For Immediate Release

March 26, 2014

Contact:  Mary Anne Ostrom, Director of Communications

Cell: 510-381-3070 maryanne.ostrom@cetfund.org

California Emerging Technology Fund Names

Tribal Leaders 2014 Broadband Champions

Karuk and Yurok Tribes Act to Close the Digital Divide in Humboldt County

Los Angeles and San Francisco, CA – March 26, 2014 – The California Emerging Technology Fund is pleased to announce Karuk Tribe Informational Technology Director Eric Cutright and Yurok Tribe Information Service Director Paul Romero are 2014 Broadband Champions.  Fifteen individuals are being recognized for their groundbreaking work and strong commitment to close the Digital Divide. 

The Champions were selected in consultation with dozens of broadband leaders, community advocates and state and local policymakers.  The 15 individuals are featured in the California Emerging Technology Fund 2013-2014 Annual Report and will be recognized at events in San Francisco on March 27 and in Pasadena on May 19.

“We congratulate Eric, Paul and all of the Broadband Champions.  From Humboldt to Hollywood, from El Centro to Oakland, they are representatives of trailblazers who work throughout California and beyond to point the way for policymakers to understand the opportunities afforded by information technology and high-speed Internet access,” said CETF President and CEO Sunne Wright McPeak.  “The Champions also share the moral imperative not to leave anyone behind or offline.  Each of these individuals inspires us to act to close the Digital Divide,” she said.  Photo of Tribal Leaders and the full list of recipients are available on request.

Eric Cutright and Paul Romero:  Bringing 21^st Century Technology to Tribes

For hundreds of far Northern California residents, living with no regular cell service, no high-speed Internet, not even reliable landline phone service is common.  Orleans, tucked away in northeast Humboldt County, is home to members of the Karuk Tribe. After years of unmet promises for better service, the tribe, led by Tribe Informational Technology Director Eric Cutright, decided to become the Internet Service Provider .  Funding was hard to come by, so Eric teamed with Paul Romero, Information Service Director of the neighboring Yurok Tribe.  In 2013, the California Public Utilities Commission approved $6.6 million to help fund the Klamath River Rural Broadband Initiative Project – an 80-mile fiber optic route from Orleans to Humboldt Bay. Upon completion, planned for October 2015, more than 600 unserved and underserved households will have reliable communications. “It’s going to be life-saving,” says Eric.

P R E S S  R E L E A S E

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                              

Matt Baun (FWS) 530-841-3119

January 16, 2014                                                                              

Secretary Jewell Presents 2013 Partners in Conservation Award

to Klamath Basin Tribal Youth Program

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell today presented the Department of the Interior’s 2013 Partners in Conservation Awards to 20 public-private partnerships, including theKlamath Tribal Leadership Development Program for Integrative Science and Traditional Ecological Knowledge.

At the awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., Secretary Jewell thanked the Klamath team and others who collaborated on important conservation projects and programs in 2013. For information all of the award recipients please visit: http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/secretary-jewell-presents-2013-partners-in-conservation-awards.cfm

“The Department of the Interior is proud to recognize the accomplishments of those who are innovating and collaborating in ways that address today’s complex conservation and stewardship challenges,” said Secretary Jewell. “These partnerships represent the gold standard for how Interior is doing business across the nation to power our future, strengthen tribal nations, conserve and enhance America’s great outdoors and engage the next generation.”

The Klamath tribal youth education program was launched last summer and connected scientists and college students to Klamath Basin restoration projects. The program brought together youth representing the Yurok Tribe, Hoopa Valley Tribe, Kaurk Tribe, Quartz Valley Indian Reservation and the Klamath Tribes with scientists from the NASA, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Forest Service.

Read more: Tribal Youth Program Award

P R E S S  R E L E A S E

Karuk Tribe

For Immediate Release: March 4, 2013

For More Information:  Crispen McAllister, 530-598-5670 or cmcallister@karuk.us

KARUK ULTRAMARATHONER RUNS TO BRING THE SALMON HOME

Run through Karuk Homeland aims to raise awareness and support for efforts to

Bring the Salmon Home

Orleans, CA - In celebration of the International Day of Action for Rivers, Retired Veteran, Karuk Tribal Councilman and ultra-marathoner Crispen McAllister will run over 50 miles through the heart of Karuk Ancestral Territory on Thursday March 14^th. Crispen’s goal is to raise awareness and support for restoring the Klamath River.  Crispen will have members of the community and local primary school students join him along the way.

"It's doing my part to help get the word out that the fight to restore the health of the Klamath River is far from over. There's still much to do in order to Bring the Salmon Home and create a healthy running river and healthy salmon runs." says Crispen.

For decades, Tribes, fishermen, farmers, and dam owner PacifiCorp fought over limited water resources and the fate of an aging complex of hydroelectric dams.  In 2010, these assorted parties signed a pair of agreements, the Klamath Settlement Agreements, which aim to balance water use, increase water storage in Upper Klamath Lake, and remove dams that block salmon runs. The Agreements, signed by a diverse array of Tribes, conservation groups, irrigation districts, fishermen, California and Oregon, require approval by Congress before they can be fully implemented.

“The salmon have sustained the People of the Klamath River since the beginning of time, supplying a diet ideal for optimal health,”explains Crispen. “It’s our responsibility to ensure that the salmon have a clean healthy river to come home to each year. I run upstream following the salmon’s path through Karuk territory in hopes that I can inspire others to do whatever they can to support salmon restoration.”

The 50 mile run is expected to take Crispen several hours but, he may have some company along the way: Children from Somes Bar School and other members of the community plan to join in for short stretches.

“Running long distances is a form of healing for me: the running, the salmon, the river are all connected,” confesses Crispen. “Running helps me get in the spirit of the river and promotes a healthy active life. The health of the river depends on people doing their part.”

Crispen urges supporters of the Karuk Tribe’s Bring the Salmon Home Campaign to donate to fund support for Klamath River Restoration and write their local congressmen asking them to support legislation to implement the Klamath Agreements.

Crispen’s run begins at the Bluff Creek Bridge on Highway 96 at 7am Thursday, March 14^th. He hopes to finish at Karuk Tribal Administration Parking Lot in Happy Camp hopefully before 3pm (53 miles total). 

To learn more about events around the world commemorating the International Day of Action for Rivers, go to www.internationalrivers.org

Learn more about the Klamath Restoration Agreements at www.klamathrestoration.org

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P R E S S  R E L E A S E

For Immediate Release:   December 3, 2012

For more information:  Jaclyn Goodwin, interim Historic Preservation Officer for the Karuk Tribe, (530) 493-1600 x2041

KARUK CEREMONIAL SITE RECOMMENED FOR NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES

Tishawnik Ceremonial Grounds near Orleans, CA Deemed Historically Significant Area by California State Parks

Happy Camp, CA – The Karuk Tribe’s acting Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO) Jaclyn Goodwin announced today that the Tishawnik Ceremonial Grounds, located just south of Panamnik,  present day Orleans, California, has been determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (National Register).

In a recent letter from the State of California, Office of Historic Preservation, State Historic Preservation Officer Milford Wayne Donaldson stated, “As a result of being determined eligible for the National Register this property has been listed in the California Register of Historical Resources, pursuant to Section 4851(a)(2) of the California Code of Regulations.”

Read more: Tishawnik Ceremonial Grounds Deemed Historically Significant