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- By Native News Online Staff
As salmon return to the headwaters of the Klamath River for the first time in more than a century, the newly formed Klamath Indigenous Land Trust and PacifiCorp announced the purchase of 10,000 acres in and around the river’s former reservoir reach. The deal is one of the largest private land purchases by an Indigenous-led land trust in U.S. history.
“Dam removal allowed the salmon to return home. Returning these lands to Indigenous care ensures that home will be a place where they can flourish and recover,” said Molli Myers (Karuk), president of the Klamath Indigenous Land Trust board of directors. “Our communities spent generations fighting for this moment and we honor our ancestors who carried this vision forward. The healing that’s underway is real, and this acquisition reflects the future we’re building together as People of the Klamath Basin.”
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PacifiCorp, the former landowner, partnered with the land trust to complete the sale following a decadeslong, Indigenous-led effort to remove four dams on the Klamath River, a project completed last year. The purchase includes lands upstream of and adjacent to the former hydropower project that are considered critical to the river’s long-term health and its fisheries. The transfer places stewardship of the land under Indigenous values and ecological restoration goals for the first time in more than a century.
“PacifiCorp is gratified to see these lands transition to a stewardship model that honors their cultural and ecological significance,” said Ryan Flynn, president of Pacific Power, the PacifiCorp division serving customers in California, Oregon and Washington. “We recognize the leadership of the Klamath Basin Tribes and KILT in shaping a restoration vision that will benefit the entire region.”
The Klamath Indigenous Land Trust was formed by leaders from four Klamath Basin Tribes who began working together after the 2002 fish kill. They spent the next two decades advancing a grassroots movement to remove the dams and restore salmon runs.
“We are from different Tribes and we each have our own cultural traditions, but it was through working together and by bringing Tribal People from all over the Basin together that created this moment,” said Wendy Ferris-George (Hupa/Karuk), vice president of the KILT board.
With the acquisition complete, the land trust plans to develop comprehensive land management plans with input from area Tribes. The plans will focus on habitat recovery, protection of cultural resources, fire management and public access.
“This is the next chapter in the Klamath River’s renewal,” said board member Jeff Mitchell (Klamath/Modoc). “It’s proof that Indigenous leadership and community partnerships can achieve transformational change at a landscape scale.”
Funding for the purchase was provided by the Catena Foundation, the Community Foundation of New Jersey and an anonymous donor.
Editor's Note: Please note that these lands are distinct from the ones held by the Klamath River Renewal Corporation for the purpose of dam removal and restoration, often referred to as the ‘Parcel B’ lands.
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