The U.S. Census Bureau notes that the unincorporated community of Klamath, at the extreme northern end of California, was home to a population 779 when the 2010 census was taken. There are even fewer residents today. But although the Census Bureau will still deem Klamath as very rural and very small, it is by no means unimportant. Because before there was a Census Bureau, and before there was a United States, and before the first Spanish explorers arrived, for time immemorial Klamath has been home to the Yurok people. The Yurok tribal headquarters is in the heart of Klamath, which is a short distance from the mouth of the Klamath River. This is Yurok country because salmon, for countless centuries, have simply always been there for the Yurok people. Until they weren’t.
In some recent years, so few fish returned to spawn that the Tribe suspended fishing in a desperate attempt to preserve the species. That is the Yurok version of a five-alarm fire. And we have to respond.
KRRC is dedicated to partnering with the Yurok people until we let the river again run free, allowing salmon and steelhead access to historic spawning grounds that have been blocked for a century by dams. Find out how to join the effort at www.klamathrenewal.org ... See more