The Importance of TEK
After a slow start to the year, news about the Klamath region is picking up again.
Several stories in this week’s Klamath News refer to TEK which stands for Traditional Ecological Knowledge. So what is TEK and why is it important? TEK is the term is used to describe the knowledge held by indigenous cultures about their immediate environment and the cultural practices that build on that knowledge. Traditional ecological knowledge includes an intimate and detailed knowledge of ecological processes, plants, fungi, animals, and other natural phenomena, the development and use of appropriate technologies for practices such as hunting, fishing, trapping, agriculture, ceremonies, and rituals. TEK is a holistic knowledge, or "world view" which parallels many traditional western scientific disciplines. TEK is the product of a culture living in a place for countless generations and learning how to take care of it.
More and more, agencies and resource managers are looking to TEK and the tribes that carry it, to inform decision making. Clearly, western science still has a lot to learn from the indigenous cultures that lived here for time immemorial as stewards of the salmon runs, forests, and waters.
Explore the first few articles below to learn more.
News
JWM: Integrating Yurok knowledge and wildlife management - The Wildlife Society
Wildlife researchers are increasing their efforts to interweave western science with Indigenous knowledge to improve wildlife management.
Humble suckers: Pacific lamprey have survived 5 mass extinctions but are now under threat (I pray, you pray) — High Country News – Know the West
Cooperative efforts between tribes and non-Native institutions are helping conserve the under-researched Devonian darlings.
Challenging Colonialism: Weapons of Mass Destruction p.I
In part one of a four part episode, we examine the negative environmental and cultural impact of hydroelectric dams, and the Indigenous-led movement to remove them. This episode explores the Indigenous-led movement to restore salmon in California rivers through dam removal. These dams, deemed Weapons of Mass Destruction by Winnemem Wintu Chief Caleen Sisk, have devastated salmon populations--and the communities whose histories have been in relationship with salmon since time immemorial.
Jared Huffman introduces legislation to preserve salmon strongholds – Times-Standard
North Coast Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) reintroduced legislation Tuesday to identify, restore, and protect thriving salmon populations and critical habitat strongholds.
Getting Water to Places Birds Need Most | Audubon
While December’s rains provided a bit of respite, Californians and the birds of the Pacific Flyway continue to struggle through the ongoing drought. Migratory and wetland-dependent bird species have already lost over 90 percent of California’s natural wetlands, and even in wet years, they lack adequate, high-quality habitat for foraging, resting, and breeding. As this drought persists, Audubon and our partners must work with urgency to find, deliver, and protect water supplies for birds.
Commissioners say Klamath Basin communities still need water for dry wells, canal upkeep | Jefferson Public Radio
County officials in the Klamath Basin are appealing to federal water regulators for help with hundreds of wells that ran dry last summer. They’re also trying to fix empty, cracked water canals to avoid flooding.
Damned If You Don’t: Vanishing Salmon and the Klamath River Dam Removal Project - WhoWhatWhy
For thousands of years, the Yurok have gathered along the Klamath River in northern California to honor the life-affirming runs of wild salmon. But these days their annual festivals have come to feel more like funerals than celebrations. There are so few salmon in these waters that the Yurok Tribe has had to resort to importing them from Alaska.
Flowing free in ’23 - Trout Unlimited
Long campaign to remove four old dams and recover the Klamath River’s legendary salmon and steelhead runs nears completion
Secretary of Interior reflects on measures taken to improve the PNW | KOIN.com
Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in its first year, the Biden administration has already enacted changes intended to address climate change, wildfire and drought in the Pacific Northwest.
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The Future of California’s Fish — and People — is Being Set Today - Moonshine Ink
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