We, the undersigned, urge you, the next Governor of California to firmly oppose any effort to raise Shasta Dam.

Raising Shasta Dam would flood parts of the McCloud River—one of the state’s rivers protected by the California Wild & Scenic Rivers Act—violating state law and undermining California’s authority over its own water and natural resources. Raising the dam will yield a very small amount of water but create a very large amount of harm.

This project would also cause devastating harm to the Winnemem Wintu Tribe. The original dam destroyed most of the Tribe’s ancestral homeland. Raising the dam would flood sacred sites, ceremonial sites, burial sites and cultural gathering sites that are still used today, further erasing irreplaceable cultural heritage and violating commitments to Tribal sovereignty and respect.

At the same time, the project would damage the environment and wildlife by:
• Flooding thousands of acres of forest
• Further harming struggling salmon and steelhead populations
• Threatening listed species like the Shasta salamander, northern spotted owl, and the
Shasta snow wreath (the last found nowhere else in the world)

Despite these impacts, and the fact that the project is illegal under state law, the federal government continues to push this boondoggle officially costing $2 billion but likely to be much more expensive, The Trump Administration is already proposing to allocate millions of dollars in the 2026 budget to accelerate the project.

California must stand firm.

We call on the next governor to:
• Oppose all federal efforts to advance the Shasta Dam raise
• Uphold California’s Wild & Scenic River Act protections for the McCloud River
• Protect Tribal cultural and sacred sites
• Defend California’s environmental protections for rivers and the people who rely on them

California has committed to protecting rivers and respecting Tribal rights. Now is the time to act on those commitments.

Sign this petition to protect the McCloud River, stand with the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, and stop the Shasta Dam raise.