything else in 5,000-acre increments. Crowe-Zellerbach Corp obtained 90,000 acres; the remaining 93% was converted into Winema + Fremont National Forests.
1950s+
Chiloquin labeled "Murder Capital, USA"
1956
Klamath Project irrigators' electricity rate contract is renewed for 50 years at the 1918 rate of 0.6 cents per kilowatt-hour; Oregon "off-Project" irrigators sign a contract for power at 0.72 cents per kilowatt-hour.
1957
Klamath River Basin Compact was approved by California and Oregon legislatures and ratified by Congress.
1958
Big Bend Dam – later J.C. Boyle Dam – is completed upstream of the Copco dams.
Very wet year, water spilled over dam at Gerber Reservoir for first time
1959
Very dry year, lowest water levels Gerber Reservoir had seen since 1932 drought
1960s
Decline in cwaam and koptu noticed (snag fisheries)
1960
66,750 acre feet of water delivered to Canal A
1961
Klamath Tribes Termination in effect
Winema Forest (included Klamath, Chiloquin, and Chemult) established, 1.1 million acres of land from Klamath Modoc Yahooskin termination
1962
Iron Gate Dam completed.
1964
The Kuchel Act passed
1966
Keno Dam was constructed to replace Needle Dam on the Klamath River.
1971
Remaining Klamath Tribal members terminated
Lost River and shortnose sucker identified as species of concern under California law.
1972
California designated the Klamath River from Iron Gate to the ocean, a Wild and Scenic River. Federal designation followed in 1981.
1975
553 million board feet of timber harvested, in addition to supplying timber to mills, county received $13 million from sale of logs on federal lands
1950-1978
Average size of farms was 851 acres. There were 1,295 farms in 1950 and 906 in 1978. Chief irrigation districts are based on rivers:
Williamson- 13%
Wood River- 13%
Sprague- 14%
Upper Klamath Lake- 6%
Swan Lake- 3%
Lost River- 45%
Upper Klamath Lake, Clear Lake, and Gerber Reservoir are primary tributaries
175 Years of Contact
1976
Oregon Water Resources Department began the Klamath Basin water rights adjudication process.
1977
Kimball v Callahan=Klamath hunting rights recognized
Edison Chiloquin chooses land instead of money. One of the remaining Klamath tribal members refused to sell their allotment, and ensured a fraction of the Pla’ikni Village be saved for past, present, and future Maklaks generations.
1978
Livestock revenue in Klamath County was $69 million; cattle increased from 59,000 head to 107,000 head.
1980
Edison Chiloquin’s allotment of the Pla’ikni Village area was recognized by Congress, and held in trust by Chiloquin Special Trust Land within the Winema National Forest.
1982
Klamath Tribes vs Oregon State Fish and Wildlife Agency District Court declared that the 1901 agreement "did not abrogate" the Tribe's 1864 right to hunt, gather, and fish.
1983
United States v. Adair upholds Klamath Tribes' right to enough instream water to support fishing and hunting on former reservation lands but does not establish an amount.
1985
Irrigated acreage in Klamath Project increased to 221,000 acres (83,000 acres in California). Most wells for residential use ranged from 90 feet to 900 feet deep (average depth 200/300 feet), commercial wells were up to 1,800 feet deep (average 1000/1300 feet deep)
1986
Restoration: Klamath tribal recognition was restored, but former reservation lands were not returned.
Klamath Tribes close their sucker fishery on Upper Klamath Lake and its tributaries.
United States v Adair suit for water rights adjudication completed
Congress passes the Klamath River Restoration Act, a 20 year plan to restore anadromous fish
1988
Lost River and shortnose suckers (cwaam and koptu) are listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act.
Oregon Scenic Waterways Act designates the Klamath Scenic Waterway from J.C. Boyle Dam to the state line. A federal designation followed in 1994.
Ambodat Department water quality technicians begin collecting Upper Klamath Lake samples
1990
Klamath Tribes purchase health building
1990s
No juvenile recruitment of cwaam/ koptu
1992/93
Klamath Tribes c’waam and koptu recruitment event
1994
Congress adds the Upper Klamath River to the National Wild and Scenic River Systems
1996-1998
The Lost, Klamath, Salmon, Scott, and Shasta rivers are listed as impaired under the federal Clean Water Act, launching regulatory steps to improve water quality.
1997
Coho salmon in Southern Oregon and Northern California Coastal region listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Klamath Co. Watershed Council formed- filing deadline for 1975 water adjudication rights
Kla-Mo-Ya casino opens
1998
The first of several unsuccessful negotiations was undertaken among some Klamath Basin water interests.
200 Years of Contact
2000
The Klamath Tribes administration building opens
PacifiCorp began the federal relicensing process for the Klamath Hydroelectric Project dams.
2001-Ongoing
Klamath Project irrigation water crisis- Extreme drought period begins (still in this extreme drought period)
Ambodat Department water quality technicians begin collecting Upper Klamath Lake tributaries samples
2002
Winema and Fremont Forests combined
At least 34,000 salmon die near the mouth of the Klamath River in September.
2003-Ongoing
Beginning of the Klamath River Salmon Run, running for our Chinook and Coho Salmon from Requa (mouth of the Klamath) up the Klamath River to Wood River Headwaters (tributary to Upper Klamath Lake)
2005
Multi-party negotiations that ultimately led to the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement and the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement began
2006
PacifiCorp's license for the Klamath Hydroelectric Project expires. The relicensing process continues, and the company faces major costs to meet environmental standards required by federal regulators.
