Mission

Use the aerial perspective to advocate with Tribes and conservationists for speedy dam removal to save the Eel River salmon and protect against the threats of aging, unsafe dam infrastructure.

The Eel River flows through northwestern California. Once one of the largest salmon producing rivers in the state, the river has supported Indigenous people since time immemorial with water and sustenance in the form of salmon, steelhead, and Pacific lamprey. But these culturally important species have been reduced to just a fraction of their former abundance by historic logging, water diversions, road building, pollution, and by a hydroelectric project that entombs the headwaters of the Eel River behind the Potter Valley Project, two aging dams that divert water out of the Eel’s headwaters and into the Russian River.

Thankfully, the Scott and Cape Horn dams are headed for removal. The operator, Pacific Gas and Electric plans to surrender and decommission the two Eel River dams. The headwaters behind the dams represent some of the most important habitat for salmon in the entire Eel River watershed, and immediate dam removal is needed to recover salmon and steelhead runs and restore natural riverine temperatures.

In June, PG&E announced they failed to put forth a draft Surrender Application, and is delaying the final version until late July. This delay causes concerns, namely with the Scott Dam’s serious seismic safety issues and the river’s dire state.

EcoFlight's partners are advocating for the dam removal process to move progress towards the Eel – already one of the most protected rivers in the state – becoming California’s longest free flowing river. And, to provide restorative justice for local Tribes that have long depended on the Eel River as central to their cultural identity and as a source of traditional food.

Click for the photos, aerial footage, and geo-referenced photos from the flight.