WEBVTT 00:00.667 --> 00:03.136 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% (gentle pensive music) 00:03.136 --> 00:06.106 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - [Baratunde] This is what a wild river looks like. 00:06.106 --> 00:09.909 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% No dams, no canals, no diversion. 00:09.909 --> 00:13.013 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Just a river running wild like it's supposed to. 00:14.080 --> 00:17.217 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% But these days a truly untamed river 00:17.217 --> 00:19.552 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% is practically a thing of the past. 00:20.653 --> 00:22.756 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% We like to think that America is a land 00:22.756 --> 00:24.758 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% where rivers flow freely, 00:24.758 --> 00:27.193 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% but the truth may disappoint you. 00:27.193 --> 00:30.096 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% The vast majority of our rivers are dammed, 00:30.096 --> 00:33.666 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% diverted or otherwise controlled. 00:33.666 --> 00:36.202 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% But when I got to paddle the Suwannee River, 00:36.202 --> 00:39.205 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% the experience was indescribable. 00:39.205 --> 00:43.343 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% I was truly in awe, and that awe made me wonder, 00:44.511 --> 00:48.014 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% "Is it possible to make a river wild again?" 00:50.050 --> 00:51.718 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% To answer that question, 00:51.718 --> 00:54.387 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% we're traveling to Northern California 00:54.387 --> 00:55.655 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% where the Yurok tribe 00:55.655 --> 00:57.757 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% has been wondering a similar thing. 00:57.757 --> 00:59.426 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% - [Baratunde] Oh yeah. 00:59.426 --> 01:00.960 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% That one's kind of hard lugging around. 01:00.960 --> 01:03.496 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - [Barry] Yeah, just for you, it's good though, huh? 01:03.496 --> 01:05.532 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] Just for me, it's perfect. 01:05.532 --> 01:07.233 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% - So we're here at the estuary 01:07.233 --> 01:08.868 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% of the Klamath River, 01:08.868 --> 01:10.937 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% kind of just before it meets the Pacific Ocean. 01:10.937 --> 01:12.772 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% There's a lot of activity here. 01:12.772 --> 01:13.940 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% You look around here, 01:13.940 --> 01:15.842 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% you're gonna see marine mammals and birds, 01:15.842 --> 01:17.110 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% and every single fish 01:17.110 --> 01:19.145 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% that enters the Klamath River has to pass 01:19.145 --> 01:20.713 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% through this area right here. 01:21.881 --> 01:23.783 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] Meet Barry McCovey, a biologist 01:23.783 --> 01:25.585 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% for the Yurok Tribe. 01:25.585 --> 01:27.854 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% The Yurok are among the five tribes 01:27.854 --> 01:29.222 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% that have called the Klamath River 01:29.222 --> 01:31.491 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% and surrounding area home long 01:31.491 --> 01:34.160 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% before European settlers arrived. 01:34.160 --> 01:35.662 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Barry] The Yurok people, we believe 01:35.662 --> 01:38.198 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% that humans are also a part of this ecosystem. 01:38.198 --> 01:41.134 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% We're intrinsically connected to this river. 01:41.134 --> 01:42.836 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% It's just as important to Yurok people 01:42.836 --> 01:44.971 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% as the air we breathe. 01:44.971 --> 01:46.806 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - [Baratunde] This connection largely centers 01:46.806 --> 01:49.509 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% around one amazing creature. 01:49.509 --> 01:50.910 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% Salmon. 01:50.910 --> 01:52.245 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% Salmon has been at the heart 01:52.245 --> 01:55.081 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% of Yurok culture for hundreds of years. 01:55.081 --> 01:57.350 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - [Barry] We had this incredible source of food 01:57.350 --> 02:00.086 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% right in our backyards that we could access 02:00.086 --> 02:02.322 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% pretty easily for most of the year. 02:02.322 --> 02:05.592 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - Imagine most of your community's meals come 02:05.592 --> 02:07.627 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% from fishing in the pristine, 02:07.627 --> 02:10.330 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% beautiful waters of the Klamath. 02:10.330 --> 02:13.500 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% For the Yurok, this was their reality. 02:13.500 --> 02:15.301 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% They could always count 02:15.301 --> 02:17.003 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% on the salmon passing through. 02:18.505 --> 02:20.039 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Barry] So most salmon, they spend part 02:20.039 --> 02:21.307 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% of their life in freshwater 02:21.307 --> 02:23.109 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and part of their life in saltwater. 02:23.109 --> 02:24.410 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% They're born upstream. 02:24.410 --> 02:26.179 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% They migrate out as juveniles 02:26.179 --> 02:29.649 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% into the Pacific Ocean and then they'll migrate 02:29.649 --> 02:32.018 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% back into the Klamath River and move upstream 02:32.018 --> 02:33.686 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% to spawn as adults. 