Latest news with #WesternRiversConservancy
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Historic land deal more than 20 years in the making returns vast swath of land to Native tribe: 'An unprecedented step forward'
A historic land-back deal 20-plus years in the making is complete, more than doubling the Yurok Tribe's holdings after the transfer of 73 square miles along the lower Klamath River. On June 5, the Western Rivers Conservancy announced that it, along with the California Wildlife Conservation board and the California State Coastal Conservancy, had conveyed the 73-square-mile portion of land along the eastern side of the river to the federally recognized tribe. "On behalf of the Yurok people, I want to sincerely thank Western Rivers Conservancy for their longtime partnership and commitment to return a major part of our homeland," Yurok Tribe chairman Joseph L. James said. "The impact of this project is enormous." In addition to having cultural significance to the Yurok Tribe, the Klamath River is crucial to the survival of commercially beneficial fish species like salmon, imperiled by rising global temperatures and human activities along the river, like the construction of dams. Restoration projects, including the largest dam-removal endeavor in U.S. history, have helped reverse some of the damage. The recent acreage transfer that brought the Tribe's holdings to 47,097 acres (valued at $56 million) is the largest in state history and will further support the health of the area, including Blue Creek, a site with spiritual importance to the Yurok. "Returning these lands to the Yurok Tribe is an unprecedented step forward for the Klamath River, and it comes at a critical moment following the removal of the Klamath River dams," said Jennifer Norris, executive director of the California Wildlife Conservation Board. The Western Rivers Conservancy had been working toward the full transfer for 23 years. "This project exemplifies the power of partnership, showcasing how conservation efforts and the land back movement can come together to benefit the rivers, fish, wildlife and people of an entire landscape," added Nelson Mathews, president of Western Rivers Conservancy. "Blue Creek and its watershed are critical to the health of the entire Klamath fishery. The Yurok Tribe has the resources and the deep cultural connections that sustained this land for millennia, and now they can continue to do so." Do you think America is in a housing crisis? Definitely Not sure No way Only in some cities Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Miami Herald
15-06-2025
- General
- Miami Herald
After a century of logging, lands along California's Klamath River returned to tribe
LOS ANGELES - Along the Klamath River in Northern California, where logging companies once cut ancient redwood trees, vast tracts of land have been returned to the Yurok Tribe in a years-long effort that tribal leaders say will enable the restoration of forests and the protection of a watershed that is vital for salmon. The effort, which unfolded gradually over the last 23 years, culminated in May as Western Rivers Conservancy turned over 14,968 acres to the Yurok Tribe. It was the last portion of 47,097 acres that the nonprofit group acquired and transferred to the tribe in what is thought to be the largest "land back" deal in California history. Members of the tribe say they are celebrating the return of their ancestral lands along Blue Creek, a major tributary that meets the Klamath about 40 miles south of the Oregon border. Blue Creek holds cultural and spiritual significance for the Yurok, and its cold, clear waters provide a refuge for salmon. "We are salmon people," said Joseph L. James, chairman of the Yurok Tribe. "The river takes care of us, and it's our job to take care of the river." In all, the tribe now owns an additional 73 square miles along the lower Klamath River, including much of the Blue Creek watershed. The conifer forests, which were heavily logged over the last century, will be managed by the tribal government as two protected areas, the Blue Creek Salmon Sanctuary and the Yurok Tribal Community Forest. Yurok leaders say regaining stewardship of these lands contributes to larger efforts to revive the ecological health of the Klamath watershed, where last year the removal of four dams farther upstream restored a free-flowing stretch of the river and enabled salmon to reach spawning areas that had been inaccessible for more than a century. "This land is back home with us now, and we'll continue that work that we have done as Yurok people to protect the land, protect the streams, provide for our people and provide for the environment," James said. In addition to Blue Creek, the land includes other streams that flow into the Klamath. The tribe plans projects to create healthier stream habitats for fish, and to restore meadows and prairies. In the forests, they plan to use controlled burns to thin vegetation that has built up. Some old logging roads are being decommissioned, while other roads are set to be upgraded. "We're going to continue to work to bring back our wildlife population, our fish population," James said. "It's going to take a