What is Environmental Justice?
Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Environmental justice efforts work to address the disproportionate adverse environmental impacts that may exist in minority and low-income communities.

Environmental Justice on the Klamath River

Environmental justice issues are often struggles of inner city communities against polluting power and manufacturing companies. Additionally, many Native Peoples and poor communities in rural areas are also fighting the same corporations for control of local water and forest resources, and thus their lives.

The Klamath, Karuk (upriver), Yurok (downriver), and Hoopa tribes in the Klamath Basin have cultures that are deeply connected to the land. Today these tribes and other nature dependant people in the region are suffering from loss of land and fisheries, and the loss of the traditional diet, which also effects thier culture practices. However, the people of this region are very strong and are fighting for their way of life. They continue to be stewards of the forest and rivers and to lead the struggles to save the Klamath River and Klamath Salmon.

How are the Klamath Water and Forest Issues Environmental Justice Issues?
Some issues of environmental justice in the Klamath River are; the loss of the Klamath fisheries both in terms of culture and subsistence to Native tribes, the poor water quality in the Klamath and the effects on downriver communities, the toxic algae in the river caused by Klamath reservoirs, the draining of upper basin wetlands that were used for food harvest of wocus and suckerfish by the Klamath tribe, the loss of the coastal fishing communities in Northern California and Southern Oregon due to bad conditions in the Klamath, chemical spray issues in poor and Native American communities that rely on clean water and non-toxic plants, the toxic legacy (including superfund sites) from the mining in the Klamath that the locals still have to deal with, and the suppression of tribal burning and management that have left the mid-Klamath forests crowded and have caused the loss of traditional foods.

Environmental Justice Links:
Altered Diet Report
The Black Oak Newspaper
Salmon on the Backs of Buffalo
The Eco-Cultural Plan of the Karuk
Toxic Algae Report