Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife reposted this
Great news for salmon! A recent dam removal in southern Oregon has opened almost 40 miles of new spawning habitat for native fish! For the first time in nearly 130 years, Evans Creek, a tributary of the mighty Rogue River, is entirely free flowing at the site of the former Williams-Whalen Dam. Work crews finished demolition of the abandoned concrete dam with no fish ladder earlier this summer. “This project is exciting because it’s a three-way win – the landowners are able to maintain a viable source for irrigation water, fish passage has been restored in the stream, and the entities involved in this project enjoy a successful outcome of their collective efforts,” said CalLee Davenport, a USFWS coordinator on the project. Full list of partners: WaterWatch of Oregon; Rogue River Watershed Council; River Design Group; USFWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program; Staton Companies; Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife; Bureau of Land Management; Rogue Basin Partnership; PacifiCorp; and M&M Services. USFWS video: Dirk Renner Video description: earth-moving machine stretches bucket arm into rushing river to remove debris during a dam deconstruction.