Indigenous youth complete historic Klamath River descent, sign global dam removal accord

More than 120 Indigenous youth and allies from four continents completed a 310-mile journey down the newly undammed Klamath River in July, marking the first full descent of the river in over a century, according to reporting by Underscore Native News. The month-long paddle was organized by Paddle Tribal Waters, a program under Ríos to Rivers, and included participants from the Klamath Basin as well as river basins in Chile, Bolivia, New Zealand and China. The group convened for the Global Free Rivers Symposium at the mouth of the Klamath and signed the inaugural Klamath River Accord, calling for a global end to dam construction and the removal of existing dams. Youth participants said the event honored ancestors’ prayers.