Klamath River News

Organization Information:

Organization Name:
Klamath Riverkeeper
City & State:
Ashland, 
Oregon
Organization Website:
http://www.klamathriver.org
Organization's Mission Statement
Klamath Riverkeeper restores water quality and fisheries throughout the Klamath watershed, bringing vitality and abundance back to the river and its people.

Submission Information

Impact Essay
As a small nonprofit working for environmental justice on the rugged and remote Klamath River, Klamath Riverkeeper depends on print media to communicate our message around southern Oregon and far northern California. The Klamath River watershed is larger than some states, but has only one town with more than 6,000 people, and many small communities and Native reservations with less than 3,000 people. The Klamath was once the third most productive salmon river in the continental US, after the Columbia and Sacramento. It now has just 10% of its historic runs, and even these are threatened. The Klamath is also home to four major Native tribes, the Yurok, Klamath, Hoopa Valley, and Karuk. Klamath tribes, along with commercial fishermen, recreational businesses, and other rural constituencies, have been hit hard by drastic salmon declines on the Klamath River. Klamath Riverkeeper’s job is to organize these groups to work for the restoration of our river, its salmon, and the economy that depends on both. In a region where many areas lack cell phone coverage and even grid power, let alone high-speed internet, old-fashioned newsletters are a key organizing tool. We've used a combination of Photoshop and InDesign for the last year and a half to design and publish our biannual newsletter magazine, the Klamath River News. Adobe products have allowed us to create professional print publications in house which we have used to increase our membership and build a movement to restore the Klamath. We currently distribute the Klamath River News to over 50 locations around the basin, where it has fast become the go-to news and information source for environmental and social justice issues on the Klamath. We've more than doubled our membership since we began publication of the Klamath River News, and expect to do so again next year. We regularly get compliments on our publications, and we believe Adobe products have helped our magazine rise to the top at local news stands, ensuring we get the public exposure we need to make our grassroots organizing successful. We’re self-taught Adobe users, and our skillset grows with each publication! We’ve submitted the URL where our newsletters are posted for internet view, you can see the progress we’ve made over three issues. If you’d like a high-resolution print quality file of any of these issues, just let us know. We also use Adobe products for all of our desktop publishing needs, including our website, business cards, raft logos, bumper stickers, newspaper ads and other materials. We couldn’t do such a good job presenting our organization and message to the world without the tools that Adobe provides.
Submission Category
Environmental Impact Print/Photo