Susan Palmer's Exquisite Now

A cool thing is happening along the Oregon, California border. Salmon are returning for the first time in decades to the Klamath River. Thank the tribes — Karuk, Yurok, and Klamath — for their perseverance in leading the collaborative effort to free the river from the constraints of four hydroelectric dams that blocked salmon access to the streams where they breed.

Here’s how an Associated Press article described its importance to the fishery: The structures halted the natural flow of the waterway that was once known as the third-largest salmon-producing river on the West Coast. They disrupted the lifecycle of the region’s salmon, which spend most of their life in the Pacific Ocean but return to the chilly mountain streams to lay eggs.

Read the full AP story here:

https://apnews.com/article/klamath-dam-removal-completed-tribes-435b955f5bfdeaca82de66bfc6551ba1

The first salmon coming up the Klamath past the J.C. Boyle dam in more than a century were spotted this year on Oct. 16. Read more about this in an Oregon Public Broadcasting story here:

https://www.opb.org/article/2024/10/18/salmon-return-klamath-basin-oregon-dam-removal/

I’m focusing on tribal topics because November has been designated Native American Heritage Month, a recognition to honor the ancestry and traditions of Native Americans. But it’s also worth noting the key contemporary role the tribes play, and not just in the realm of environmental issues, but in many community aspects important to everyone.

Where I live in the southern Willamette Valley, the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians have taken their casino earnings and created a foundation that funds many Oregon nonprofits in Coos, Curry, Douglas, Lane, Lincoln, Harney, and Multnomah counties. They fund food banks, school programs, and a range of nonprofits supporting families. Last May, they announced $720,000 in grants.

Honoring ancestry and tradition is always a good thing. I’m also excited to think about the ways they are working right now for present and future generations.