lot of work, but a lot of people are going to benefit from this." Beyond the local benefits, James said the effort serves as an example for the Land Back movement, in which Native people in many areas are seeking to regain ancestral lands that were taken from them generations ago. "This is what it looks like when we talk about land back," James said. "Land back means giving the land back to its original people with no strings attached. Let them provide their traditional knowledge to heal the land, the environment." He said reaching this successful conclusion involved years of efforts by leaders of the tribe and Western Rivers Conservancy, as well as help from other partners. He said the deal should start more discussions nationwide about how other tribes can advance toward regaining their traditional lands. "It's a big win for Indian Country," he said. "Here is a model that people could use, from our experience, to get land back." The effort has more than doubled the tribe's landholdings. The lands were previously owned by Green Diamond Resource Co. and its predecessor Simpson Logging Co., which harvested timber there for nearly a century. The last time logging occurred on the property was in 2007. Western Rivers Conservancy, a Portland, Ore.-based nonprofit, signed a purchase agreement with Green Diamond in 2008 after five years of negotiations and efforts to identify funding. The lands were gradually acquired by the group between 2009 and 2017, and were transferred to the tribe in multiple phases. The conservation group used an innovative funding strategy, assembling $56 million from foundations, corporations and philanthropists, as well as other sources such as tax credits, public grants and the sale of carbon credits. State funding and support for the effort came from the California Wildlife Conservation Board and the California State Coastal Conservancy, as well as other agencies. "We put together this mosaic of different funding sources," said Nelson Mathews, president of Western Rivers Conservancy. "This is the result of commitment, persistence and tenacity." Mathews' organization focuses on protecting rivers for fish, wildlife and the public, and was drawn to the project for its conservation benefits. By establishing the salmon sanctuary in Blue Creek, the deal safeguards a vital cold-water habitat for fish including Chinook salmon, coho salmon and steelhead. "With climate change, cold water is at a premium for these rivers, and it's critical," Mathews said. "So having complete protection of that watershed is important." He said the deal shows how conservation goals and tribes' efforts to regain lands can align in ways that bring tremendous benefits. "It's good for the soul to protect these rivers, and it's a double benefit to see the tribe get their land back," Mathews said. Members of the Yurok Tribe say this effort and others like it are a critically important step in grappling with the lasting effects of colonization. During the 1800s, California's Native population was decimated by diseases, displacement and violence, including state-sponsored killings. The Yurok reservation was established by the federal government in 1855, confining the tribe to an area that covered only a tiny fraction of their ancestral territory. In the late 1800s, white settlers and speculators found ways to secure additional lands along the Klamath River where they could extract valuable redwood, in some cases by bribing U.S. General Land Office officials as they fraudulently acquired thousands of acres of timberlands. Today, the Yurok Tribe is the largest tribe in California, with more than 6,400 enrolled members. "We are trying to recover from colonization," said Amy Bowers Cordalis, a lawyer for the tribe and executive director of the Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group. "And we are just now getting into a place where we are starting to see some of the fruits of our efforts, between dam removal and now land back efforts." Regaining these lands enables the tribe "to start rebuilding and to start taking care of our land and our resources," she said. "We are strongly committed to living in a balance with the natural world." She said for members of the tribe, visiting the cold, clear waters of Blue Creek is a spiritual experience. "It's one of the most wild places in all of California, and it is glorious." It's possible to see some of the area by boat, traveling from the Klamath River to the mouth of Blue Creek. But for now, access to the area is limited. James said that could change in the future, once restoration and other work is completed. "At some point in time, we have an opportunity to turn that into a big, beautiful park," James said. "We've got to heal it first, put our resources in it, and it's going to take some time." He said the tribe's members feel delighted to be once again stewarding these lands and waterways, as their ancestors once did. "It's a beautiful feeling knowing that we'll have this land in our hands moving forward for the next seven generations, for our Yurok people and our grandchildren." Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
After a century of logging, lands along California's Klamath River returned to tribe
