Klamath Basin Water archives 0907

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

Archive 64 - September 2007
also see main archive page

Around 1900, Link River, between Upper Klamath Lake and Lake Ewauna, occasionally went dry before the Klamath Project was built. There was no hydropower, no hatcheries, occasionally no fish (fish need water), no artificially-raised river flows or lake levels. HERE for more

City to use eminent domain, H&N, posted to KBC 9/30/07. (KBC Note: Klamath Falls, we are ashamed of you!)

Lottery funds to pay for Sprague River wetlands, H&N 9/30/07. For more on Klamath Basin Rangeland Trust go to 'Cowboys and Indians and KBRT page.

Hay prices stay high all season, H&N, posted to KBC 9/30/07

Klamath River Basin Fish Diseases - a new page that will grow.

Letter by Jim Foley to Governor Schwarzenegger opposing AB 1032 Suction Dredge mining, comparison between mining and Trinity River Restoration Project, 9/29/07. PLEASE write California Governor before Oct 13th!

Redefining the Project; Is sustainability the new zeitgeist in the Klamath Basin? North Coast Journal, posted 9/29/07

Herald and News weekly water report, collected by Bureau of Reclamation, posted 9/29/07,

Klamath 'Island of Hope' an illusion, by Felice Pace, Guest comment 9/28/07 to Capital Press. (KBC Note: the ONLY part in this article we agree with is, it is absurd that those in the secret negotiations, who are negotiating our water rights, are keeping the details from their constituency, their communities. Pace has continually sued to shut down Klamath River Basin agriculture.)

Groups take hatchery/wild listing issue to appeals court, 9/28/07 CB Bulletin.

North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board Scott Shasta algae tour, Siskiyou County Supervisor Marcia Armstrong District 5, posted to KBC 9/28/07. "...the Karuk tribe, one of the complainants regarding algae, has been selected to do the collection and analysis of algae samples...They claim that algae has detrimental effects on salmonids as well as people. It is one of the arguments they use for removing the dams."

Blue Green Algae, Siskiyou County public health news, 8/8/06

Gary Black, from Scott Valley, shows the Klamath River tour guests a fish screen on Patterson Creek. This is one of many conservation accomplishments in the watershed to sustain fish, farms and communities.

Water tour brings stakeholders together; Klamath River Basin issues span cultures, states, livelihoods, Capital Press 9/28/07

Feds taking irrigation water for fish, Siskiyou County Supervisor Marcia Armstrong District 5, 9/14/07

Tribe posts warnings about algae in river, PacifiCorp spokesman says algae is common in Western states, level of danger is unclear, H&N 9/28/07.

Irrigators worry as West's reservoirs run low, Availability far below average in some areas of West, Capital Press, posted 9/26/07

Recovery Plan for Pacific Coast Population of the Western Snowy Plover To Rely on Strong Volunteer Effort Plan Covers Entire Pacific Coast of California, Oregon and Washington, USFWS, posted 9/26/07

Ranking Member Rob Bishop’s Statement On Today’s Markup Of “Public Land Communities Transition Act Of 2007”, Natural Resources Committee 9/26/07. "These counties deserve their land back, but until that happens, they at least deserve some compensation for it."
PRESS RELEASE: , Bill Offering Financial Assistance To Rural Communities Harmed By Clinton Forest Policies Approved By House Natural Resources Committee, 9/26/97, Natural Resources Committee September 26, 2007

Clarence Herbert "Red" Hall died Sept 20, 2007. Please keep Barbara Hall and family in your prayers.

Attached are 2 sample letters sent by Klamath River miners to veto Assembly Bill 1032, which would exterminate most California suction dredge gold mining, further decimating economies in our rural areas including Siskiyou County.
      This travesty is compliments of the Karuk Tribe lawsuit against the miners.
      Write Governor Schwarzenegger before October 13th and support our miners!
      HERE for more information: Miners Page

Event planned to educate on Klamath River issues; Oregon, California officials will tour various areas, H&N, posted to KBC 9/22/07

Tribes pay members, Per capita distribution first since 1954 for Klamath Tribes, H&N 9/22/07. "The money comes from revenue generated at the Kla-Mo-Ya casino."

