After years of mutual ill will, California’s largest Native American tribe, the Yurok Indians, and the Simpson Timber Co., the biggest owner of forestland along the state’s northern coast, are partnering to help restore salmon runs along the Klamath River. The Yurok have long complained that silt from Simpson’s logging roads clogs the river’s tributaries, makes it hard for salmon to swim upstream to spawn, and suffocates salmon eggs. Now, using state and federal grants, the Yurok are training tribal members to use heavy equipment to restore areas with abandoned logging roads and improve existing roads. Some enviros complain that Simpson should be footing the bill rather than the government.
