Hoopa Valley tribal member Julian To:Nikya:w Rogers, 16, paddled through dense fog toward the mouth of the Klamath River in Northern California alongside dozens of other Indigenous youth.

As he pushed through the final yards of the 310-mile journey, he saw a huge crowd of community members cheering and waving at the finish line — where the river pours into the Pacific Ocean.

“People along the whole riverbank cheered us on,” he said. “That was such an awesome feeling for me, to see how many people were there to support us.”

Rogers was part of a historic kayaking journey that started at the headwaters of the Klamath River in Southern Oregon on June 12 and traveled the entire length of the river, ending July 11 in Requa, California on the Yurok Reservation. The trip passed through the free-flowing river at the four sites where dams were taken out in the country’s largest dam removal project.

OPB’s “Oregon Field Guide” team joined the paddle for multiple days to create the documentary “First Descent: Kayaking the Klamath.”

Parents, cousins, siblings and relatives alike celebrated as the paddlers, ages 13-20, appeared through the fog.

“I was sad that a whole month had passed by so quickly. It was so much fun,” Rogers said. “But I was also excited to go home. It was a super hard journey.”

More than 20 young kayakers in the program landed their kayaks on the sand, jumped out and ran into the ocean to celebrate.

The nonprofit Rios to Rivers and its program Paddle Tribal Waters organized the expedition, which was the first source-to-sea descent of the Klamath since the removal of J.C. Boyle, Copco 1, Copco 2 and Iron Gate dams in 2023 and 2024.

It took years to prepare the 28 teens for the journey — some of them traveling to places like Chile to learn not just how to kayak, but also about river health and the effects of dams worldwide.

Participants say the journey was about much more than just kayaking. The paddlers are honoring more than a century that their ancestors spent fighting against dams on the Klamath and advocating for a healthy river.

“The first descent meant a lot to me,” said Coley Miller, 14, who is a citizen of the Klamath Tribes, Modoc and Klamath. “We traveled from the headwaters of the Klamath River all the way to the mouth, and it was rough but worth it because our c’iiyals [Chinook salmon] are home now; it felt like we led them home.”

Miller said her grandfather was a leader of the Klamath Tribes who devoted a lot of his life to protecting treaty resources, including water, Chinook salmon — known to the Klamath people as c’iiyals — and c’waam and koptu, also known as the Lost River and shortnose suckers. When the dams were built on the Klamath River, they wiped out all of the salmon in the homelands of the Klamath and Modoc people. Since then, the resident c’waam and koptu have been listed as endangered species.

“I am happy that I was able to kayak with my cousins on the Klamath River, which my grandpa and many other ancestors worked to free,” she said.

Standing in front of their community members in July, the paddlers, guides, program directors and tribal leaders had the opportunity to stand up and speak about the trip.

“This whole trip was a love letter to our community,” said Paddle Tribal Waters staff member Danielle Rey Frank, of the Hupa and Yurok tribes. “It was a letter of gratitude and thanks to you guys for doing all the work to get the dams down and to keep our rivers safe.”

Frank looked out at the crowd, some of whom played important roles in dam removal.

“This trip was also a promise,” she said. “We promise that we will do whatever we have to, to protect our river.”

For some, the work is far from over.

Many of the youth have been speaking at conferences and events, bringing attention to the negative effects of dams.

“Sometimes in the summer, I can’t be in our rivers because of poor water quality,” Miller said, noting that two dams still remain on the Klamath River near her home territory in Southern Oregon.

“I hope for the two dams to come down so our fish can swim home in a free river. I hope for our waterways to become clean again so our ancient c’waam and koptu relatives can live without struggling to exist, and so our c’iiyals can come home without hurting themselves getting over those dams.”

Kayaker To’nehwan Jayden Dauz, 16, hopes to start a Hupa paddle club for his community. First descent participants Rogers, Thadeus Williams, and Aiden Alvarez are currently continuing kayak training with World Class Academy and are currently training in New Zealand.

Warm Springs tribal members Kiahna Allen and Julia Wolfe have taken what they’ve learned back to their community with their very own paddle club.

“The first descent taught me to move with the river and lead with intention,” said Kiahna Allen, 18, with the Warm Springs Tribe.

“Bringing that home to Warm Springs means helping our youth build that same relationship — protecting our waters, learning our stories, and continuing the flow of strength within our community.”

Karuk tribal member Tasia Linwood, 16, is the co-president of the Indigenous club at her high school.

“It feels like I have something that I need to do after this. You know, like I don’t feel done,” she said.

“This doesn’t feel like the end for me.”

Many of the youth can also be seen advocating for their rivers in tribal youth council roles and showing up in politics.

First descent paddlers: Taeliah Eggsman, Kiahna Allen, Isqots Xoyan Scott, Ruby Rain Williams, Autumn Goodwin, Julia Wolfe, ‘A:de’ts To:Nikya:w Rogers, Julian To:Nikya:w Rogers, Tasia Linwood, Melia McNair-Yasana, Carmen Ferris, Keeya Wiki, Bianca Plazola, Kimora Vanpelt, Thadeus Williams, To’nehwan Jayden Dauz, Robert Perez, Omar Keget Thunder Dean V, Travis Jackson, Kokoy McConnell, Ma-Kaych McConnell, Darrell McCovey, Albee Wayne Knetken McCovey, Aiden Cedar Elijah Alvarez, Wallace Marshall, Coley Kakols Miller, Scarlett Schroeder and Sasipuraan Albers.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/11/13/klamath-dam-removal-river-kayak-salmon-water-modoc-paddle-tribal-waters/