In a historic milestone, two sovereign Indian tribes have joined forces to reverse decades of fisheries decline on the Eel River, the second longest river in California.
On October 28, 2025, the Round Valley Indian Tribes and the Yurok Tribe met at the Wildlands Conservancy’s Eel River Canyon Preserve and signed a Treaty of Friendship that pledges their joint efforts to restore the Eel River.
“The Eel River is our lifeblood and when it suffers, our people suffer,” said Round Valley Indian Tribes President Joe Parker after signing the agreement within the ancestral territory of the tribes on the Eel River. “We are pleased to join with the Yurok Tribe, which is the leader in restoring the Klamath River through dam removal, revegetation, and habitat restoration,” he added.
“With this partnership, we hope all Native tribes around the world will be motivated to stand up and fight for their culture and rights,” he noted.
“We are honored to contribute the extensive knowledge and experience we have gained through Klamath River dam removal with our relatives from the Round Valley Indian Tribes,” said Joseph L. James, Chairman of the Yurok Tribe. “Together, we are uplifting our communities and forging a new path that aligns with our shared cultural values.”
The Treaty of Friendship will facilitate the sharing of knowledge and expertise between the two tribes and foster collaboration on restoration projects on the Eel River.
One major focus of these efforts is the Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project, whose dams currently block several hundred miles of critical fishery habitat. Owned by PG&E, the project is being decommissioned. These ecological barriers have contributed significantly to the decline of imperiled salmon, steelhead, and Pacific lamprey populations.
The removal of these dams presents a unique opportunity to restore the Eel River to the healthy, free-flowing river it once was. The Yurok Tribe’s experience in restoring salmon runs on the Klamath River will provide valuable guidance in achieving similar success on the Eel River.
“Based on the Klamath River and hundreds of other dam removals across the United States, we expect the Eel River to heal quickly once the river runs free,” said Chairman James.
The Round Valley Indian Tribes have lived along the Eel River since time immemorial. Like the Yurok Tribe, they have suffered incalculable cultural, subsistence, economic, and community injuries due to the collapse of the fishery.
With dam removal and comprehensive restoration efforts planned for the watershed, the tribes and fisheries experts anticipate native fish runs will gradually recover.
The Treaty of Friendship formally brings the Yurok Tribe into this process as a partner with the Round Valley Indian Tribes. For both tribes, the Treaty is a tangible expression of their traditional and cultural ties to the rivers that have sustained them since the beginning of their existence.
https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2025/nov/12/yurok-tribe-round-valley-indians-sign-treaty-frien/