Page 151 - Mapping the Nation: Taking Climate Action

"There were laws that basically allowed native Californians to be enslaved," Tripp said. "People's homes and villages were burned down. A lot of people were pushed out. But Karuk people have always been here, continuously occupying our homeland." The tribe saw their streams reduced to rubble to extract gold and dammed for energy to the point that salmon could no longer be found there. Forests were logged and replaced with fir plantations, displacing the groves and meadows where they harvested native plants for food and medicine. "We've used GIS to visualize some of the degradation of the landscape, such as the destruction of river bars with dredge mining and hydroblasting," Weinstein said. "We've also mapped the plantations and past timber harvest practices that aren't consistent with tribal values." Now, most of the extractive industries have come and gone in the Karuk territory, and there's momentum to reset the land. The tribe recently received $4 million in funding to increase wildfire resiliency and minimize the vulnerability of structures. "We have a vision of what we'd like the landscape to look like, but we're still working out what it will take to get there," Tripp said. "It's a lot to come back from." During fieldwork, biologists add details about trees to the map to guide land management decisions. Image courtesy of the Karuk Tribe. Students learn both the cultural significance of fire and how it behaves. (Image courtesy Karuk Tribe) 150 Wildfire