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This week, instead of focusing on The Bulletin’s local content, I’d like to point out the wealth of stories coming out of The Rogue Valley Times in Medford. EO Media started the RV-Times.com last Feb. 6 when the former Medford Mail-Tribune suddenly shut its doors. We hired back many of the seasoned reporters and they didn’t miss a beat in covering Southern Oregon.

The big story that no one else is covering in-depth there is the removal of four dams along the Klamath River, one in Southern Oregon and three in Northern California. Of note is a dramatic video of the Copco No. 1 dam being breached.

Prior to coming to Bend, I worked for The Herald and News in Klamath Falls and was anxiously awaiting the dam removal project. It is one of the largest dam removal projects in the West, and I wanted to report on it. So many of the impacts were not well known, hence there was a lot of resistance to the project.

The dams have been in place for more than 100 years and acres of silt and debris have backed up behind their walls. Now that they are breached, the reservoirs are disappearing, leaving behind tons of silt and muck, dead fish and other aquatic species. The smell is pretty awful, residents say.

Officials believe over time the river will cut a channel through the muck and the banks will be restored with native plants and salmon will once again swim upstream from the ocean to Upper Klamath Lake.

But for now, it’s fascinating to watch this change play out. The Bulletin has posted several articles on its website and will continue to do so. Hats off the RVT for staying on top of this story, too.

As I say, it is one more benefit that comes from your digital subscription. Please sign up for a subscription here.

And thanks for reading,

Gerry O’Brien, Editor