The federal Fish & Wildlife Service and its predecessors date back more than 150 years, one of the first official government moves to protect animals. The Yurok Tribe started its official departments to manage fish and wildlife within the last few decades, but the relationship between the tribe and the animals of the Klamath River region dates back thousands of years. The department is especially busy at the moment, tending to issues both in the water and in the air.
The water part is the pending freeing of the river, as the removal of four dams (one is already gone) moves into high gear. A dam-free Klamath figures to be a lot friendlier to fish. Meanwhile, the Yurok program of releasing California Condors continues to put the big birds back into the wild.
Barry McCovey, Jr. is the Yurok Fisheries Department Director, and our guest for an update on both programs.