Yurok Tribe signs historic MOU to help salmon populations

Contributed photo: CalTrout Executive Director Curtis Knight, CalTrout Mount Shasta-Klamath Regional Director Damon Goodman, Andrew Hurlimann (current FDC president), Sam Thackarey (past FDC president), Yurok Vice Chairman Frankie Myers and Yurok Tribal Council Member Ryan Ray.

The Yurok Tribe, CalTrout and Farmers Ditch Company recently signed an agreement that envisions a future where salmon populations and family farms both flourish in the Scott River Valley.

“The Yurok Tribe initiated this unique partnership in an effort to develop cooperative, mutually beneficial solutions that help the Scott River’s salmon runs recover,” said Yurok Tribal Council Member Ryan Ray. “We believe that strong fish runs and resilient ranching operations can coexist in the Scott River Valley. This agreement establishes the necessary framework to make it happen.”

The primary objectives of the partnership are to restore salmon habitat and improve on-farm water use efficiency. According to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the unconventional group of stakeholders agreed to pursue collaborative projects “that provide landscape-scale benefits for fish and wildlife and farms.” On June 15, representatives from the Yurok Tribe, CalTrout and Farmers Ditch Company convened at the Scott River Ranch to sign the MOU and share a celebratory meal of salmon and organic beef raised in the Scott Valley.

“I’m excited to be part of making history instead of being swept away by it.  This is an exceptional opportunity to sculpt a positive outcome for both the environment and the people that live within it,” said rancher Gareth Plank, the host of the dinner, a member of Farmers Ditch Company, and the owner of the certified organic Scott River Ranch.

“We all rely on water – including our fish – and my team is excited to be a member of this innovative partnership working toward a future for water security and functioning ecosystems.

This could be a real win-win for fish, farms, and California’s Tribal communities,” said CalTrout’s Mount Shasta-Klamath Regional Director Damon Goodman.

Farmers Ditch Company provides water to 1,028 acres of family-owned farmland adjacent to the Scott River.

The Scott is one of the largest Klamath River tributaries and is the most […]

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