Along the Klamath River in Northern California, where logging companies once cut ancient redwood trees, vast tracts of land have been returned to the Yurok Tribe in a years-long effort that tribal leaders say will enable the restoration of forests and the protection of a watershed that is vital for salmon. The effort, which unfolded gradually over the last 23 years, culminated in May as Western Rivers Conservancy turned over 14,968 acres to the Yurok Tribe. It was the last portion of 47,097 acres that the nonprofit group acquired and transferred to the tribe in what is thought to be the largest 'land back' deal in California history. Members of the tribe say they are celebrating the return of their ancestral lands along Blue Creek, a major tributary that meets the Klamath about 40 miles south of the Oregon border. Blue Creek holds cultural and spiritual significance for the Yurok, and its cold, clear waters provide a refuge for salmon. 'We are salmon people,' said Joseph L. James, chairman of the Yurok Tribe. 'The river takes care of us, and it's our job to take care of the river.' Read more: Klamath River dam removal brings hope for threatened salmon In all, the tribe now owns an additional 73 square miles along the lower Klamath River, including much of the Blue Creek watershed. The conifer forests, which were heavily logged over the last century, will be managed by the tribal government as two protected areas, the Blue Creek Salmon Sanctuary and the Yurok Tribal Community Forest. Yurok leaders say regaining stewardship of these lands contributes to larger efforts to revive the ecological health of the Klamath watershed, where last year the removal of four dams farther upstream restored a free-flowing stretch of the river and enabled salmon to reach spawning areas that had been inaccessible for more than a century. 'This land is back home with us now, and we'll continue that work that we have done as Yurok people to protect the land, protect the streams, provide for our people and provide for the environment,' James said. In addition to Blue Creek, the land includes other streams that flow into the Klamath. The tribe plans projects to create healthier stream habitats for fish, and to restore meadows and prairies. In the forests, they plan to use controlled burns to thin vegetation that has built up. Some old logging roads are being decommissioned, while other roads are set to be upgraded. 'We're going to continue to work to bring back our wildlife population, our fish population,' James said. 'It's going to take a lot of work, but a lot of people are going to benefit from this.' Beyond the local benefits, James said the effort serves as an example for the Land Back movement, in which Native people in many areas are seeking to regain ancestral lands that were taken from them generations ago. 'This is what it looks like when we talk about land back,' James said. 'Land back means giving the land back to its original people with no strings attached. Let them provide their traditional knowledge to heal the land, the environment.' Read more: The Klamath River's dams are being removed. Inside the effort to restore a scarred watershed He said reaching this successful conclusion involved years of efforts by leaders of the tribe and Western Rivers Conservancy, as well as help from other partners. He said the deal should start more discussions nationwide about how other tribes can advance toward regaining their traditional lands. 'It's a big win for Indian Country,' he said. 'Here is a model that people could use, from our experience, to get land back.' The effort has more than doubled the tribe's landholdings. The lands were previously owned by Green Diamond Resource Co. and its predecessor Simpson Logging Co., which harvested timber there for nearly a century. The last time logging occurred on the property was in 2007. Western Rivers Conservancy, a Portland, Ore.-based nonprofit, signed a purchase agreement with Green Diamond in 2008 after five years of negotiations and efforts to identify funding. The lands were gradually acquired by the group between 2009 and 2017, and were transferred to the tribe in multiple phases. The conservation group used an innovative funding strategy, assembling $56 million from foundations, corporations and philanthropists, as well as other sources such as tax credits, public grants and the sale of carbon credits. State funding and support for the effort came from the California Wildlife Conservation Board and the California State Coastal Conservancy, as well as other agencies. 'We put together this mosaic of different funding sources,' said Nelson Mathews, president of Western Rivers Conservancy. 'This is the result of commitment, persistence and tenacity.' Mathews' organization focuses on protecting rivers for fish, wildlife and the public, and was drawn to the project for its conservation benefits. By establishing the salmon sanctuary in Blue Creek, the deal safeguards a vital cold-water habitat for fish including Chinook salmon, coho salmon and steelhead. 'With climate change, cold water is at a premium for these rivers, and it's critical,' Mathews said. 