A Letter from Bill Tripp, Director of KDNR

Thank you for your continued support of the Karuk Department of Natural Resources. We are in a time of significant uncertainty, which is why philanthropy like yours is so important. Your generosity helps our wide ranging programs ensure programmatic funding and allows us to continue utilizing grassroots gifts for sustainable, flexible funding over the long term.

From promoting better food security, to intergenerational learning and workforce development as we build upon our Indigenous knowledge, practice and belief systems in an era of dam removal, salmon recovery, and fire regime restoration, the Karuk Tribe remains steadfast in our commitment to cultural and natural resource management.

Despite the uncertain federal funding landscape, we’ve expanded our cultural fire work on a larger scale, calling for transformational change at the state and federal levels. Building on recent progress to implement beneficial fire as a wildfire risk reduction tool, Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order directing state agencies to expand beneficial fire. A new law passed last year, S.B. 310, authorizes the California Natural Resources Agency and local air districts to establish an agreement in lieu of permit process with federally recognized tribes in California who wish to burn freely. I’m honored to report that the Karuk people are the first tribe to enter into such agreement with California.

In July 2025, we had an extraordinary day of collaboration when, for the first time, US Forest Service, California fire officials, and Karuk cultural fire practitioners worked together to simultaneously manage a burn in the Butler Creek neighborhood. We implemented prescribed and cultural burns for three days to protect homes on the Salmon River. Never before has a wildfire Incident Management Team allowed for a cultural burn during a full suppression operation. Years of partnership and trust building resulted in this historic and successful fire event.

Only one year after the historic dam removal for four dams on the Klamath River, fall Chinook salmon have migrated into tributaries of Upper Klamath Lake. This is the longest spawning migration recorded in the drainage for over a 100 years, a demonstration of the regenerative power of eco-cultural revitalization.

These are just a few examples of how gifts like yours make a direct and lasting impact. As we look back on our progress in 2025, we recognize that your generous donations and support for our work have made a critical difference for our programming and community.

Yôotva - Bill Tripp

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