2024 has been a year of progress, celebration, and partnership for Save California Salmon. We are inspired by the support and dedication of our communities and partners, and together, we've made great strides in the fight for healthier rivers and lands and more empowered communities.

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Our work on the Klamath River reached new heights, with dam removal and flow and restoration projects that benefit salmon and communities taking center stage. These efforts have been successful. All four of the lower Klamath River dams have been removed, and there is a growing commitment to ensuring fish passage and restoration in the upper Klamath are effective.

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To realize the vision of a restored Klamath River, and community, we continued a concerted push for permanent instream flow protections for the Scott and Shasta Rivers and more water from the federal water projects that impact the Klamath and Trinity Rivers. We're also proud to be part of the movement to dismantle outdated dams on the Eel River and fight for water justice through strategic litigation and policy advocacy. We have increased our efforts to restore flows and remove dams in the Sacramento River’s key salmon tributaries such as Battle, Deer, Butte, Mill, and Antelope Creeks. We are also supporting efforts to bring the salmon home above the Oroville and Shasta dams, the state’s largest dams. 

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We intensified our efforts to restore the Bay Delta/San Francisco Bay, the state’s largest estuary, which faces severe challenges from over-allocated water use and excessive pollution. As part of this work, we organized rallies, panels, and letter-writing campaigns advocating for science-based flow decisions over toothless Voluntary Agreements in the California Bay Delta Water Quality Control Plan Updates and the Biological Opinions for endangered species affected by the Central Valley Project.  We also took a leading role in opposing the Sites Reservoir water rights application and joined efforts to challenge the Delta Tunnel’s Change of Diversion water rights. Notably, the Sites Reservoir water rights proceeding marks the first major case where Tribes have intervened, bringing both traditional knowledge and Tribal water rights expertise to a semi-judicial hearing. We are proud to stand against California’s first proposed reservoir in over 50 years.

Centuries of harmful extraction, including dam building and water projects, have displaced both Native people and salmon, and stopped people from practicing indigenous sciences, such as cultural burning and river management. This is why we are committed to supporting land return as a means to achieving justice for Native people in California and meeting climate and restoration goals. 2024 was a huge year for public and private land return and co-management in California. We are proud to support these efforts and to have published the first California LandBack Special Report highlighting these efforts and policy recommendations.

Our education programs have also expanded, with significantly increased capacity for providing Native youth with culturally relevant resources and experiences. We hosted our Indigenous Science Camps for the third year in a row and expanded camps into new regions, including the former dam reach of the Klamath River. We launched new curriculum lessons and provided field trips and outdoor activities for students to engage with Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and dam removal firsthand. We also hosted family-centered water protection and educational events, along with fun family days, across the Klamath, Trinity, Eel, and Sacramento River watersheds. These one-day river events and camps included many raft and canoe trips, cultural and educational workshops, and a Trinity River clean-up! Our continued commitment to amplifying Native voices also led to more educational events celebrating Native culture and history, several art contests and in-school lessons, and the publication of new youth activity books. 

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We also greatly expanded our staff, office space, and programming in 2024. We now have staff, and/or offices in Sacramento, the Northern Central Valley, the Klamath River, and the North Coast. We hope we can better serve and uplift our communities' efforts now that we have more resources. We are currently gathering feedback on our education and youth initiatives while hosting events that celebrate our successes and engage communities in providing input. Please follow our website and social media or check out our newsletter for more information on how to engage. 

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In 2025, we are focusing on continuing our critical work for dam removal, flow restoration, and Indigenous-led environmental management. Our policy team will ensure that the fight for water justice, land return, and amplifying community voices remains a priority. Additionally, we are dedicated to ensuring that Native communities are at the forefront of discussions and decisions.

Save California Salmon deeply appreciates the strong partnerships we have with northern California’s Tribal and frontline communities who are dedicated to protecting freshwater ecosystems and advancing water justice. Together, we are standing up to systems and policies that prioritize industry over people, and hinder our ability to live healthy, sustainable lives. Read on for more details about this important work.

In Solidarity,
Regina Chichizola, Executive Director