Lessons From the Klamath: Youth, Empowerment, and Renewal

By Marisabel Hernández, Program Coordinator

I will never forget the moment when youth paddlers came into view on the Klamath River. The community surrounded them on the banks, their cheers traveled across the water, meeting the kayakers as they entered the final stretch of a journey that had taken them more than 300 miles. Parents stood nearby, watching their children reclaim waters that had been blocked for generations. It felt like the very definition of “it takes a village.” Every meal, every gesture of support, every voice lifted was part of making this return possible.

This summer, dozens of Native youth from tribes along the river embarked on a month-long paddle down the undammed Klamath. Organized by Ríos to Rivers and their Paddle Tribal Waters program, the journey was a way for young people to be the first to reconnect with stretches of their river that had been closed to their families for generations. Danielle Frank, a Hoopa tribal member and Yurok descendant as well as the Director of Development & Community Relations at Rios to Rivers, introduced us to the Paddle Tribal Waters program and invited us to bear witness to this historic event. The program’s mission is to inspire the protection of rivers through youth-focused programs, where youth are empowered to become informed stewards and ambassadors for their rivers and the communities who depend on them.

(Photo credit: Matt Baker/Rios to Rivers)

To understand why this moment mattered so deeply, it helps to know the history. The Klamath River in Northern California and Southern Oregon was once one of the most abundant salmon runs in the country. But in the early 20th century, four massive dams were built that choked off salmon migration and devastated Native tribes along the river who depended on the salmon for food, ceremony, and cultural survival. After decades of relentless advocacy led by Tribal nations, federal regulators finally approved the removal of the dams in 2022. By 2024, the dams were gone, making this the largest dam removal project in U.S. history. (Two dams remain on the Klamath, the Kino and Link River Dams.) Almost immediately, salmon began to return to waters they had not reached in more than a century.

At Cal Wellness, we understand that wellness for Native communities cannot be separated from land, water, food, and ceremony. For too long, philanthropy has overlooked cultural sustenance as central to health. But when tribes cannot access salmon or sacred sites, that is a direct harm to wellness. Our support of programs like Paddle Tribal Waters, which trained Native youth to be the first to paddle the undammed river, reflects our commitment to understanding wellness on Native terms.

For me, being present at this historic moment (alongside Cal Wellness Program Officer Marisol Inzunza) was humbling and deeply moving. We had the privilege of hearing from the youth themselves after they completed the paddle. They spoke with a clarity that comes from knowing exactly who they are, what their ancestors endured, and what their grandchildren will inherit because of their actions. One young paddler said, “My grandchildren are going to know I did this.” That simple statement carried the weight of centuries of advocacy, resilience, and hope.

Marisol Inzunza and Marisabel Hernández, colleagues on Cal Wellness' Programs team, stand on the beach where the Klamath River meets the Pacific Ocean.

This was never just about removing dams. From what I learned, for Native communities, the Klamath is not simply a river. It is sacred. It carries the stories of creation and sustains life through the salmon, who are understood as ancestors and kin. Colonization and the dams that followed severed those ties, but what we are witnessing now is the restoration of both ecology and culture. Seeing salmon return almost immediately after the dams came down was a profound reminder that Native communities had been right all along: when you restore balance, life returns.

This work also sits at the intersection of environmental justice, cultural preservation, and youth leadership. Native youth are honoring the generations who fought for this moment and are helping ensure a future where salmon and ceremonies remain strong and abundant, and their leadership is setting an example in California and across the world. I was struck by the presence of Indigenous allies from Chile, New Zealand, and Bolivia who joined the paddle, carrying lessons home to their own communities fighting for rivers and sovereignty.

What I hope philanthropy takes away from this moment is that Native communities have always known what they need. They have been saying it for generations. Moreover, research consistently highlights that Native Tribal practices (rooted in culture, land, spirituality, diet, and music) are powerful avenues for health and wellness. They enhance community resilience, address chronic disease and trauma, improve mental health, and restore balance in personal and collective life. Our role is not to prescribe solutions, but to listen, follow, and resource the work that is already happening. When funders approach this work with humility and respect, when we understand that we are guests, authentic partnerships can flourish.

As I stood on the riverbank, I felt immense gratitude for the invitation to bear witness to this historic return. It was a reminder that the most powerful role we can play as funders is to stand alongside communities, not in front of them. For me, it comes down to lifting up Native leaders and supporting their visions for wellness. When we do that, it feels like we’re living up to our purpose.

Youth run from the Klamath River to the ocean along the sandbar. (Photo credit: Erik Boomer/Rios to Rivers)

Program Coordinator Marisabel Hernández

Marisabel Hernández is program coordinator at The California Wellness Foundation where they provide strategic and administrative support.

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Lessons From the Klamath: Youth, Empowerment, and Renewal

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