Obstacle to Reconciliation

California’s largest Indian tribe, the Yurok, has made a bid to become the legal custodian of a portion of Redwood National Park, portions of Six Rivers National Forest, and the national marine sanctuary adjacent to the mouth of the Klamath River where they reside. As inherent custodians of the ancestral homeland, where the Yurok constructed their salmon-based culture over the last ten thousand years, the loss of both salmon and sacred sites — due to federal mismanagement — has prompted the tribe to seek to restore its ancient responsibility as steward of the area. Unfortunately, when it comes to fighting turf battles with the federal government, bureaucratic organizations like PEER can be an obstacle to meaningful reconciliation.