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Salmon Return To Oregon’s Klamath Basin For The First Time Since 1912

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Salmon Return To Oregon’s Klamath Basin For The First Time Since 1912


Following the removal of dams along the Klamath River earlier this year, fall-run Chinook salmon have made a long-awaited return to the Oregon portion of the Klamath Basin, having recently been spotted there for the first time in 112 years.

The first salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) was discovered by biologists with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), who identified the fish on October 16 in a tributary of the Klamath River in southern Oregon, above where the John C. Boyle Dam used to stand.

“We saw a large fish the day before rise to surface in the Klamath River, but we only saw a dorsal fin,” said Mark Hereford, ODFW’s Klamath Fisheries Reintroduction Project Leader, in a statement. “I thought, was that a salmon or maybe it was a very large rainbow trout?”

When Hereford and the team came back the next day, their suspicions were confirmed – multiple Chinook salmon had indeed returned to the river’s basin. Not just in Oregon, either; on October 15, spawning Chinook salmon were spotted in Klamath tributaries in California, in a habitat that had previously been blocked by the Iron Gate Dam since 1961.

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As for the salmon found in Oregon, the ODFW believes that they have likely traveled around 370 kilometers (230 miles) from the Pacific Ocean in order to get there. 

Such a journey has only recently become possible.

Back in January 2024, officials were in the midst of a huge project to remove four hydroelectric dams from the Klamath River, which were originally built between 1911 and 1962.

The construction of the dams caused a major decline in wild fish stocks, including salmon – their path was not only physically blocked, but the lack of water flow also led to the spread of toxic algae and disease.  

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This hit to the river’s population of salmon and other fish significantly impacted the Indigenous peoples for whom the fish are both an important food resource and part of their cultures.

After years of efforts by Indigenous peoples and environmentalists to get the dams removed, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission officially announced in 2022 that the dams would be decommissioned. The removal of the last of the four dams came at the end of August 2024.

The return of the Chinook salmon to the Klamath Basin in the just under two months since has been welcomed by those who fought for the dams’ removal.

“The return of our relatives the c’iyaal’s is overwhelming for our tribe. This is what our members worked for and believed in for so many decades,” said Roberta Frost, Klamath Tribes Secretary. 

“I want to honor that work and thank them for their persistence in the face of what felt like an unmovable obstacle. The salmon are just like our tribal people, and they know where home is and returned as soon as they were able.”

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Oregon Lottery Powerball, Pick 4 results for July 6

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The Oregon Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at July 6, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from July 6 drawing

17-44-63-66-67, Powerball: 04, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Pick 4 numbers from July 6 drawing

1PM: 8-8-0-7

4PM: 4-2-9-2

7PM: 8-2-5-5

10PM: 7-7-2-2

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Win for Life numbers from July 6 drawing

18-28-41-70

Check Win for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Megabucks numbers from July 6 drawing

14-19-20-21-25-38

Check Megabucks payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

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When are the Oregon Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 7:59 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 7:59 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday.
  • Pick 4: 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily.
  • Win for Life: 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Megabucks: 7:29 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Oregon editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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Oregon’s Class Surges in Team Recruiting Rankings to No. 3

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Oregon’s Class Surges in Team Recruiting Rankings to No. 3


If you headed to the lake early last week, you missed the best fireworks. Dan Lanning and his staff put on a cup of coffee and closed like the Wolf of Wall Street. Minus the cocaine, probably.

All jokes aside, and believe me, these are jokes, the recruiting this staff is doing is not a joke. From June 28 to July 3, a span of 6 days Oregon added four new commitments and all were four stars or better. If you weren’t paying attention, Oregon landed 12 commits in the months of June and what we’ve had in July so far.

The recruiting class has surged from the teens to No. 9 to start last week to No. 3 overall by Friday afternoon. Only Texas A&M and Notre Dame have better recruiting classes according to Rivals. Oregon has the best class in the Big Ten conference.

The 24 commits sit at an average rating of 90.76 according to Rivals. Additionally 16 of the 24 commits are ranked four-stars or better and that includes the Ducks having a pair of 5-Star commitments. Oregon has 11 defensive commits, 11 offensive commits and 2 listed as athletes.

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Up next is a commitment from four-star linebacker Brayton Feister set for Saturday, July 11. I don’t believe that addition will move Oregon up in the rankings but will strengthen their current position.

With five-star wide receiver Xavier Sabb committing, Oregon now has a commitment from 17 different states. Should Feister from Ohio pick the Ducks on Saturday, that would give Oregon an 18th state. The national reach of this program is as good as any school in the country.

Last year Oregon finished with the No. 4 ranked class in the nation. The 2025 class also finished at No. 4 nationally.

The early signing period for the 2027 class begins on December 4 and ends on December 6. The transfer portal window begins on January 2.

Oregon kicks off its 2026 season opener at home on September 5 vs Boise State.

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Former corrections officer sentenced in major Oregon poaching case spanning multiple counties

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Former corrections officer sentenced in major Oregon poaching case spanning multiple counties


UMATILLA COUNTY, Ore. (KTVZ) — A yearslong investigation by the Oregon State Police (OSP), in addition to the Fish and Wildlife Division, has resulted in significant penalties for an Umatilla man accused of illegally killing wildlife across Oregon, in what prosecutors describe as one of the most damaging serial poaching cases tied to a single individual.

Christopher George Matson, 48, was sentenced in two separate cases in June following an investigation that began in 2024, when authorities received information he was unlawfully taking big game animals. Matson is a former Oregon Department of Corrections officer.

In February 2025, investigators served a search warrant and seized multiple big game animals and firearms as evidence. In total, 67 criminal charges were referred for prosecution, spanning multiple counties and including allegations such as unlawful take and possession of black bear with the aid of bait, unlawful take of buck deer and antlerless elk, and hunting during prohibited hours. Additional charges included falsely applying for tags, loaning or borrowing big game tags, and unlawful possession of silencers and a short-barreled rifle.

The case was prosecuted by the Oregon Department of Justice’s Wildlife Anti-Poaching Resource Prosecutor.

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On June 18, 2026, Matson pleaded guilty in Grant County Circuit Court to seven counts, including unlawful take of buck deer and black bear. He was sentenced to 18 months of probation, a lifetime hunting license revocation, 300 hours of community service, forfeiture of firearms and seized property, and a $52,500 fine payable to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Less than two weeks later, on June 29, Matson pleaded guilty in Umatilla County Circuit Court to additional charges, including unlawful possession of a short-barreled rifle, unlawful possession of a silencer, unlawful possession of multiple wildlife, and unlawful take of mule deer. In that case, he was sentenced to 24 months of probation, a lifetime hunting ban, 300 hours of community service to run concurrently, forfeiture of property, and a $62,000 fine.

Combined, the penalties include probation, a lifetime revocation of hunting privileges, 300 hours of community service and more than $114,000 in fines.

“This is another example of serial poaching which rises to the level of felony conduct based solely on the repeated poaching conduct and impact of one individual on Oregon’s game mammals,” said Jay Hall, the Oregon Department of Justice’s Wildlife Anti-Poaching Resource Prosecutor. “The conduct across the several counties amounts to one of the highest damage amounts done to Oregon wildlife by any singular actor.”

Oregon State Police credited the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife for assisting with interviews and evidence collection, along with multiple witnesses who came forward during the investigation.

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