Removing Dams and Restoring Tribal Homelands

Keywords: Indigenous, dams, restoration, justice, collaboration
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Sunday
Session Start / End Time: 2/27/2022 05:20 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/27/2022 06:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 74

Abstract

In a context of increasing impacts of climate change, river restoration is essential for human and ecosystem health. This project begins from the foundation that Indigenous-led dam removal and riverine restoration is essential to sustain Indigenous and other peoples and communities, particularly in a context of climatic change. While dam removal is gaining increasing attention as a key component of riverine restoration, the literature on the process and outcomes of dam removal does not foreground Tribal historical and contemporary watershed stewardship, nor Tribes’ roles in leading riverine restoration. Removing Dams and Restoring Tribal Homelands is a study of the mechanisms, policy processes, collaborative structures, and legal tools supporting dam removal and river restoration processes that foreground tribal leadership across the West. This paper focuses specifically on two dam removal and restoration projects in two states, in the context of tribal land histories, governance, and restoration priorities. With attention to both specific historical and cultural factors, as well as broader trends, we aim to advise dam removal processes, foster favorable policy and funding, and encourage investment in justice-oriented, tribally-led dam removal. Broadly, Removing Dams and Restoring Tribal Homelands contributes to re-envisioning collaborative water management (including fisheries management, irrigation, and hydroelectricity) in the West through examination of what multiple Indigenous nations and Open Rivers Fund have accomplished in diverse dam removal projects.