Projected weak runs of Klamath River Chinook salmon force closure of the ocean salmon harvest from Monterey, California, to Southern Oregon.
The Tribes’ Sprague River Water Quality Lab (SRWQL) becomes operational. The SRWQL performs analyses of 19 analytes in-house; nutrients (Total Phosphorus, Particulate Organic Phosphorus, Total Dissolved Phosphorus, Orthophosphate, Total Nitrogen, Nitrite, Nitrate, Nitrite+Nitrate, Ammonia, and Silica), Turbidity, Total Suspended Solids, Volatile Suspended Solids, Settleable Solids, Suspended Sediment Concentration, Chlorophyll-a, Phaeophytin-a, Microcystin toxicity, and Alkalinity.
2008
In January, the Draft Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement was released. It provides for settlement of key water conflicts and calls for a major salmon restoration effort. (It also wanted Klamath Tribes to give up their senior water rights). It also calls for a separate agreement concerning the removal of the Klamath Hydroelectric Project dams. In November, the United States, California, Oregon, and PacifiCorp announced an agreement regarding dam removal; this is the first time the dam owner has publicly committed to such a scenario.
2009
Draft Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement released. This was the first public commitment to the removal of JC Boyle, Iron Gate, Copco 1, and Copco 2 facilities.
2010
Final Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement and Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement were signed. Implementation is contingent on authorizing legislation, funding, and environmental review. Klamath Tribes did NOT sign the KBRA agreement, and refused to give up their rights in negotiations for the water that does not belong to the Department of Interior. The Hoopa Valley Tribe was not invited to participate in the KBRA agreement.
2012
Final Klamath Dam removal EIS/EIR issued
2013
Klamath Project Biological Opinion issued, With the region in drought conditions, Klamath tribes and the federal government exercised water rights in the Upper Klamath Basin for the first time. This cuts off irrigation water to agricultural growers in the upper basin.
2016
Department of the Interior, the U.S. Department of Commerce, PacificCorp, Oregon, and California signed an agreement to remove four dams on the Klamath River by 2020, following a process administered by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Warren Buffett did not want to lose any money, and that was the main reason for decommissioning the four hydroelectric facilities.
USGS Population of Cwaam and Koptu Published for 2001-2015
60% decline of cwaam- 100,000 cwaam river spawners and 8,000 cwaam spring spawners
78% decline of koptu- 19,000 koptu river spawners
2017
Mass fish kill of all fish species in Upper Klamath Lake
2020
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission announced that the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, created to oversee the removal of four Klamath River dams, needed more finances and experience to be the sole licensee of the four dams. To move the project forward, the states of California and Oregon, the Yurok Tribe, the Karuk Tribe, PacifiCorp, and the Klamath River Renewal Corporation sign a memorandum of agreement that describes how the parties will implement the amended Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement, which sets the terms for the removal of the four Klamath River dams.
Bureau of Reclamation announces an initial $1.2 million investment in new science for the Klamath Project.
2021
The Bureau of Reclamation shuts the A Canal, the principal irrigation canal for the Klamath Project, citing extreme drought conditions and environmental needs. This means thousands of farmers are without water for the irrigation season. Tensions between farmers and government and tribal communities were heightened.
2023
Demolition crews remove Copco No. 2, the smallest of four hydroelectric dams slated for removal from the Klamath River.
WAP Plan Completed: The Ambodat Department worked with consultants and cooperators including Trout Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy, Klamath Watershed Partnership, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and California North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board on an Upper Klamath Basin Watershed Action Plan (WAP). The WAP is a science-driven plan that guides and prioritizes future restoration projects. It is an accessible and adaptive planning and mapping tool that has full buy-in from all WAP organizational partners, is harmonious with other regional planning efforts, and is accessible to partners while also sensitive to the needs of landowners to sustain their operations and ways of life.The Ambodat Environmental Scientist participated in the development of a Klamath River basin-wide restoration plan called the Integrated Fisheries Restoration and Monitoring Plan. This plan is intended to help agencies and tribes with fisheries management jurisdiction wisely allocate funds and coordinate the most effective fisheries restoration and monitoring work. The Upper Klamath Basin WAP will be a component of the overall plan. This plan was completed in 2023.
2024
Klamath Dam Removal: decommissioning JC Boyle Dam, Iron Gate Dam, Copco 1 Dam, and Copco 2 (Link River Dam and Keno Dam will remain on the Klamath)
Wetland Loss/Reduction: our lakes used to have 200,000 acres of wetlands, then we faced 75% reduction in wetlands, leaving 50,000 acres of wetlands. We’ve recently faced an additional 50% reduction in wetlands, resulting in 25,000 acres of wetlands left. These wetlands are critically threatened and our water quality is so poor our aquatic life cannot survive.
Klamath Irrigation Project currently irrigates 230,000 acres in Klamath County
225 Years of Contact
What are we going to face in the next 25 years? What are we going to do in the next 25 years?
What are you going to do in the next 25 years?
For yourself, your family, your relatives, your home?
For the Maklaks of the Upper Klamath Basin territories?
Protect our lands, our waters, our peoples, and our relatives.