Craig Tucker and KBC 060107

Our Klamath Basin Water Crisis
Upholding rural Americans' rights to grow food,
own property, and caretake our wildlife and natural resources.

6/1/07
Letter from Karuk Tribe spokesman Craig Tucker to KBC News, followed by KBC questions

----- Original Message -----

From: Craig Tucker

To: kbc@klamathbasincrisis.org

Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2007 9:11 AM

Subject: clarifications on Craig Tucker

In reference to http://www.klamathbasincrisis.org/Poweranddamstoc/nodams/letters/kbcresponsTuckerONRC051207.htm

My Ph.D. is in Biochemistry from Vanderbilt University

I did work at Friends of the River…FOR and KFA have only modest interaction although both groups are part of the Klamath Basin Coalition…the coalition is mostly information sharing.

Felice no longer works for Yurok.

Klamath River Keeper is a free standing 501c3. Felice is not on the board or staff or any local group anymore.

Our films are an attempting to show that Indian, fishing and farming communities have a better chance at sustainable economies if we work together and compromise…but we can’t allow our shared resources to be exploited by multinational energy companies, nor can we allow an agenda aimed at undermining rural communities to win the day, I’m referring to ONRC/Oregon Wild. We need to make decisions over our resources collectively on the local level.

There’s nothing sneaky going on between the Karuk Tribe, ONRC/Oregon Wild, and Felice. The fact is that the Karuk and Yurok Tribe thinks its time to work with the Upper Basin farmers on a solution and some others are simply unwilling to compromise anything. We believe that dam removal can be done in a way that helps fish and doesn’t hurt farmers. Its as simple as that.

Please call if I can clarify anything else.

S. Craig Tucker, Ph.D.
Klamath Campaign Coordinator
Karuk Tribe of California
office: 530-627-3446 x3027
cell: 916-207-8294
ctucker@karuk.us

www.karuk.us

Craig,

Thanks for the explanations.

When you say the Klamath Coalition is mostly information sharing, yet the pages of 'myths' are the same words presently used by Oregon Wild in blaming Klamath irrigators for fish health, pesticides, lack of flows, and everything we disagree with, that is not very comforting. Do you now disagree or agree with the "information" distributed by the Klamath Coalition that is quoted by Oregon Wild and Water Watch and KFA?

Who are the members of "Klamath River Keeper?"

When you say your films are an attempt to show us working together, I did not feel that was your message in 'Salmon on the Backs of Buffalo. Irrigators were blamed for pesticides hurting water quality, low flows from ag harming fish, and it ended with a song about "they'll burn your house down." I did not feel a spirit of mutual working together and compromise in that film.

Regarding the Yuroks, until the PUC ruled against us in the power case, the Yuroks were our adversaries petitioning for us to pay a tarriff rate to downsize agriculture in the Klamath Basin, then, all at once they are our allies? I don't understand the quick change except they have a bargaining tool to take out the dams by claiming they want us to get a good power rate. Maybe you can explain our lack of understanding here.

Thanks

Jacqui, editor KBC