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Indigenous Youth Kayakers Complete Historic First Descent Of Klamath River | On June 11, 2025 a team of Indigenous teenagers from the tribes of the Klamath Basin began a historic first descent of the undammed Klamath River. The 310-mile route winds through southern Oregon and northern California and descent celebrated the removal of four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River, now free-flowing for the first time in over a hundred years. The Klamath River dam removal project was the largest dam removal in history.

The team arrived at the mouth of the Klamath River on July 11, and is made up of eighth through 12th graders who have trained on the McKenzie, Salmon, Smith and Trinity Rivers as well as the Bio Bio in Chile. Training was completed as part of the Paddle Tribal Waters Academy, a collaboration between Rios to River’s Paddle Tribal Waters program and World Class Academy, and training included developing whitewater kayaking and river safety skills while carrying full-class loads and studying an Indigenous-informed curriculum. Preparation for the trip took three years.

“I feel so proud to have completed this trip, and am feeling grateful for the support of my family and the fact that I got to honor my grandma’s legacy in her fight for dam removal,” Ke-Get Omar Dean V, 18, a member of the Yurok Tribe, shared in a press release from Rios to Rivers. “We got to complete this journey because of the people that came before us and ensured a free-flowing river.”

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✍️: Maddy Marquardt
📷: Paddle Tribal Waters youth carry a tribal flag at the mouth of the Klamath River on June 11. Feature Image: Courtesy Eric Boomer / River Roots