News Release
Save California Salmon
On July 10, dozens of Hoopa Valley tribal youth, their families and supporters participated in the 2022 Trinity River Clean Up. The clean up featured a three-hour trash pickup on land followed by a three-mile raft trip trash pickup through the Hoopa Valley.
During the Clean Up participants stopped at important cultural sites and representatives of the Hoopa Valley Tribe, Save California Salmon, and the Warrior Institute spoke about the state of the Trinity River and the history of fighting for tribal water and fishing rights on the Trinity, which is the largest tributary to the Klamath River system.
“It’s difficult to describe what the Trinity River means to our community and its people,” explained Chairman of the Hoopa Valley Tribe Joe Davis. “To say it means a lot is an understatement. To see an effort like this led by our youth is really something to be celebrated. I hope we can take these inspiring efforts and build off the positive momentum that’s been created. The Hoopa Valley Tribe is very thankful for all who volunteered their time and efforts.
The Trinity River Clean Up started more than 20 years ago led by the Hoopa Valley Tribe’s Fisheries Department, but for several years amidst the pandemic, the cleanup lacked participation and had fallen by the wayside until Hoopa youth activist and Save California Salmon Intern Danielle Frank decided it was time to bring the Clean Up back.
“Clean and healthy waterways play a vital role in our communities,” Frank explained. “They help our cultural resources, our children, our salmon, and our ceremonies thrive. I’m extremely happy to see our youth learning how to care and advocate for the rivers our people know as home.”
Danielle said the Clean Up is also an excellent opportunity to raise awareness and build appreciation for the river. She invited guest speakers because it is a really important time for people to fight for the Trinity River. Due to excessive diversions from the Trinity River reservoirs and California’s drought the Trinity River’s storage is the lowest in the state at 29 percent. This means the cold water pool that is relied upon to stop adult fish kills in the Klamath and Trinity Rivers may not be there to release this year.
Frank said the Hoopa and Yurok Tribes fought for these water releases and explained if reservoir storage is not protected when the reservoirs’ water is diverted to Central Valley agribusiness there will not be cold water to stop fish kills.
Frank was recently featured as a face of BIPOC youth activism in Vogue magazine as part of a spread on youth climate activists as part of the Tokala project. The project is spearheaded by creative director/stylist Marcus Correa and photographer Carlos Jaramillo, along with filmmaker Jazmin Garcia and the nonprofit Future Coalition’s Youth Direct Action Fund.
“The climate activism space is a very white-led space,” says Correa. “But POC communities are being disproportionately affected by climate change. There’s so much strength in these communities, and these activists should be getting this celebrity treatment. We wanted to tell their story in a visual way that’s optimistic and uplifting.”
Save California Salmon will be hosting events with local tribes and youth all summer including tribal youth raft trips on the Klamath and Trinity Rivers on July 17 and 23, and a Salmon Protectors Canoe Camp in August after the Yurok Tribe’s Salmon Festival. They will also be co-hosting a public comment hearing on the State Water Resources Control Board’s Racial Equity Action plan on July 21 in Redding with the state water board. Information on these events can be obtained on their website or on their social media pages.
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Learn about Save California Salmon and their upcoming events here: https://www.californiasalmon.org/
Read the full Vogue article here: https://www.vogue.com/article/a-new-series-tokala-spotlights-bipoc-youth-climate-activists
Related coverage:
Hoopa Valley tribal youth, Klamath and Trinity Rivers fight featured in Vogue Magazine