The world’s largest dam removal project, currently underway on the Klamath River, will be the topic of Oregon State University – Cascades’ Science Pub on March 19.

Desiree Tullos, a professor of biological and ecological engineering, and Bryan Tilt, a professor of anthropology, both at OSU, will talk about the Klamath River dam removal, which started in 2023, and the project’s impact on the river’s ecosystem and people. They will also describe an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural research project they are conducting in the area.

Tullos, Tilt and several other researchers, including scientists from the Yurok Tribe, received $895,000 in grants from Oregon Sea Grant to study the connections between river quality, water use and the aquatic food web, and to project their conditions after the four Klamath River dams are dismantled.

The dam decommissioning effort, which is intended to improve water quality and fish habitat, includes restoration of 2,000 acres formerly overtaken by the hydroelectric dams, which were built between 1918 and 1962 and provided power through PacifiCorp.

The Klamath runs more than 250 miles from Oregon’s high desert interior in Klamath Falls through the Cascade mountain range before opening to the Pacific Ocean in northern California.

The Science Pub will take place from 5:30 to 7:15 p.m. in the Charles McGrath Family Atrium in Edward J. Ray Hall at OSU-Cascades. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for networking and dining with the presentation to follow at 6 p.m.

Registration is required and on-campus parking is free.

The event is $22 per person, which includes a light, pub-style, pre-lecture dinner by OSU-Cascades’ Edge Catering. The no-host bar will offer beer, wine, cider and soft drinks.

To register, visit OSUcascades.edu/event-registration. Space is limited to 120 attendees. For accommodations for disabilities contact 541-322-3100 or events@osucascades.edu.