[env-trinity] Salmon Protectors Youth Camp Brings Together Elders, Youth for The Klamath River by Morning Star Gali

[Regina Chichizola]

On September 14th and 15th Tribal families and youth, and other salmon
dependent people from all over Northern California, converged at the Bluff
Creek Resort near Weitchpec, CA to to discuss how to protect, and honor,
the Klamath and Trinity River’s salmon.
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For immediate release September 16, 2019

For more information call:
Morning Star Gali, Save California Salmon 510 827-6719
Matt Mais, Yurok Tribe (707) 482-1350 Ext 1306
Regina Chichizola, Save California Salmon regina [at] californiasalmon.org
<regina at californiasalmon.org> 541 951-0126

All photo credits Save California Salmon: Please contact for photo details.


Salmon Protectors Youth Camp Brings Together Elders, Youth for The Klamath
River

On September 14th and 15th Tribal families and youth, and other salmon
dependent people from all over Northern California, converged at the Bluff
Creek Resort near Weitchpec, CA to to discuss how to protect, and honor,
the Klamath and Trinity River’s salmon.

Trainings and discussions focused on ways to advocate for clean water and
Tribal rights, community organizing, and media skills. Families also were
able to learn traditional skills such as processing salmon and stick
carving, along with skills such as sign making, T-shirt screening, and
river rafting. The Klamath River Renewal Corporation also gave an update on
the Klamath dam removal process and timeline at the camp.

The Yurok Tribe, a co-host of the event says the camp is a way to involve
more native families and youth in their work to protect the Klamath River.
“Seeing how much passion our youth have for protecting the river fills me
with optimism for the future. We have fought for our salmon since European
contact and we will continue to fight until our rivers a filled with fish,”
Joseph L. James, Chairman of the Yurok Tribe. Chairman James spoke during
the camp's salmon dinner.

The Tribe has been fighting for dam removal and water for fish on the
Klamath for decades, and is one of California’s only Tribes that has
established fishing rights. Despite these efforts bad water management has
lead to dismal salmon returns over the last five years. This has lead to
issues such as poverty, food insecurity, and high suicide rates on the
Yurok reservation. Attendees will discuss these dismal salmon returns over
the last five years along with the is needed to improve these salmon runs.

Save California Salmon, the co-host of the event says the camp is part of a
statewide effort to engage Tribal youth and others that depend on healthy
fisheries populations in policy decisions that impact California rivers,
including climate change decisions. They say all of Northern California’s
Tribes should have the right to clean water and robust fisheries.

“Some of NorthernCalifornia’s Tribe’s have established rights to a
harvestable surplus of salmon and some do not.” said Morning Star Gali, the
Tribal Water Organizer for Save California Salmon. “All of them should,
however no California Tribes are actually able to catch a harvestable
surplus of salmon and most do not have clean water either due to policies
that favor irrigators and polluters. Most of Native Californians live many
hours from where the decisions that impact us are made and are not included
in decision making. We aim to change this dynamic by supporting communities
that want to organize for rivers and salmon and by empowering new leaders.”

Gali said that in places like Washington DC and Sacramento, decisions are
currently being made that will decide the future of California’s water and
fisheries. She said the Trump administration is gutting key laws like the
Endangered Species and Clean Water Act, while also rewriting the plans that
decide how much water goes down the Klamath, Trinity, Sacramento Rivers and
Bay Delta tributaries for fisheries. She says California has public vowed
to fight this attack on the environment, and has apologized for its
treatment of native people, however they still moving forward with harmful
new water diversions, dam, and oil development projects despite the fact
that it is predicted that the water in the Central Valley will be too
polluted to be usable within 50 years and that 45% of fish populations in
the state are facing extinction.

“It is time for California to change course and really respect the basic
human right to clean water and a livable planet, along with California
Tribe’s rights to healthy abundant fisheries.” said Gali “It is time to
think about future generations.”

Gali said Save California Salmon is hoping to work with the Klamath River
Tribes to make the camp an annual event, and hopes to help host similar
camps in the Sacramento River watershed and on and North Coast next year.
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by Morning Star Gali *Monday Sep 16th, 2019 3:52 PM*
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by Morning Star Gali *Monday Sep 16th, 2019 3:52 PM*
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by Morning Star Gali *Monday Sep 16th, 2019 3:52 PM*
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by Morning Star Gali *Monday Sep 16th, 2019 3:52 PM*
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