Blocked for decades, Chinook salmon are once again swimming in Shasta County tribe’s ancestral river
With a helicopter ride and a trip down Interstate 5, a remarkable effort is underway to save Califorina’s endangered salmon. In Shasta County, The California Department of Fish & Wildlife, The US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Winnemem Wintu Tribe have partnered to try to reintroduce winter run Chinook to the McCloud River. In July and August, hatchery eggs were delivered – one round by helicopter – to the upper McCloud to be raised in river-fed incubators. The Winnemem Wintu have been fighting for the return of the Chinook since their path to and from the Pacific was blocked by the construction of Shasta Dam, 80 years ago.