FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: December 29, 2025
Contact: Courtney Neubauer, courtney.neubauer@klamathtribes.org; 541-576-4458
Klamath Tribes Issue Statement on Land Trust Acquisition
CHILOQUIN, Ore.— In response to the announcement of the Klamath Indigenous Land Trust (KILT) acquisition of 10,000 acres, the Klamath Tribes wish to clarify recent media coverage regarding land transactions in the Klamath Basin. References to “Klamath Basin Tribes” or “Klamath River Tribes” are confusing and do not accurately represent the unique, political and legal status of the individual tribal nations within the Klamath River Basin. Since 1909 the Klamath Tribes have fought for the return of c’iyaal’s (salmon) to our ancestral territory and have spearheaded major restoration efforts on acquired land. Every generation of Klamath Tribal leaders have fought for the return of the c’iyaal’s. The Klamath Tribes are the only treaty tribe completely severed from c’iyaal’s by the dams and have suffered great harm for over 100 years, since 1909, abrogating the treaty rights. In the Upper Klamath Watershed, the Klamath Tribes are still unable to fish for c’iyaal’s and two dams remain within the Klamath Tribes ancestral territory.
“The Klamath Tribes understand how important it is to return lands to tribal governments or indigenous-led organizations.”- Klamath Tribes Chairman William E. Ray Jr.
The Klamath Tribes are a federally recognized sovereign nation with court affirmed, treaty-based rights and operate a distinct government separate from other Klamath Basin tribes. Referencing the Klamath Tribes under a geographic umbrella label fails to recognize and minimizes the ratified Treaty of 1864 held by the Klamath Tribes.
While the Klamath Tribes support ecological restoration and c’iyaal’s recovery efforts, it is important to distinguish between environmental stewardship and the return of land to tribal governance. The land referenced in recent reporting is held by a private nonprofit land trust, not by the Klamath Tribes as a sovereign government. That distinction has significant implications regarding jurisdiction, accountability, and protection of treaty rights and resources.
The Klamath Tribes understand the importance of land protection and long-term stewardship rooted in tribal governance. The Tribes support land return and believe that lands held by tribal governments are more durably protected, consistent with sustainable treaty resource stewardship principles, and are more responsibly stewarded to safeguard land and water for the benefit of all than lands held in private ownership. As a treaty rights tribe, the Klamath Tribes encourage that, should these lands change ownership in the future, the Tribes be provided the opportunity to acquire them.
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Courtney Neubauer,
Interim Public Relations Director
courtney.neubauer@klamathtribes.org
(541) 576-4458
William E. Ray Jr.,
Klamath Tribes Chairman
wray.council@klamathtribes.com
(541) 783-2219
About the Klamath Tribes
The Klamath Tribes are a federally recognized tribal government representing the Klamath, Modoc, and Yahooskin Paiute Peoples. Based in Chiloquin, Oregon, the Tribe carries forward the responsibilities and protections affirmed under the Treaty of 1864. Through tribal governance, cultural knowledge, and community programs spanning administration, health, justice, natural resources, and economic development, the Klamath Tribes work to protect, preserve, and strengthen the well-being of their people, lands, and waters for generations to come.
