ADOBE ACROBAT READER (PDF) PLUG-IN REQUIRED

On February 18, 2010, both the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA) and the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement (KHSA) were approved by numerous federal, state, and local stakeholders representing public, private, and tribal interests in the Klamath Basin. Both agreements, if implemented, would collectively result in the removal of four dams on the Klamath River that currently block upstream passage for anadromous fish to historically occupied habitat. These native fish are Pacific lamprey, steelhead, coho salmon, and Chinook salmon.

The Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) must determine if the implementation of these two agreements is in the public interest on or before March 31, 2012. The Secretary will evaluate two alternative management scenarios for the Klamath Basin in making the Secretarial Determination: Conditions with Dams (current hydroelectric operations into the future) and Conditions without Dams and with KBRA. The evaluation period is 50 years (2012-2062).

As one element in informing the Secretary on the benefits of each alternative, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service have determined that important existing and new scientific information that could influence the Secretarial Determination should receive both expert and peer review. With regard to the benefits of each alternative on native Klamath Basin fishes, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service convened four native fish expert panels to review, evaluate, and synthesize influential information. These four expert panels are: 1) lamprey; 2) resident fish; 3) coho salmon and steelhead; and 4) Chinook salmon. The draft and final reports of these expert panels will be posted on this site as they are completed.