… [Brook] Thompson, a PhD student at University of California Santa Cruz, is a member of the Yurok Tribe, whose reservation borders the tail end of the mighty 250-mile Klamath River in Northern California. … And for almost as long as Thompson has been alive, the river has been sick. Three hydroelectric dams that were installed more than a century ago have contributed to low water flows, high levels of bacteria, and mass salmon die-offs.  … Thompson has a BS in civil engineering from Stanford University with a focus on water resources and hydrology.  … And against the odds, after years of struggle, in 2022, the go ahead was given to remove the dams. … Thompson had hoped to be involved in the removal of the dams, considering her background, but never received a response from the construction firm contracted to take them down. … Now she’s working as a restoration engineer for the tribe, serving as an integral member in the mammoth efforts to restore the landscape now the river is flowing freely again.

Related Klamath Rivers article:

• The Cool Down: The largest dam removal project in U.S. history is now complete: ‘The river is free’ 
• Maven’s Notebook: Here today, forgotten tomorrow: How shifting baselines transform nature and challenge restoration