Two Sides to Every Story: Former Deputy Assistant Interior Secretary Responds to Allegations, by Dan Keppen, Executive Director Family Farm Alliance, Siskiyou Daily News, posted 9/22/07. "Recall that this was the same hearing scheduled by the Democrat leadership to debate allegations that Vice President Cheney somehow exerted political influence to help farmers at the expense of Klamath River fish."

From Karuk Tribal Member #447 to KBC's readers, Waddell 9/20/07. "I am a Karuk Member who does not agree with any Political Actions a group of people who proclaims themselves to be the Karuk Tribe of California."

Klamath Basin farmers, coastal fishermen (and tribes) to give crash course, H&N 9/19/07

City (Klamath Falls) may use eminent domain, H&N 9/19/07. (KBC Note: Councilmembers, we at KBC are ashamed of you!!! To use the excuse of 5 dead birds/year to take someone's property?)

Testimony delivered to the House Water & Power Subcommittee earlier this week in opposition to the Trinity River restoration bill proposed by Rep. Thompson. Ara Azhderian represented the Central Valley Project Water Association, a key member of the Family Farm Alliance. The CVP folks oppose the bill for the following, overarching reasons:

Klamath River: Siskiyou County Dam Removal/Dam Relicensing, letter to Governor Schwarzenegger from Siskiyou County Supervisors, posted to KBC 9/18/07. "The County of Siskiyou and its constituents stand to be significantly impacted if any of the dams slated for relicensing are to be removed. The County of Siskiyou is supportive of fish and river health but has been and continues to be in opposition to dam removal. It believes that there are reasonable alternatives to dam removal which would improve fish and river health but would not significantly impact the County of Siskiyou and its constituents..."

Tulelake Irrigation District well water report 9/18/07
Tulelake Irrigation District ground water levels, 9/18/07

California Fish and Game, and The Nature Conservancy to grab Siskiyou agricultural water; Section 5937 of Fish and Game code - "good condition". Column by Marcia Armstrong, Siskiyou County Supervisor District 5, posted to KBC 9/18/07. Here for more of Armstrong's columns.

Bureau of Reclamation weekly water update, posted 9/18/07, H&N

Jim Cook: Behind the dams on the Klamath River, by Jim Cook and Marcia H. Armstrong - Siskiyou County Supervisors, Sacramento Bee 9/18/07. HERE for more on Klamath dam removal.

Salmon Farming Controversy Goes to Ninth Circuit, Environment News, posted 9/18/07

Farm group advocates for water protection; Family Farm Alliance says agriculture should not be 'shock absorber' for urban growth, posted 9/18/07. "California converted 1 million acres of farmland to urban use from 1988 to 1998"

The Delta Smelt Case, Federal Court Decision Puts A Tiny Fish Before Farmers, by Family Farm Alliance Dan Keppen 9/18/07

Triple threat to ag, Development, restoration, climate issues mount, Capital Press, posted to KBC 9/17/07

       River delta to be blasted, Dike will be removed to create wetlands along the Williamson, H&N, posted 9/16/07. "Barry acknowledges some people may feel nostalgic about farming in the delta area, and hate to see it come to an end..."
       Grant funding goes to wetland restoration in Basin, H&N, posted to KBC 9/16/07. (KBC NOTE: EPA administrator Ron Kreizenbeck presents $800,000 to several groups to convert Wayne Ranch on Sprague River to wetlands. The Klamath Basin Rangeland Trust is the lead partner on the project, along with, Klamath Basin Ecosystem Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, Ducks Unlimited.)
       The Nature Conservancy Page
       Upper Klamath Basin Government Land Acquisitions.
       Dr. William Lewis, former Chairman of the National Research Council Committee, said "that we should not count on retiring agricultural land land for saving suckers." He supported removal of Chiloquin which blocks 95% of sucker habitat.

Congress to hear testimony regarding Trinity River issues, Eureka Reporter, posted to KBC 9/16/07

Opposing Marine Reserves, Port of Garibaldi Resolution 2007-4, posted 9/16/07
RERUN: Oregon governor increases pressure to harm the coast, letter from Coos County Commissioner John Griffith,

OTHER PLACES: Proposal would give prairie dogs federal support, Cortez Journal, posted to KBC 9/15/07.
Devastation ok on the farm: "A prairie dog colony can ruin a crop of hay"... "Decker's tractor fell into a prairie dog hole and broke an axle"It cost $2,500 to replace."
However in the city: " ..If prairie dogs are added to the list, it is still important to keep them off city land, Burkett said. You can just imagine if someone stepped in one (prairie dog hole) and broke an ankle"

ScottishPower buries hatchet in old battle ground, The Herald, 9/15/07

Battle over hatchery listing policy goes to 9th Circuit Court, CB Bulletin 9/14/07

California Farm Bureau Friday Review, 9/14/07, Legislative and governmental update: The following bills are in this edition: ACA 8, SB 180, SB 691, AB 684, AB 771, SB 63, SB 719, SB 1001, SB 1002 SB 974.

