San Clemente Dam on the Carmel River, upstream of Carmel Valley Village, was built in 1921. Some 80 years later the lake behind the dam had silted up; the dam was not earthquake safe; and it blocked the migration of local Carmel River steelhead trout, which had become endangered. After years of planning, in 2015, the dam was removed in huge project (see link above), and work became to restore the Carmel River and its riparian vegetation. The area currently remains off-limits but will eventually be opened to the public.

Various agencies undertook studies of avian populations below and above the dam for 30 years prior to the dam removals. An occasional Audubon group was permitted access in the 1990s and early 2000s. These data were collected before eBird, but some of it has been entered, years later, so this Hotspot was created for those surveys and birding visits before 2015.

American Dipper and Common Merganser breed on the Carmel River in the vicinity of the old dam. The rich cottonwood/willow habitat support both resident and breeding riparian birds. It will be a fun place to visit when it is eventually available for public use.