The sandbar willow of the Klamath River is used within the Karuk Tribe’s ongoing cultural practices of basketweaving. The willow has been threatened by intensifying fire and dams, but restoration and the recent historical dam removals provide an opportunity to increase the quantity, quality, and access to this important resource. Researchers supported by this Southwest CASC project will study how these interacting factors affect the sandbar willow and how restoration can reverse trends in willow degradation. The project will support Karuk Tribe eco-cultural goals through willow monitoring, climate adaptation planning, and educational initiatives. Sandbars of the Klamath River, part of the Karuk and Yurok Tribes’ ancestral lands, support [...]
Summary
The sandbar willow of the Klamath River is used within the Karuk Tribe’s ongoing cultural practices of basketweaving. The willow has been threatened by intensifying fire and dams, but restoration and the recent historical dam removals provide an opportunity to increase the quantity, quality, and access to this important resource. Researchers supported by this Southwest CASC project will study how these interacting factors affect the sandbar willow and how restoration can reverse trends in willow degradation. The project will support Karuk Tribe eco-cultural goals through willow monitoring, climate adaptation planning, and educational initiatives.
Sandbars of the Klamath River, part of the Karuk and Yurok Tribes’ ancestral lands, support the sandbar willow, or pâarak, a key plant species used in basketweaving cultural practices. Four hydroelectric dams on the river have disrupted natural river flows and riverbank scouring that is necessary for willow regeneration. This disruption has reduced willow materials for basketweaving and made gathering it more difficult, while also creating more habitat for invasive plants like Himalayan blackberry. Additionally, fires are becoming more intense in the region; in 2022, the McKinney fire burned 12 kilometers of riparian habitat. As Karuk Tribal citizens and cultural practitioners seek to restore willow abundance and access, the planned removal of the four dams in 2023-2024 (the largest dam removal project in the world) offers hope for revitalizing the Klamath River’s ecosystem and cultural resources.
This project will align with the timing of the dam removal project to study how dam removal, high-intensity fire, invasive species, and restoration impact willow vegetation. Working with the Karuk Tribe, this project aims to: 1) quantify the amount, quality, and accessibility of the willow vegetation essential to basketweaving by conducting field and Uncrewed Aerial System surveys; 2) understand the hydrologic and climate-related factors affecting willow by surveying physical settings in reference, burned, and restored sites; and 3) explore how restoration can reverse trends in willow degradation.
Outcomes of the project will include a co-produced willow monitoring plan, a K-12 curriculum, cross-training opportunities, new information for the Karuk Climate Adaptation Plan, and a journal article. All products will support Karuk eco-cultural resource objectives and riparian habitat climate adaptation strategies.