'So having complete protection of that watershed is important.' He said the deal shows how conservation goals and tribes' efforts to regain lands can align in ways that bring tremendous benefits. 'It's good for the soul to protect these rivers, and it's a double benefit to see the tribe get their land back,' Mathews said. Read more: A California tribe was twice robbed of its land. A 77-acre purchase brings hope Members of the Yurok Tribe say this effort and others like it are a critically important step in grappling with the lasting effects of colonization. During the 1800s, California's Native population was decimated by diseases, displacement and violence, including state-sponsored killings. The Yurok reservation was established by the federal government in 1855, confining the tribe to an area that covered only a tiny fraction of their ancestral territory. In the late 1800s, white settlers and speculators found ways to secure additional lands along the Klamath River where they could extract valuable redwood, in some cases by bribing U.S. General Land Office officials as they fraudulently acquired thousands of acres of timberlands. Today, the Yurok Tribe is the largest tribe in California, with more than 6,400 enrolled members. 'We are trying to recover from colonization,' said Amy Bowers Cordalis, a lawyer for the tribe and executive director of the Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group. 'And we are just now getting into a place where we are starting to see some of the fruits of our efforts, between dam removal and now land back efforts.' Regaining these lands enables the tribe 'to start rebuilding and to start taking care of our land and our resources,' she said. 'We are strongly committed to living in a balance with the natural world.' She said for members of the tribe, visiting the cold, clear waters of Blue Creek is a spiritual experience. 'It's one of the most wild places in all of California, and it is glorious.' It's possible to see some of the area by boat, traveling from the Klamath River to the mouth of Blue Creek. But for now, access to the area is limited. James said that could change in the future, once restoration and other work is completed. 'At some point in time, we have an opportunity to turn that into a big, beautiful park,' James said. 'We've got to heal it first, put our resources in it, and it's going to take some time.' He said the tribe's members feel delighted to be once again stewarding these lands and waterways, as their ancestors once did. 'It's a beautiful feeling knowing that we'll have this land in our hands moving forward for the next seven generations, for our Yurok people and our grandchildren.' This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
14-06-2025
- General
- Los Angeles Times
After a century of logging, lands along California's Klamath River returned to tribe
Along the Klamath River in Northern California, where logging companies once cut ancient redwood trees, vast tracts of land have been returned to the Yurok Tribe in a years-long effort that tribal leaders say will enable the restoration of forests and the protection of a watershed that is vital for salmon. The effort, which unfolded gradually over the last 23 years, culminated in May as Western Rivers Conservancy turned over 14,968 acres to the Yurok Tribe. It was the last portion of 47,097 acres that the nonprofit group acquired and transferred to the tribe in what is thought to be the largest 'land back' deal in California history. Members of the tribe say they are celebrating the return of their ancestral lands along Blue Creek, a major tributary that meets the Klamath about 40 miles south of the Oregon border. Blue Creek holds cultural and spiritual significance for the Yurok, and its cold, clear waters provide a refuge for salmon. 'We are salmon people,' said Joseph L. James, chairman of the Yurok Tribe. 'The river takes care of us, and it's our job to take care of the river.' In all, the tribe now owns an additional 73 square miles along the lower Klamath River, including much of the Blue Creek watershed. The conifer forests, which were heavily logged over the last century, will be managed by the tribal government as two protected areas, the Blue Creek Salmon Sanctuary and the Yurok Tribal Community Forest. Yurok leaders say regaining stewardship of these lands contributes to larger efforts to revive the ecological health of the Klamath watershed, where last year the removal of four dams farther upstream restored a free-flowing stretch of the river and enabled salmon to reach spawning areas that had been inaccessible for more than a century. 'This land is back home with us now, and we'll continue that work that we have done as Yurok people to protect the land, protect the streams, provide for our people and provide for the environment,' James said. In addition to Blue Creek, the land includes other streams that flow into the Klamath. The tribe plans projects to create healthier stream habitats for fish, and to restore meadows and prairies. In the forests, they plan to use controlled burns to thin vegetation that has built up. Some old logging roads are being decommissioned, while other roads are set to be upgraded. 