About the Project

Three large dams were removed on the Rogue River between 2008 and 2010, but hundreds of small dams and diversions obstruct streams that feed the mighty 215-mile Rogue River. These tributaries serve as spawning grounds and fish nurseries, help cool the Rogue, and boost the aquatic food chain for the entire watershed. Though removal of the mainstem dams opened 150 miles of the Rogue and improved fish runs, there is still much work to do to restore the river’s abundance.

Small obstructions on Rogue tributaries have outsized impacts to the 3.3-million-acre watershed. These barriers block sediment movement and inhibit fish passage for native spring and fall Chinook salmon, threatened coho salmon, winter and summer steelhead, sturgeon, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, Pacific lamprey, and other species.

As a coalition of conservation organizations, Tribes, and water districts, the Rogue Basin Partnership has been working with landowners and government agencies to build understanding and support for removal of these small barriers. Rooted in thoughtful collaboration, these individual projects are modeling win-win-win outcomes that restore fish passage, benefit landowners, improve water efficiency, enhance water quality, and restore Tribal fishing rights.