Nur Pon Winnemem Ye-mer Ke-wal
Rematriation of Winter-run Chinook Salmon above the Shasta Dam
REMATRIATION
“an indigenous women-led movement to work to return ancestral lands, stewardship, and cultural practices to Indigenous nations, honoring matrilineal society and the restoration of sacred relationships with the earth”
Rematriation of Winter-run Chinook Salmon to the McCloud River
above Shasta Dam
Reintroduction of Nur to the McCloud River
Winter-run Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawyscha) are known as Nur in Winnemem Wintu. In 2022, the Winnemem Wintu Tribe entered into a costewardship agreement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to establish a subsistence fishery along the McCloud River, or Winnemem Waywaket in Winnemem Wintu.
Learn more about Nur
Genetically Distinct McCloud River Salmon
The Winnemem Wintu Tribe is committed to rematriating the descendants of the original salmon on the Winnemem Waywaket from New Zealand, where they were exported from 1873 and 1907. The Winnemem Wintu Tribe works directly with Maori scientists to acquire genetically distinct McCloud River salmon through importation, despite regulatory hurdles.
Learn more about the tribe’s efforts to Import Chinook Salmon from New Zealand.
Volitional Fish Passage around the Shasta Dam
The Winnemem Wintu Tribe are proponents of the construction of a swimway to provide volitional fish passage around Shasta Dam to the McCloud River. The tribal alternative for volitional fish passage is a swimmable, natural path that follows Cow Creek, Little Cow Creek, and Dry Creek, north toward Jones Valley, then up and over the Pit Arm of the reservoir, and into the Winnemem Waywaket (McCloud River).
Learn more about Fish Passage
Tribal
Water Rights
The home river of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, the McCloud River, has allocated a total of 130 water rights to water users across the watershed. A total of 0 acre feet have been allocated to the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, despite being the first nation of McCloud River country.
Learn more about tribal water rights
Nur Pon Winnemem Ke-wal Ye-mer translates roughly to english as Restoring Winter-run Chinook Salmon to the McCloud River above Shasta Dam. The Winnemem Wintu Tribe are proponents of volitional fish passage around the Shasta Dam and their ultimate goal is to establish a swimmable pathway, along a natural channel, from the Sacramento River to the Winnemem Waywaket (McCloud River) above Shasta Dam. Fish passage around the Shasta Dam supports the recently established population of Nur (Winter-run Chinook, Oncorhynchus tshawyscha) on the McCloud River.
The tribe proposes the restoration of hydrologic connectivity above and below, and advocated for a swimway path that follows Cow Creek, north to Dry Creek, through the Tuiimyali Village in Redding. The swimway path goes up and over the Shasta Reservoir, finally reaching the Winnemem Waywaket, the center of the universe for the Winnemem Wintu Tribe.
