Did you know that the Karuk Tribe is one of the largest tribes in California? Karuk people have lived for thousands of years in what is now the northwestern corner of California, in Humboldt and Siskiyou Counties. The federal government has officially “recognized” the Tribe. This means that there is a “government-to-government” relationship with the United States. According to the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, “federally recognized tribes are recognized as possessing certain inherent rights of self-government (i.e., tribal sovereignty) and are entitled to receive certain federal benefits, services, and protections because of their special relationship with the United States.”
The Karuk Tribe is a signatory to the amended Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement (KHSA), which created the KRRC. Clearly, the Karuk Tribe is a key leader in the effort to remove the Klamath Dams. But decades before the creation of the KHSA or KRRC, the Karuk Tribe was working tirelessly to restore the Klamath River to a free-flowing condition so that salmon numbers would rebound. KRRC is keenly aware of, and deeply grateful for, the tireless effort the Karuk Tribe continues to put into the dam removal effort. We would not be where we are without them. ... See more