Two Northern California tribes announced Wednesday that they signed a treaty last month, committing to jointly restore the Eel River and its fish populations.
Leaders from the Round Valley Indian Tribes in Mendocino County and the Yurok Tribe in Del Norte and Humboldt counties met at the Eel River Canyon Preserve in Trinity County last month to sign the “Treaty of Friendship.”
The agreement commits the tribes to restoring the river and rebuilding its declining fish populations as Pacific Gas & Electric moves to decommission the Potter Valley Project hydroelectric system’s Scott Dam in Mendocino County and Cape Horn (also known as Van Arsdale) Dam in Lake County.
According to the tribes, the dams have long damaged the Eel River ecosystem and blocked access to critical fish habitat.
Dam removal, expected to begin in 2028, will allow the river to flow freely again through the ancestral lands of the Round Valley Indian Tribes, a confederation of seven tribes based near Covelo in unincorporated Mendocino County.
Based in Del Norte and Humboldt counties, the Yurok Tribe is the largest federally recognized tribe in California. It will share its extensive experience in dam removal and river habitat restoration after it helped lead the restoration of the Klamath River, including the 2023–24 removal of four Klamath River dams in California and Oregon.
The treaty was signed by Yurok tribal chairman Joseph L. James and Round Valley Indian Tribes president Joe Parker. The leaders said the treaty is both a practical agreement for ecological restoration and a symbol of shared cultural values.
“The Eel River is our lifeblood and when it suffers, our people suffer,” Parker said.
“We are pleased to join with the Yurok Tribe, which is the leader in restoring the Klamath River through dam removal, revegetation, and habitat restoration,” he added. “With this partnership, we hope all Native tribes around the world will be motivated to stand up and fight for their culture and rights.”
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This story was originally published by The Mendocino Voice and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
By SARAH STIERCH/The Mendocino Voice
The Mendocino Voice
