Rep. Mike Thompson Announces $1 Million in Federal Funding for Yurok Visitor Center

Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-1) today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is awarding two grants totaling $1.08 million in federal funding to assist the Yurok Tribe of Del Norte County to build a visitor center to highlight its culture as part of a Yurok Scenic Byways management plan. The funds will go toward building a 2,500 square foot visitor center and developing its Yurok Scenic Byways Corridor Management Plan.

“The Yurok Scenic Byways Management Plan and Visitor Center will allow the Yurok Tribe a public way to showcase the cultural, natural, scenic and recreational quality of the region,” said Rep. Thompson. “In many ways, the stories of local tribes have yet to be fully presented to visitors to the Klamath River area, stories which will be told through this visitor center.”

The Yurok Scenic Byways Corridor Management Plan will identify scenic corridors in the region, lay out byway management practices and plan improvements for routes throughout the scenic byways system. It will also provide new economic development opportunities for both tribal and non-tribal entities.

“For the first time, we will have our own venue to share our rich heritage with the world,” said Yurok Chairman Thomas O'Rourke Sr. “We will be able to tell our story in our own words. The Scenic Byway Plan and Yurok Visitor Center are part of a larger plan to provide opportunities for visitors to learn about the tribe in a cultural, historical and contemporary context. The plan also employs a number of creative tools to teach people about our unique connection with our traditional homeland.”