Troy Fletcher: River part of social glue

By LEE JUILLERAT

H&N Regional Editor 

March 14, 2008

Yurok tribal member Troy Fletcher has spent his life fishing along the Klamath and Trinity rivers.

   HOOPA, Calif. — Rivers have special meaning for Troy Fletcher. 

   As a boy, the Yurok Indian grew up along the Klamath River in Pecwan, a remote, far northern California village without electricity and telephones. He now lives along the Trinity River in Hoopa, but is immersed in Klamath River water issues. 

   “When I was younger, we spent all our time on the Trinity and the Klamath. Fishing was a big part of what we did. When you’re young, you don’t think of those terms,” he says of sustenance fishing or regarding rivers as part of a tribe’s social network. “You just go out and do it. As I got older and had my own family, I have always participated in fishing activities, been outdoors and done the things I always did.” 

   Declining populations 

   He says a declining fish population is clear. 

   “It’s happened over time. It’s well documented. It’s a fact. It’s declined in my lifetime. It’s declined in my generations’ lifetime. More importantly, the quality of the water is deteriorating because of the dams. As the health of the Klamath River becomes worse, it affects the Yurok people.” 

   Fletcher, 45, began fisheries work at Hoopa High School and took classes in fisheries biology at Humboldt State University . He formerly served as the tribe’s fisheries director, is the tribe’s former executive director and now serves as a policy analyst. 

   He was among the negotiators for the proposed Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement. 

   “I think the agreement represents a tremendous effort to deal with some very tough issues. The most important thing is (that), overall, we think it’s a pathway to stability. It means changes, but it means changes that are reasonable.” 

   Meaning for community 

   Fletcher says the Klamath River ’s influence on Yurok life can’t be overstated. 

   “Our tribal people are on the river all the time,” he says. “The river is part of the social glue that holds the families and the tribes together. That bond has always been there. Those life legends of putting up food for the winter, of the value of hard work, and of providing for your family. Those teach self-worth, self-esteem. 

   “Those are all good, strong meaningful things for our community.”

Side Bar

Troy Fletcher on the Restoration Agreement:

   What he likes:

   The Yurok Tribe member believes the main benefit would be removal of four Klamath River dams. “We have to be successful with that for the settlement to be successful.”  

   He also believes provisions setting water allocations for Klamath Basin irrigators are significant. He is critical of groups who claim the Yuroks and other tribes are making unnecessary concessions. 

   “The Yurok Tribe has been in the water as long, or longer, than anybody,” he says of studies on fish populations and water quality. “We believe we have a good handle on flows that are necessary. Now, outsiders are criticizing us. We ask people to recognize we put our time in and appreciate what’s good for fish.”
   
What he doesn’t like:

   “I don’t want to focus on the things we don’t like because we can live with the agreement because of the totality of the agreement. Overall the agreement is great.” 

   But he is disappointed that off-Project irrigators, who have criticized the agreement, “chose not to show up” for most of the negotiations. Fletcher believes off-Project irrigators deserve to have their interests addressed, and says he and others support many of their concerns. 

   “The avenues are still open.”

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