Indigenous youth from the Klamath Basin and Chile are wrapping up historic trip from the Klamath’s headwaters to the Pacific Ocean today, July 29. “The purpose of the trip is to raise awareness about imperiled rivers in North and South America,” according to Konrad Fisher, Director of the Klamath Riverkeeper.
The Klamath-Chile Youth River Exchange organized by Rios to Rivers started at the Klamath River headwaters on July 10th and ends this Saturday at the mouth of the Klamath River. Klamath Youth will tour Chilean rivers in February.
"Before Ríos to Rivers, I never saw the upper Klamath basin or the dams, I only felt the effects of them,” said Jon-Luke Gensaw, a 19-year old Yurok Tribal Member with the non-profit organization Ancestral Guard. “The last few weeks have opened my eyes to the problems we share on a global scale.
This is the year when the lowest-ever return of fall-run Chinook salmon to the Klamath and Trinity Rivers is forecasted by scientists. Recreational fishing for fall Chinooks is closed on the two rivers this year, while recreational and commercial fishing in the ocean is closed in the Klamath Management Zone.
For the Yurok Tribe, who have fished the Klamath for thousands of years, the looming closure will be also be an “unprecedented disaster,” according to Amy Cordalis, the Tribe’s General Counsel, a Yurok Tribe member and fisherwoman.
The Yurok commercial fishery is closed this season and the total subsistence allocation is just 650 fish.
““This is the worst year in history for Klamath salmon,” said Cordalis. “There is no mystery as to why. The effects of an unprecedented drought were exacerbated by dams and diversions. This year, Yurok, Karuk and Hupa people will have little to no salmon for the first time in history. Although the fish are important economically, they are more important as an irreplaceable part of our identity as people who care for the river.”
Below is the press release and more information:
Klamath Basin to Chile: Youth Exchange Celebrates Rivers, Culture, and Conservation
(REQUA, CA) – Youth from the Klamath Basin and Patagonia, Chile (this Saturday, July 29) will celebrate the final day of a three-week journey on the Klamath River from its headwaters at Crater Lake to Requa, where it meets the Pacific Ocean.
The celebration will welcome more than 50 people to shore in traditional Yurok redwood dugout canoes, rafts, and kayaks with a Yurok ceremony, food, family, art, and presentations. International non-profit organization Ríos to Rivers organized the exchange with youth from two continents who are seeking to understand the threats facing their watersheds and to develop the skills needed to protect the rivers they call home.
"Before Ríos to Rivers, I never saw the upper Klamath basin or the dams, I only felt the effects of them,” said Jon-Luke Gensaw, a 19-year old Yurok Tribal Member with the non-profit organization Ancestral Guard. “The last few weeks have opened my eyes to the problems we share on a global scale."
Beginning July 9th, Chilean and Klamath Basin youth traveled from the headwaters to the mouth of the Klamath River learning about fisheries, water quality, water allocation, dams, food security, and the cultural traditions of Klamath Basin tribes. Next February, the Klamath Basin youth will travel to Chile to explore the rivers of Patagonia. There they will learn about Chilean culture and the common threats to the health of their rivers.
"The stories we learned on the banks of the Klamath River resemble my dear Baker River in Chile,” said Alejandra Chodil, 15, from Tortel, Chile. "Let's help the Klamath River; it’s sick from the dams."
The pristine rivers of Chile are threatened by massive proposed dam projects. Participants in the exchange program took a tour of the Klamath River dams and learned about the plans to remove the four Klamath River dams in 2020. This will be the largest dam removal project in world history.
"One of our goals is to spark a conversation among youth around the world,” said Weston Boyles, founder and director of Rios to Rivers. “Why do we continue to build new dams on one side of the world while dams are being removed much sooner than expected on the other side of the world?"
The exchange program included seventeen youth from the Klamath Basin including members of the Klamath, Karuk, Hoopa, and Yurok Tribes, eight youth from Patagonia Chile, and adult volunteers with Rios to Rivers, Ancestral Guard, The Warrior Institute, and Klamath Riverkeeper. Also joining the organizations was Chilean actress and activist Juanita Ringeling, who lives in California and supports environmental causes in both countries.
“Chilean and Klamath Basin youth share a genuine love for their rivers and a desire to protect them,” said Jorge Molina, with Rios to Rivers. “We look forward to hosting Klamath Basin youth in Chile in February.”
Contacts: