###

Press release from the Yurok Tribe:

Starting tomorrow, the Yurok Tribe Fisheries Department and Condor Aviation, along with project partners, will begin conducting low-elevation helicopter missions to map the physical characteristics of 257 miles of the Klamath River channel from Lake Ewauna to the estuary.   

The helicopter is equipped with high-resolution remote-sensing instruments to capture extremely accurate bathymetric and topographic data. The information will primarily be used to evaluate how the river changes in response to the recent removal of four dams near the California/Oregon border. 

“This detailed three-dimensional map of the river corridor will provide invaluable insights into the evolution of the Klamath River ecosystem, as well as help us gain a deeper understanding of the river’s overall health. The data will also guide the development of large-scale restoration projects,” said Yurok Fisheries Department Director Barry McCovey.   

In addition to aircraft operations, crews from the Yurok Tribe and Karuk Tribe will be collecting data from boats.   

The aerial and boat-based data-collection project will begin July 15 and run through early August. During this time of year, it is common to see low-flying helicopters collecting water from the river to douse forest fires. Please don’t be alarmed if you see a helicopter with tail number N1525 flying near the water.   

If you have questions or concerns related to this project, please contact djbandrowski@yuroktribe.nsn.us  

The Klamath River is healing from more than a century of dams that disrupted the river’s natural flow regime, compromised water quality and restricted sediment dynamics. These impairments are largely responsible for the sharp reduction in the Klamath’s salmon, steelhead, Pacific lamprey and sturgeon populations. 

The removal of the four dams reopened approximately 400 miles of habitat within the mainstem Klamath and its tributaries, including newly accessible streams above Upper Klamath Lake.  Less than two years after the dams were decommissioned, spring and fall Chinook salmon have passed the former dam sites and have begun recolonizing formerly inaccessible streams in California and Oregon.

Dam removal not only expanded the amount of habitat available to salmon but also increased the geographic distribution and genetic diversity of populations throughout the Klamath Basin. This greater diversity enhances the species’ overall resilience, improving its ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions in the future. While these early benefits are encouraging, full ecosystem recovery will require time, sustained effort and long-term monitoring, with more significant results expected to emerge over the coming years. 

About Condor Aviation  

The Yurok Tribe has developed a robust aerial data collection program that uses aircraft, drones, and advanced remote-sensing technologies to gather high-resolution information about landscapes, rivers, forests, and habitat conditions. The effort is led by the Tribe’s Fisheries Department and Condor Aviation program, which operate specialized aircraft equipped with LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), aerial imagery systems, and other geospatial sensors. 

The purpose of the program is to provide accurate, landscape-scale data that supports natural resource management, ecological restoration, infrastructure planning, and climate resilience. The detailed elevation and imagery data are used to monitor environmental change, design habitat restoration projects, and assess the impacts of floods, wildfires, droughts, and other natural processes.’