In July 2023, the concrete walls of the Copco 2 Dam came tumbling down, the first of four dams slated for demolition on the Klamath River in the largest planned dam removal in United States history. Meanwhile, 16 Indigenous youth were practicing their rolls and ferry glides, honing the skills they’ll need to be the first to paddle the Klamath from source to sea. With the three remaining dams scheduled to come down by January 2025, this dream will soon become a reality, and Paddle Tribal Waters is helping ensure they are ready—one cohort at a time.

“My response to someone saying the dams should stay in is, I don’t think they recognize the harm it’s doing to the water’s people, and the water itself and the salmon and the fish. So many things depend on this river that we need this river to live and breathe.” – Keeya Wiki

The Paddle Tribal Waters Program is about more than teaching kayaking skills. It’s using the first descent of a free-flowing Klamath to raise the next generation of tribal leaders and reconnect the Indigenous Youth of the Klamath River Basin to their heritage and homeland. Share in the joy as the second cohort of Paddle Tribal Waters prepares for their upcoming first descent of a free-flowing Klamath River.