Congratulations to Amy Bowers Cordalis of the Yurok Tribe for being honored by UNEP! And also thank you to the many Tribes up and down river -- including the The Karuk Tribe, KLAMATH TRIBE and SHASTA INDIAN NATION -- for their unwavering commitment and advocacy, in addition to many nonprofits, agencies, and activists. The salmon are already returning to the Upper Klamath Basin thanks to dam removal on the middle Klamath River. And dedicated people have been working hard for decades to make the Basin healthier for salmon, salmon people, farmers, ranchers, and other community members. The work goes on!
Four dams down, a river restored, and a culture revived. For decades, the Klamath River was strangled by dams. Salmon nearly disappeared, water quality plummeted, and an entire way of life was at risk. This year, the river flows freely again thanks to the efforts of Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group’s Amy Bowers Cordalis and the Yurok Tribe. Decades of advocacy, protests, and legal action led to the removal of four dams—restoring salmon populations, ecosystems, and Indigenous traditions. “If we can do it on the Klamath, we can do it throughout the world,” she says. Cordalis, a 2024 United Nations #EarthChamps laureate for Inspiration & Action, envisions a future where “water will be clean and plentiful, and there will be big, healthy, and shiny fish in the river.” This is the power of Indigenous leadership. This is #GenerationRestoration. https://lnkd.in/ei3GkzBq