On a recent field trip to the Klamath River, local school children were able to witness a momentous example of nature’s ability to rebound: salmon spawning in a creek upstream from the former Iron Gate dam after decades of absence. It’s one of many ecological milestones being reached following the largest dam removal project in […]
Karuk Tribe
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Salmon Spotted in Klamath Basin for First Time in More Than a Century
On Wednesday, an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist spotted a first-in-a-century sight on a tributary to the Klamath River in the Klamath Basin: A fall-run Chinook salmon. Just weeks after the last remnants of the four hydroelectric dams that used to clog the lower Klamath River were hauled away, concluding what was the […]
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First of Four Klamath Dams Has Been Removed
And then there were three. The nonprofit Klamath River Renewal Corporation recently announced that work to remove the first of four hydroelectric dams clogging the lower Klamath River is complete, bringing the largest dam removal project in the nation’s history one step closer to fruition. “Seeing the Klamath River flow through this canyon after being […]
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California Ranchers Intentionally Violated an Emergency Water Order. Now Lawmakers Want to Triple the Fines
When ranchers violated an emergency order to stop pumping water from the drought-plagued Shasta River last year, state officials fined them $4,000, or roughly $50 each. Now California legislators are weighing a bill that would triple fines for such infractions — and could allow the penalty to climb higher than a million dollars. Authored by […]
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‘A Great Day:’ President Signs Karuk Land Back Bill into Law
President Joe Biden today signed a bill into law placing federal lands in Humboldt and Siskiyou counties into a trust for the Karuk Tribe, fulfilling a years-long effort to put the sacred lands back into tribal hands. Under The Katimiîn and Ameekyáaraam Sacred Lands Act, 1,200 acres of U.S. Forest Service land will be transferred […]
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‘It Means the World’: Legislation to Return Karuk Sacred Lands Awaiting President’s Signature
North Coast Congressmember Jared Huffman announced today that legislation to place federal lands in Humboldt and Siskiyou counties into a trust for the Karuk Tribe has passed out of the House of Representatives and is now awaiting President Joe Biden’s signature to become law. Under The Katimiîn and Ameekyáaraam Sacred Lands Act, 1,200 acres of […]
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Tribes Decry Klamath Water Proposal
The Karuk and Yurok tribes issued a warning this morning that a Bureau of Reclamation proposal to reduce flows on the Klamath River could kill off an entire salmon run in advance of a historic dam removal and restoration effort aimed at saving the fish. Noting that tribes and state officials just last week celebrated […]
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Karuk Sacred Lands Legislation Moves Forward
A little more than one year after being introduced by North Coast Rep. Jared Huffman, the Katimiîn and Ameekyáaraam Sacred Lands Act has passed out of the House Natural Resources Committee, bringing a nearly decade-long effort by the Karuk Tribe to once again care for these lands one step closer to fruition. The 1,200 acres […]
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Feds OK Klamath Dam Removal
The Federal Regulatory Commission gave its final nod of approval this morning to plans to remove four hydroelectric dams from the Klamath River, putting the largest dam demolition project in U.S. history on track to begin next year. The vote was unanimous. “This moment is bigger than anyone could comprehend,” said Amy Cordalis, a Yurok […]
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Ranchers Who Tapped Shasta River Face $4,000 Proposed Fine for Violating State Drought Order
California’s water officials plan to impose a $4,000 fine on Siskiyou County ranchers for violating orders to cut back their water use during a weeklong standoff last summer. State officials and the ranchers agree: A $4,000 fine isn’t much of a deterrent to prevent illegal water diversions during California’s droughts. The proposed fine would amount […]
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Ranchers, Tribes, State Officials Clash Over Shasta River Water
The land that Jim Scala and his family have been ranching for three generations is parched and brown as far as he can see. The pond where his cattle used to drink is now a puddle, ringed with cracked mud. In other years, water pumped from the Shasta River would have periodically flooded this land, […]
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Flooding Raises New Concerns for Spring Chinook
Nearly 300 wild spring Chinook salmon made the 85-mile trip to cool mountain waters for spawning this year, up from a mere 90 last year. While still far below, according to the Karuk Tribe and Salmon River Restoration Council, the numbers were at least moving in a positive direction. But soon after the count was […]