02:33.686 --> 02:36.122 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% And then the cycle starts again. 02:36.122 --> 02:38.758 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Every year in the spring, the summer, the fall, 02:38.758 --> 02:42.061 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% there was always abundant salmon runs 02:42.061 --> 02:44.864 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and tribal people took advantage of that. 02:44.864 --> 02:46.499 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] But about a century ago, 02:46.499 --> 02:49.202 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% settlers began to develop the Klamath River 02:49.202 --> 02:51.804 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% altering its natural flow to suit their needs. 02:51.804 --> 02:53.373 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% Their goal was not just 02:53.373 --> 02:55.875 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% to channel the river's water for agriculture, 02:55.875 --> 02:58.244 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% but to harness its power for electricity. 02:59.679 --> 03:03.283 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% To do that, they built seven hydroelectric dams. 03:03.283 --> 03:05.885 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% That's seven massive structures placed 03:05.885 --> 03:07.720 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% in the path of the river 03:07.720 --> 03:10.957 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% For the Yurok that electricity came 03:10.957 --> 03:12.859 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% at a huge cost. 03:12.859 --> 03:14.160 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% - [Barry] And so now the fish 03:14.160 --> 03:15.528 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% that used to be able to go 03:15.528 --> 03:17.096 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% to the upper basin to spawn, 03:17.096 --> 03:19.732 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% they came upstream and they ran into a dam. 03:19.732 --> 03:22.902 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Like that, the run size was probably cut in half. 03:22.902 --> 03:25.705 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - [Baratunde] And the situation only got worse. 03:25.705 --> 03:27.240 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% Over the next few decades, 03:27.240 --> 03:30.176 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% the Klamath would continue to lose its salmon 03:30.176 --> 03:35.248 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% with some species declining by a whopping 98%. 03:36.115 --> 03:38.051 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% This decline, it had a big effect 03:38.051 --> 03:39.485 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% on the Yurok people. 03:39.485 --> 03:41.921 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - We have to rely a lot more on outside sources 03:41.921 --> 03:43.957 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% for food which aren't as healthy. 03:43.957 --> 03:45.491 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% We can see this direct correlation 03:45.491 --> 03:47.360 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% between the health of the Klamath River 03:47.360 --> 03:48.795 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% and the health of Yurok 03:48.795 --> 03:50.964 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% and other indigenous people on the Klamath River. 03:50.964 --> 03:53.199 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] But this loss is about much more 03:53.199 --> 03:54.968 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% than just nutrition. 03:54.968 --> 03:55.935 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% - For me, these salmon 03:55.935 --> 03:58.805 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% aren't just like a food you eat. 03:58.805 --> 04:01.841 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% For me, it's losing a part 04:01.841 --> 04:04.410 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% of my ancestry, my history. 04:04.410 --> 04:06.212 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] This is Brooke Thompson, 04:06.212 --> 04:09.215 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% a member of the Yurok and Karuk Tribes. 04:09.215 --> 04:10.483 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% Brooke is well acquainted 04:10.483 --> 04:12.719 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% with the dangers of a dammed Klamath river. 04:13.786 --> 04:15.288 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% - [Brooke] I was seven years old. 04:15.288 --> 04:16.656 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% It was early in the morning, 04:16.656 --> 04:18.391 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% so I was with my dad and my mom, 04:18.391 --> 04:20.260 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and you just heard people call out like, 04:20.260 --> 04:21.561 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% "Hey, you have to check out the river. 04:21.561 --> 04:23.029 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% Something's going on." 04:23.029 --> 04:24.097 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% And we came out to see 04:24.097 --> 04:25.732 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% what everyone was talking about. 04:25.732 --> 04:28.101 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% There were just, as far as you could see 04:28.101 --> 04:29.535 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% down the river, there was just piles 04:29.535 --> 04:31.004 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% of dead salmon. 04:31.004 --> 04:32.705 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] What Brooke was experiencing 04:32.705 --> 04:34.474 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% would go down in history 04:34.474 --> 04:38.077 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% as the "Klamath River Fish Kill of 2002". 04:38.077 --> 04:40.179 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% That year, low water levels 04:40.179 --> 04:42.015 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% and poor water quality 04:42.015 --> 04:44.784 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% created the perfect conditions for a disease 04:44.784 --> 04:47.920 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% called gill rot to spread rapidly. 04:47.920 --> 04:50.623 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% The results were disastrous. 04:50.623 --> 04:52.392 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - It was the biggest salmon die off 04:52.392 --> 04:53.960 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% in the history of the United States. 