'We're going to continue to work to bring back our wildlife population, our fish population,' James said. 'It's going to take a lot of work, but a lot of people are going to benefit from this.' Beyond the local benefits, James said the effort serves as an example for the Land Back movement, in which Native people in many areas are seeking to regain ancestral lands that were taken from them generations ago. 'This is what it looks like when we talk about land back,' James said. 'Land back means giving the land back to its original people with no strings attached. Let them provide their traditional knowledge to heal the land, the environment.' He said reaching this successful conclusion involved years of efforts by leaders of the tribe and Western Rivers Conservancy, as well as help from other partners. He said the deal should start more discussions nationwide about how other tribes can advance toward regaining their traditional lands. 'It's a big win for Indian Country,' he said. 'Here is a model that people could use, from our experience, to get land back.' The effort has more than doubled the tribe's landholdings. The lands were previously owned by Green Diamond Resource Co. and its predecessor Simpson Logging Co., which harvested timber there for nearly a century. The last time logging occurred on the property was in 2007. Western Rivers Conservancy, a Portland, Ore.-based nonprofit, signed a purchase agreement with Green Diamond in 2008 after five years of negotiations and efforts to identify funding. The lands were gradually acquired by the group between 2009 and 2017, and were transferred to the tribe in multiple phases. The conservation group used an innovative funding strategy, assembling $56 million from foundations, corporations and philanthropists, as well as other sources such as tax credits, public grants and the sale of carbon credits. State funding and support for the effort came from the California Wildlife Conservation Board and the California State Coastal Conservancy, as well as other agencies. 'We put together this mosaic of different funding sources,' said Nelson Mathews, president of Western Rivers Conservancy. 'This is the result of commitment, persistence and tenacity.' Mathews' organization focuses on protecting rivers for fish, wildlife and the public, and was drawn to the project for its conservation benefits. By establishing the salmon sanctuary in Blue Creek, the deal safeguards a vital cold-water habitat for fish including Chinook salmon, coho salmon and steelhead. 'With climate change, cold water is at a premium for these rivers, and it's critical,' Mathews said. 'So having complete protection of that watershed is important.' He said the deal shows how conservation goals and tribes' efforts to regain lands can align in ways that bring tremendous benefits. 'It's good for the soul to protect these rivers, and it's a double benefit to see the tribe get their land back,' Mathews said. Members of the Yurok Tribe say this effort and others like it are a critically important step in grappling with the lasting effects of colonization. During the 1800s, California's Native population was decimated by diseases, displacement and violence, including state-sponsored killings. The Yurok reservation was established by the federal government in 1855, confining the tribe to an area that covered only a tiny fraction of their ancestral territory. In the late 1800s, white settlers and speculators found ways to secure additional lands along the Klamath River where they could extract valuable redwood, in some cases by bribing U.S. General Land Office officials as they fraudulently acquired thousands of acres of timberlands. Today, the Yurok Tribe is the largest tribe in California, with more than 6,400 enrolled members. 'We are trying to recover from colonization,' said Amy Bowers Cordalis, a lawyer for the tribe and executive director of the Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group. 'And we are just now getting into a place where we are starting to see some of the fruits of our efforts, between dam removal and now land back efforts.' Regaining these lands enables the tribe 'to start rebuilding and to start taking care of our land and our resources,' she said. 'We are strongly committed to living in a balance with the natural world.' She said for members of the tribe, visiting the cold, clear waters of Blue Creek is a spiritual experience. 'It's one of the most wild places in all of California, and it is glorious.' It's possible to see some of the area by boat, traveling from the Klamath River to the mouth of Blue Creek. But for now, access to the area is limited. James said that could change in the future, once restoration and other work is completed. 'At some point in time, we have an opportunity to turn that into a big, beautiful park,' James said. 'We've got to heal it first, put our resources in it, and it's going to take some time.' He said the tribe's members feel delighted to be once again stewarding these lands and waterways, as their ancestors once did. 'It's a beautiful feeling knowing that we'll have this land in our hands moving forward for the next seven generations, for our Yurok people and our grandchildren.'
