Historic River Restoration Feat

THURSDAY, JUNE 27
PROGRAM #10421 12:00 PM PT

Historic River Restoration Feat. The Klamath River dam removal project, the largest river restoration project in US history, will remove four hydroelectric dams in California and Oregon and rehabilitate hundreds of miles of historical salmon and steelhead habitat. Water will flow through the riverbed for the first time in 100 years. What are the plans to restore salmon populations? What are the benefits for communities and indigenous cultures along the river basin? How to restore the river’s health? How is the climate crisis impacting these plans?

Guest: Christina Snider-Ashtari, Tribal Affairs Secretary, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Office, Sacramento, CA.

Northwest Dams Devastated Native Tribes. The U.S. government acknowledged, for the first time, the harmful role it has played over the past century in building and operating dams in the Pacific Northwest in its drive for industrial development. The dams inundated Native American villages, destroyed sacred sites, and decimated salmon runs while bringing electricity, irrigation and jobs to nearby communities. They devastated Native tribes, which consider salmon to be part of their cultural and spiritual identity, as well as a critical food source. The wealth of the tribes was transferred to the wealth of non-Native people. Analysts examine these and other conclusions of the federal report. What does the report mean for the tribal communities?

Guests: Oscar Ortiz, Director of Education, Friends of the Desert Mountains, and City Councilmember, City of Indio, Palm Springs, CA; excerpts from recent statements by Juana Hernandez Lopez, Sociologists and former Host of La Hora Mixteca on Radio Bilingüe, chosen as the representative of the Goddess Centéotl – Guelaguetza 2024 by the Ministry of Culture and Arts of Oaxaca, MX.

Photo: Thomas Dunklin via noaa.gov

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