04:53.960 --> 04:56.796 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Upwards of 60 to 70,000 Chinook salmon 04:56.796 --> 04:58.765 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% and Coho salmon were dead 04:58.765 --> 05:00.633 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and lining the banks of the Klamath River. 05:00.633 --> 05:02.935 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% That kind of galvanized the community 05:02.935 --> 05:05.505 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% and the tribal communities in particular to say, 05:05.505 --> 05:07.440 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% "We have to do something about this. 05:07.440 --> 05:09.075 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% We have to change this trajectory 05:09.075 --> 05:10.243 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% because the trajectory 05:10.243 --> 05:12.745 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% that we were on was extinction." 05:12.745 --> 05:13.680 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% (indistinct) 05:13.680 --> 05:15.415 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% - [Crowd] Bring the salmon home. 05:16.215 --> 05:17.817 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% - They say they'll work with us 05:18.618 --> 05:21.120 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% to bring the salmon home. 05:21.120 --> 05:25.425 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% The question is, do they mean it this time? 05:27.060 --> 05:29.929 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - [Baratunde] And now more than 20 years later, 05:29.929 --> 05:32.532 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% there's another kind of disruption happening. 05:32.532 --> 05:34.334 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% - US regulators approved a plan 05:34.334 --> 05:37.370 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% to demolish four dams on a California river. 05:37.370 --> 05:40.306 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - Four of those giant dams are coming down. 05:40.306 --> 05:44.677 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% It's the largest dam removal project in history. 05:46.045 --> 05:48.881 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - [Mark] Simply amazing to be where we are today. 05:48.881 --> 05:50.750 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% It's been a long time coming. 05:50.750 --> 05:52.952 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] Mark Bransom is the CEO 05:52.952 --> 05:55.455 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% of the Klamath River Renewal Corporation 05:55.455 --> 05:58.358 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% which recently gained ownership of the four dams 05:58.358 --> 06:00.393 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and is preparing for their removal. 06:00.393 --> 06:02.795 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% - Removal of the dams is intended 06:02.795 --> 06:05.598 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% to accomplish several major goals. 06:05.598 --> 06:07.834 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% One, these dams and reservoirs 06:07.834 --> 06:10.737 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% have created water quality impairments. 06:10.737 --> 06:11.971 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% During the summer, 06:11.971 --> 06:14.006 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% the water in these reservoirs warms up 06:14.006 --> 06:16.476 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and supports the growth of large blooms 06:16.476 --> 06:18.678 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% of toxic blue-green algae. 06:18.678 --> 06:21.414 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% The water that moves through these reservoirs 06:21.414 --> 06:23.916 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and pass these dams carries that toxin 06:23.916 --> 06:25.885 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% with them having direct impacts 06:25.885 --> 06:28.621 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% on the wildlife that utilize the river. 06:28.621 --> 06:31.557 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Secondly, is to restore fish passage 06:31.557 --> 06:33.326 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% so that these returning salmon 06:33.326 --> 06:35.628 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% can access that historic habitat 06:35.628 --> 06:37.897 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% in the upper parts of the watershed. 06:37.897 --> 06:39.966 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - It sounds like demolishing these dams 06:39.966 --> 06:42.735 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% should make life better for people and wildlife 06:42.735 --> 06:43.836 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% along the Klamath. 06:43.836 --> 06:46.572 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% But this is a huge change 06:46.572 --> 06:49.142 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and some people have serious doubts. 06:49.976 --> 06:51.244 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% - I can tell you that everybody 06:51.244 --> 06:53.546 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% that moved up here bought a house here 06:53.546 --> 06:55.782 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% because they wanted to live on a lake. 06:55.782 --> 06:58.451 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% It's a difficult transition for people 06:58.451 --> 07:00.420 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% to lose the lake. 07:00.420 --> 07:03.222 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - [Baratunde] Francis Gill and Danny Fontaine live 07:03.222 --> 07:05.191 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% at the water's edge. 07:05.191 --> 07:07.960 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% They're residents of a lakefront community, 07:07.960 --> 07:11.030 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% a lake that was formed by the construction 07:11.030 --> 07:12.999 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% of one of the dams. 07:12.999 --> 07:14.634 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% With about a hundred residents, 07:14.634 --> 07:17.270 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Copco Lake was the perfect place for Danny 07:17.270 --> 07:19.405 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and Francis to live out their dreams 07:19.405 --> 07:21.207 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% of small town life. 07:21.207 --> 07:22.842 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% - Come on in. 07:22.842 --> 07:24.377 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Our plan was actually to make this 07:24.377 --> 07:26.512 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% into a really old looking general store 07:26.512 --> 07:29.849 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and just have that feel of an old general store. 