A gaggle of younger Indigenous paddlers have accomplished the primary source-to-sea descent of the Klamath River since the removal of four dams along the river. The group kayaked over 300 miles from the river’s headwaters in Oregon all the way in which to its mouth, the place it dumps into the Pacific Ocean close to Crescent Metropolis, California.
“We did it! The primary full descent of the Klamath River—from supply to sea—is full!” wrote Ríos to Rivers on Fb. “310 miles of river, paddled by Indigenous youth from the Klamath Basin after the most important dam elimination in historical past.”
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Over 30 Indigenous youth paddlers accomplished the feat, which is now doable for the first time in a century. For these youths, the dam-removal undertaking was extra than simply an infrastructure undertaking; it was reclaiming the land of their ancestors. By paddling down the free-flowing Klamath, they have been symbolically reclaiming the river, too.
Take a look at some social media posts in regards to the Klamath River paddlers right here:
Right here’s a video displaying day 30—the day the Indigenous paddlers (and everybody who got here with them) reached the ocean:
Header inventory picture of the Klamath River by Elis Cora/Getty Pictures