Indigenous Land Trust Acquires 10,000 Acres Along Restored Klamath River

As salmon push back into the headwaters of the Klamath River for the first time in more than a century, a parallel milestone in land stewardship is taking shape across the basin.

The newly formed Klamath Indigenous Land Trust (KILT) announced the purchase of 10,000 acres of land in and around the river’s former reservoir reach, marking one of the largest private land acquisitions ever made by an Indigenous-led land trust in the United States. The land was purchased from PacifiCorp, the former hydropower operator along the river.

The acquisition follows last year’s historic removal of four dams on the Klamath—an effort driven by decades of Indigenous leadership and advocacy. With the dams gone and salmon returning, the transfer places long-altered river lands under Indigenous stewardship for the first time in generations.

KILT was formed by leaders from four Klamath Basin Tribes in the aftermath of the devastating 2002 fish kill, uniting around a shared vision to restore the river and its fisheries. The newly acquired lands are considered critical to long-term ecological recovery, cultural revitalization, and the future health of salmon populations.

Looking ahead, KILT plans to develop land management strategies in collaboration with Basin Tribes, focusing on habitat restoration, cultural resource protection, fire management, and thoughtful public access.

Support for the purchase was provided by The Catena Foundation, the Community Foundation of New Jersey, and an anonymous donor—helping turn decades of advocacy into lasting, on-the-ground change for the Klamath Basin.