07:29.849 --> 07:31.050 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] But since the decision 07:31.050 --> 07:32.452 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% to remove the dams, 07:32.452 --> 07:34.654 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% they worry that the community's future 07:34.654 --> 07:35.888 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% is in limbo. 07:35.888 --> 07:37.423 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - Everything is just so undetermined. 07:37.423 --> 07:38.624 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% There's no answers. 07:38.624 --> 07:39.559 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% There's no clear answers to anything 07:39.559 --> 07:40.493 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% or what anything will be like. 07:40.493 --> 07:42.295 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% It's just a risk and a guess. 07:42.295 --> 07:45.097 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - [Baratunde] And it's not just Danny and Francis. 07:45.097 --> 07:47.033 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Many of their neighbors also worry 07:47.033 --> 07:50.036 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% about how this project will affect their lives. 07:50.036 --> 07:52.939 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% The Klamath River Renewal Corporation admits 07:52.939 --> 07:54.974 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% some property owners around the river 07:54.974 --> 07:57.310 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% could experience troubling impacts 07:57.310 --> 08:00.112 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% from dam removal, impacts like changes 08:00.112 --> 08:02.315 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% to groundwater wells, homes settling 08:02.315 --> 08:05.885 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% or slumping, even a higher risk of flooding. 08:05.885 --> 08:10.089 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - Most people up here are very skeptical at best. 08:10.089 --> 08:12.492 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% People are fearful of losing wildlife. 08:12.492 --> 08:13.459 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% People are fearful 08:13.459 --> 08:16.229 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% of losing their property values. 08:16.229 --> 08:17.463 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% - It's supposed 08:17.463 --> 08:19.131 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% to be the biggest dam removal in history. 08:19.131 --> 08:20.399 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% Who knows what could happen? 08:20.399 --> 08:21.901 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% I mean, if it's the first time anything 08:21.901 --> 08:24.270 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% that big has ever taken place, it kind of feels 08:24.270 --> 08:28.307 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% like an experiment and we're the Guinea pigs. 08:28.307 --> 08:29.809 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - [Baratunde] But many scientists who've studied 08:29.809 --> 08:32.278 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% this river believe that research exists 08:32.278 --> 08:34.814 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% which addresses the concerns of residents. 08:36.649 --> 08:38.351 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - Our goal as scientists is to be 08:38.351 --> 08:40.386 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% as transparent as possible. 08:40.386 --> 08:41.954 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Some of the fears that folks have about 08:41.954 --> 08:43.422 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% what might happen with dam removal 08:43.422 --> 08:45.191 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% have been thoroughly studied, 08:45.191 --> 08:47.994 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% thoroughly addressed by independent parties. 08:47.994 --> 08:50.763 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% They've done a ton of analysis, a ton of modeling 08:50.763 --> 08:53.199 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% with expertise in the river and have been able 08:53.199 --> 08:55.501 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% to conclusively show that a lot 08:55.501 --> 08:57.703 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% of these fears are unfounded. 08:57.703 --> 09:00.339 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% (upbeat music) 09:01.874 --> 09:03.643 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] Desiree Tullos is a professor 09:03.643 --> 09:06.112 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% of water resources engineering. 09:06.112 --> 09:07.980 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% The work she and her team are doing 09:07.980 --> 09:09.415 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% is key to understanding 09:09.415 --> 09:11.951 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% what impact the dam removal project will have 09:11.951 --> 09:13.185 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% on the Klamath. 09:13.185 --> 09:14.720 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Desiree] Things we can say with confidence, 09:14.720 --> 09:15.821 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% the cyanobacterial blooms 09:15.821 --> 09:16.989 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% in the reservoirs will be gone. 09:16.989 --> 09:18.558 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% The toxin levels in the river 09:18.558 --> 09:20.526 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% that we're standing in will drop. 09:20.526 --> 09:21.961 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% We're very confident in that. 09:21.961 --> 09:24.063 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% We also know that salmon are gonna move upstream 09:24.063 --> 09:25.698 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% beyond where they are currently. 09:25.698 --> 09:26.632 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% Whether that translates 09:26.632 --> 09:28.301 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% into like large scale recovery 09:28.301 --> 09:30.570 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% of fish is an open question. 09:32.705 --> 09:34.073 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% There's a fear, I think, 09:34.073 --> 09:35.341 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% sometimes among scientists, if we share that, 09:35.341 --> 09:36.809 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% "Hey, we're probably not gonna see 09:36.809 --> 09:38.978 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% this huge salmon run the year after dam removal," 09:38.978 --> 09:41.080 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% that people are gonna walk away from the basin 09:41.080 --> 09:42.214 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% or they're gonna think the dam removal 09:42.214 --> 09:43.516 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% was a failure. 