For the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, this has been a long-fought and extraordinary victory. They recently discovered adult winter-run Chinook salmon returning to the McCloud River for the first time in almost a century! These hard-won federal investments came after years of environmental advocacy and struggle. Environmental activists battled the expansion of the Shasta Dam, which increased water temperatures and stopped salmon from spawning. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) authenticated the photos. This recognition is part of a global wave supporting Indigenous rights and celebrating efforts to advance ecological restoration.
For more than 30 years, the Winnemem Wintu Tribe has been deeply involved in the fight against the expansion of the Shasta Dam. They claim that this expansion has extensively restricted the natural habitat of salmon and impacted their traditional fishing activities. To the tribe, salmon are far more than an economic driver. It is central to their cultural identity and cosmology. This connection to salmon runs deep in their historical roots, with salmon restoration efforts seen by some as the fulfillment of prophecy.
Rebekah Olstad directs the tribe’s ecosystem restoration and fish pass project. She amplified the fight that Indigenous peoples have fought through various administrations. Each administration has been an adversary to Indigenous peoples,” Olstad said. He urged their continued fight against white supremacy, in their all-important struggle for rights and recognition.
Modifying the flow and temperature of the water, the Shasta Dam has produced conditions which are killing salmon. Olstad remarked on the limitations faced by current salmon populations: “The salmon that exist right now, they don’t know how to mountain climb, they don’t know how to go up waterfalls because they’re blocked.” This declaration of intent further emphasizes the obstacles that salmon face in order to survive and reproduce in the places they once called home.
The tribe’s work has gone far beyond grassroots local advocacy. The action gained international attention in 2004 when they led the first-ever war-dance protest against the expansion of the Shasta Dam. This protest sparked a spotlight on their fight. It introduced an unforeseen delight — McCloud River salmon in New Zealand. That announcement drove home the widespread effects of ecological disruption on salmon populations around the world.
The Winnemem Wintu Tribe is working hard to bring salmon back to the region. Yet to save the winter-run from extinction, they’ve released hatchery-bred salmon into the rivers. Photo by Bureau of Land Management This effort dovetails with their larger vision to restore northwestern California’s fisheries, and the Yurok’s long-lost ancestral fishing rights. NOAA protects the adult winter-run Chinook salmon as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. This classification further emphasizes the importance of this sighting.
This tribe’s fisheries representative, Michael Preston, shared the deep cultural importance of these fish being returned to their native waters. “And that’s the true salmon, you know. They need to go to the ocean to return,” he recalled saying. This return, as seen in the photos above, is not only an ecological success but aligns deeply with the tribe’s cultural stories.
The Winnemem Wintu Tribe’s fight for their fishing rights is intertwined with a larger movement among Indigenous peoples across North America to reclaim traditional practices and restore ecosystems. They dream of bringing the landscape back to life. They want to reconnect with the creation stories that have been handed down from generation to generation.