Euronews
05-06-2025
- General
- Euronews
Yurok tribe reclaims land in California's largest land-back project
The Yurok Tribe has regained nearly 189 square kilometres of ancestral forestland along the Klamath River in northern California, more than doubling their land holdings and marking the largest land-back conservation deal in state history. The tribe plans to restore the landscape through traditional stewardship methods such as controlled burns, prairie restoration, invasive species removal and tree planting, efforts that will also create jobs for the tribe's 5,000 members. "We're thrilled to announce that we've transferred the final phase of land to the Yurok tribe and completed creation of the Blue Creek Salmon Sanctuary and the Yurok tribal community forest," said Josh Kling, conservation director at Western Rivers Conservancy. He added, "This is the single largest land-back project of lands going back to a tribe in the entire state of California. 47,000 acres is now under the ownership and stewardship of the Yurok tribe." The return of these lands is part of the broader Land Back movement, which seeks to restore Indigenous ownership and stewardship of traditional territories. Over the past decade, around 12,000 square kilometres of land has been returned to tribes across 15 states through federal programmes aided by conservation organisations. For the Yurok, 90% of whose territory was seized during the Gold Rush era, reclaiming this land holds deep significance. "Re-acquiring landscapes like this allows us to heal, to work towards healing a wound that was inflicted not only on the lands but our hearts when these lands were taken away from us," said Tiana Williams-Clausen, director of the Yurok Tribe's wildlife department. She emphasised Blue Creek's importance, calling it "one of the best and clearest and healthiest of tributaries that go into the Klamath River, which is the heart of Yurok Country," but noted it has faced destructive management for years. Studies increasingly show that forests stewarded by Indigenous peoples are healthier, more biodiverse and more resilient, highlighting the critical role of traditional ecological knowledge in combating climate change. Beth Rose Middleton Manning, a Native American Studies professor at UC Davis, said "Indigenous people's perspective - living in relation with the lands, waterways and wildlife - is becoming widely recognised and is a stark contrast to Western views." Despite this landmark land-back project, however, Yurok Tribe members know it's going to take decades of work for these lands and waterways to heal. New Zealand's parliament suspended three lawmakers on Thursday who performed a Māori haka in protest against a controversial proposed law that critics said would reverse indigenous rights. Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke received a seven-day ban and the leaders of her political party, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi, were barred for 21 days. Their political party, Te Pāti Māori, also known as the Māori Party, is a left-wing political group in New Zealand advocating for minority Māori rights. A parliamentary privilege committee recommended that the trio be suspended for acting in "a manner that could have the effect of intimidating a member of the House." Three days had been the longest ban for a lawmaker from New Zealand's Parliament prior to this, meaning the three-week suspension of Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi sets a new record. The three politicians performed a haka in Parliament in opposition of the widely unpopular Treaty Principles Bill which they said would be damaging to the rights of indigenous peoples. The bill has since been defeated. It sought to legally define the principles of the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, which is the pact signed between Māori leaders and the British Crown during New Zealand's colonisation. More than 40,000 people protested outside parliament during the bill's first reading last year. The protest provoked months of debate among lawmakers about what the consequences of the Te Pāti Māori politicians' actions should be and whether New Zealand's Parliament welcomed or valued Māori culture, or felt threatened by it.