09:43.516 --> 09:45.217 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% But the reality is that we're talking 09:45.217 --> 09:46.452 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% about ecological timescales, 09:46.452 --> 09:47.720 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% not human timescales. 09:47.720 --> 09:49.288 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% We have the the patience to know 09:49.288 --> 09:50.556 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% that it's not necessarily gonna happen 09:50.556 --> 09:51.490 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% within the first year, 09:51.490 --> 09:53.225 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% that it could take some time 09:53.225 --> 09:54.660 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% and it's gonna take more actions 09:54.660 --> 09:56.262 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% than just the dam removal. 09:56.262 --> 09:57.830 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] When it comes to salmon, 09:57.830 --> 10:00.499 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% scientists remain optimistic. 10:00.499 --> 10:02.568 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Even as they admit that the future 10:02.568 --> 10:06.038 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% of the fish is uncertain, they expect one thing. 10:06.038 --> 10:09.408 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Removing the dam will improve water quality 10:10.376 --> 10:12.378 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and that's beneficial to everyone. 10:12.378 --> 10:15.247 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Not only are property values expected to rise, 10:15.247 --> 10:17.883 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% the grass is literally looking greener. 10:17.883 --> 10:20.453 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - All that green right there is underwater 10:20.453 --> 10:22.755 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% and so when the water went down, 10:22.755 --> 10:24.290 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% it's been a few weeks, 10:24.290 --> 10:25.725 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% but it's just turning green. 10:25.725 --> 10:28.027 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% If it all looks like that, it would be awesome. 10:29.128 --> 10:30.363 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% - Sometimes it's so hard for me 10:30.363 --> 10:32.098 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% to wrap my mind around the puzzle 10:32.098 --> 10:33.299 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% of the dam removal. 10:33.299 --> 10:34.600 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% At the end of the day, 10:34.600 --> 10:36.569 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% I want everyone in California to prosper. 10:36.569 --> 10:37.737 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% We can find ways where we can 10:37.737 --> 10:39.071 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% all uplift each other 10:40.272 --> 10:43.009 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] So, will the river run wild again 10:43.009 --> 10:44.510 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% once the dams are gone? 10:44.510 --> 10:46.779 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% The Klamath may never be fully restored 10:46.779 --> 10:49.548 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% to the way it was before it was developed. 10:49.548 --> 10:51.984 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% But this is a monumental step 10:51.984 --> 10:53.486 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% in the right direction, 10:53.486 --> 10:55.755 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% bringing this river one step closer 10:55.755 --> 10:56.956 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% to its former self. 10:58.190 --> 10:59.792 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Barry] 20 years ago when we would mention 10:59.792 --> 11:00.926 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% we wanna remove the Klamath dams, 11:00.926 --> 11:02.428 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% we would get laughed out of the room. 11:02.428 --> 11:04.697 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% To get here, it gives us hope, 11:04.697 --> 11:06.399 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and it should give everyone hope. 11:06.399 --> 11:09.001 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% Any crazy project or crazy idea 11:09.001 --> 11:10.236 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% that someone has 11:10.236 --> 11:11.470 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% that's gonna help restore balance 11:11.470 --> 11:13.439 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% and help fix an ecosystem, 11:13.439 --> 11:14.640 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% all they have to do is look 11:14.640 --> 11:16.842 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% at the Klamath and say, "Those guys did it. 11:16.842 --> 11:18.577 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% We should be able to do it, too." 11:18.577 --> 11:21.947 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% It's not just about restoring the Klamath River. 11:21.947 --> 11:24.183 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% This whole idea is much bigger than that. 11:24.183 --> 11:25.918 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% It's about fixing the earth. 11:30.690 --> 11:32.425 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - Thank you so much for watching. 11:32.425 --> 11:35.461 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% For more inspiring stories of the great outdoors 11:35.461 --> 11:37.063 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% and our connection to nature, 11:37.063 --> 11:38.831 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% please check out season two 11:38.831 --> 11:41.934 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% of "America Outdoors" with Baratunde Thurston. 11:41.934 --> 11:43.803 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% We're in the PBS video app, 11:43.803 --> 11:46.706 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% your PBS local station or click the link 11:46.706 --> 11:48.908 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% in the description below for access 11:48.908 --> 11:50.376 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% to a full episode 11:50.376 --> 11:52.144 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and more information about the show.