About the Project

Annie Creek runs 15 miles south from its headwaters in Crater Lake National Park to join the Wood River as it flows into Upper Klamath Lake. The forest and creek sustained Klamath Tribes for millennia. While the upstream portion of Annie Creek is pristine, the lower reach has been impacted by eight irrigation diversion dams that block fish passage and entrain juvenile fish. Removing the eight dams will give native, federally threatened bull trout access to nine miles of cold-water refuge, which the U.S. Forest Service assessed as being 90 percent likely to support bull trout in 2080 even under extreme climate change scenarios. Dam removal also benefits farmers by replacing dangerous and cumbersome irrigation structures with more efficient alternatives.

Trout Unlimited is partnering with private landowners, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Klamath Tribes, and Crater Lake National Park to develop and implement a comprehensive restoration plan for the lower portion of Annie Creek. With funding from the USFWS and the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, the first phase of the project will remove four dams by 2021. The second phase of the project will remove the remaining four dams in 2022-2024.