Klamath Trinity Joint Unified School District

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 18, 2006

Contacts:
Melodie George, Salmon Run Coordinator (530) 625-4976
Leo Canez, Seventh Generation Fund (707) 825-7640
Kayla Carpenter, Salmon Run Co-founder (707) 499-8319
Erika Chase, Salmon Run Co-founder (530) 784-7501
Mid Klamath Watershed Council (530) 627-3202


Runners will relay to Iron Gate Dam in support of dam removal

Hoopa, CA. Memorial Day weekend, May 26th - 28TH. The health of the spring Chinook Salmon run will be on the minds of over 100 runners as they trek along side of the Klamath and Trinity Rivers. Runners will include members of the Yurok, Hoopa Valley and Karuk Tribes, sport fisherman, environmentalists, members of the Humboldt Track Club and many other groups and organizations.

Organized by Hoopa Valley High School students, this annual relay run was organized in response to the 2002 Fish Kill, which claimed the lives of over 68,000 salmon returning to spawn. In a year when dam relicensing and fish closures are making headlines, the young organizers of the Salmon Relay Run have decided to extend the annual relay of 41 miles run to a 214-mile journey.

This year’s relay also comes at a time crucial for the survival of Klamath salmon. The offspring of salmon that survived the 2002 Fish Kill will be returning to spawn this year, prompting the closure of the depleted fishery from Oregon to San Francisco. Many commercial fishermen will be forced to hang up their trolling gear for jobs on shore, and tribal subsistence fisheries will face closure and restriction as well.

In 2005, organizers of the salmon relay run received the Brower Youth Award for bringing attention to the urgent need for action to save the Klamath and Trinity River salmon populations.

The students hope to unite the communities affected by the fish kill, including tribes, fishermen and river enthusiasts, by inviting them to participate in running a one to five mile leg of this year's Salmon Relay.

The students also hope to raise awareness of the long-term affects of the fish kill on the survival of the species and the river ecosystems, as well as local Native cultures, spirituality, and the traditional diets.

A recent report conducted by the University of California-Davis, titled “The effects of altered diet on the health of the Karuk people,” also alarmed the students. The report estimates a shorter life span for younger generations of Native Americans living on the Klamath River. The study linked the decline of salmon to increased rates of health problems. These problems include diabetes, heart disease, obesity, depression and suicide in tribes that have been dependent on wild salmon for subsistence for thousands of years.

The runners will be calling for increased water flows and the removal of the lower four Klamath River Dams as steps necessary for restoring the salmon population.

“Since the fish kill, things have only gotten worse for our salmon. That’s why this year we’re running all the way to Iron Gate Dam. We want to highlight the fact that dam removal is part of the solution,“ according to Kayla Carpenter, one of the event organizers and Brower Youth Award winner. Carpenter goes on to add that, “PacifiCorp must be held accountable for the damage their dams have caused.”

The run will start on Friday the 26th at the mouth of the Klamath River beginning with a boat relay arriving at Johnson’s Bar at 7 a.m. In Weitchpec, at the confluence of the Klamath and Trinity rivers, the runners will continue following the routes of the two surviving wild spring salmon runs. One group of runners will continue to the South Fork of the Trinity River, about 5 miles east of Willow Creek on HWY 299, while the other will continue North from Weitchpec on HWY 96 to Somes Bar at the mouth of the Salmon River. Day two will begin at 7 am From Somes Bar to Sara Totten Campground located 25 miles north of Happy Camp. The third day will again start at 7am to end at Iron Gate Dam.

The first day May 26th includes an Elders Dinner at the Hoopa Valley High School cafeteria beginning at 5:00 p.m. Day three of the run is estimated to end at Iron Gate on May 28 between 3:30 and 4:00 pm with a celebration and rally to honor the Klamath River Salmon. All are welcomed to attend and participate in the run and /or the rally.