Liberation Notice: The Klamath River

Today, we celebrate the rebirth of the Klamath River—a river once bound and silenced, now flowing freely for the first time in over a century. This Liberation Notice honors the return of the Klamath River to its natural state, a journey made possible by the relentless efforts of the Yurok, Karuk, Klamath, and other Indigenous nations.

For decades, this river was held captive by dams that choked its waters and severed the lifeline it provided to the land and its people. The salmon, once abundant, struggled to survive, and the river’s voice was muted, a shadow of its former self. But the spirit of the Klamath River could not be extinguished.

Thanks to the unwavering dedication and perseverance of the Indigenous communities who knew the river’s true spirit, the Klamath is now free to carve its path once more. The removal of the dams marks not just the liberation of the river but the restoration of a sacred relationship between the land, the water, and the people who have fought so fiercely to protect it. Land and water which were forcefully stolen from their people in the first place.

As the Klamath River rushes through its newly liberated course, it carries with it the stories of resistance, resilience, and renewal. This is not just the rebirth of a river; it is the reclamation of life, the healing of a community, and a powerful reminder that liberation is always worth the fight.

Colonization, like the dams that choked the Klamath, has left many of us gasping for air, cut off from our roots and the lifeblood that sustains us. But through our collective not-given-up-ness and re-indigenization, we find our breath again; we flow. Liberation is a return to our natural state. Ram Dass once said that death is like taking off a tight shoe, and so too is liberation. It’s a letting go, a release of the tightness that binds us, allowing us to feel good in our bodies, free and flowing once more.

Today, we honor the Klamath River’s liberation, a triumph of justice and a beacon of hope for all who believe in the power of freedom and the sacredness of our natural world.