In 2025, following the largest dam removal project in U.S. history, an intertribal cohort of Indigenous youth became the first people in a century to descend a 310-mile stretch of the Klamath River. Their journey to the sea was a ceremony, a protest, and a living testament to the resilience of Indigenous peoples and the ongoing decolonization of the watershed. This intergenerational panel brings together some of these youth paddlers, elders, and legal advocates who will share the story of this historic “First Return” descent. Witnessing salmon return to their ancestral waters for the first time in over 100 years ignited profound hope and serves as an inspiring example of how significant environmental victories can transform the lives, identities, and opportunities of young people who experience them firsthand.

The conversation will also highlight the ongoing work that still needs to be addressed. While four dams have been removed, two major dams in the upper basin still degrade water quality and threaten the survival of the nearly extinct C’waam (Lost River sucker) and Koptu (shortnose sucker) species, as well as the long-term viability of the recently returned salmon (Ciyaa’ls). Hosted by Juliette Jackson, JD, author of Stop Killing the Klamath. With: The Klamath Youth Council: Coley Miller, Travis Jackson, Melia McNair, and Scarlett Jewel Hoches Schroeder.