Claire’s research examines the changes on the Klamath River now that four hydroelectric dams have been removed. The Klamath dams disrupted the flow and water quality of the river and prevented fish passage for almost a century. The Klamath dams were removed in 2023 and 2024 with the goal of restoring river habitat, improving water quality, and to reinstate anadromous fish passage. Claire is looking at the food availability for juvenile salmonids by sampling benthic macroinvertebrates (BMI) downstream of the former Iron Gate Dam site. By incorporating BMI data and analysis done by graduate student Rosa Cox from 2022-2024, Claire aims to evaluate the data collected before, during, and after the dam removal to examine potential shifts and recovery of the BMI community. The goal of the study is to help advise future dam removals on coastal rivers.