OREGON: Million voters overruled by 54 lawmakers, World Net Daily, 9/14/07. "54 state lawmakers and a Democratic governor, Ted Kulongoski, have rejected the expressed will of the people to approve and sign into law House Bill 2007 and Senate Bill 2 this year...Oregonians have never given a million votes to any other issue or candidate, yet the Legislature went ahead with its moral agenda anyway."

Solution needed for water management; A judge’s ruling affects the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and pushes water into crisis, Capital Press 9/14/07

Deficit irrigation evaluated, Capital Press 9/14/07

Iberdrola agrees to acquire (Klamath) Oregon cogeneration plant for 209 mln eur, ABC money, posted to KBC 9/14/07

Sacramento Bee Editorial: Whoa! Stop the rush on governor's water plans, 9/14/07. (KBC COMMENT: Don't these liberal editors eat food! Do they know food needs water?)

Gov. Schwarzenegger calls special legislative session, Urges action on water plan and health care, Capital Press, posted to KBC 9/13/07

$92 million question, by Japhet Weeks, North Coast Journal 9/13/07. "There is a lot of mistrust about, if they do leave it in there (with Yurok Tribal government), how it will be handled," he said.

PRESS RELEASE: USDA approves emergency CRP grazing for ranchers impacted by wildfire, Announcement follows urging from Walden for action, posted to KBC 9/13/07

Everglades of the West? Environmentalists' vision for the Klamath Basin could spell economic ruin, by Lance Waldren, Pioneer Press September 12, 2007

A new (biofuel) use for an old plant, Herald and News 9/13/07

OWEB Board to consider two-year plan to spend $74 million in Lottery, federal and salmon plate funds, 9/13/07, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board

How you can help miners defeat bill AB 1032, go HERE > http://www.goldgold.com:80/legal/1032actionalert09_07.htm

Gold miners dig up loot, controversy, USA Today, posted 9/13/07. "I call it (mining) recreational genocide, because that's exactly what it is...Changes in tribal diets over the past 20 years as salmon declined led to high rates of diabetes and heart disease and lower life expectancies" Karuk Tribal Chairman Leaf Hillman says. (KBC NOTE: Tribal and Spiritual leader Hillman is out of jail on bail for beating his wife with a beer bottle, leaving her wounded and bleeding)

Group seeks to overturn jury verdict; Environmental center says it did not libel rancher, AZ Central, posted to KBC 9/13/07. "Brammer said jurors heard from both sides and concluded the information was false or at least misleading...the group (Center for Biological Diversity] admitted that four of its 21 photographs do not even depict the public lands at issue."

Tulelake Irrigation District well water pumped 9/1 - 9/10/07
TID well water levels, posted 9/13/07

Herald and News water update, posted 9/13/07

Shasta Miners won! by Dave Mack and Diana Clayton, posted 9/10/07

Letter to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger; please don't support AB1032, posted 9/10/07 by James Waddell, Karuk tribal member."AB1032 will not benefit streams, fish, or other riparian habitats. It will allow government agencies to arbitrarily “Take” the private property rights, water rights, private economic usage rights and to take away the jobs of working citizens… all for no good reasons."

Water data update, posted to KBC 9/9/07.

Tulelake Butte-Valley Fair September 6-9. Rodeo, Old Time Fiddlers,
4-H & FFA, Horse Show, entertainers, carnival, parade, good food, Come to our fair!

Klamath River Law Suit and Klamath River Salmon History, posted 9/8/07, by Karuk Tribal member James Waddell to North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board.

Fish and Wildlife Commission to meet in Klamath Falls Sept 6-7, 2007.

NEWS RELEASE: Farmers lose water to fish, posted to KBC 9/6/07. "San Joaquin Valley farmers receiving water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta will see their 2008 supplies cut by as much as 50 percent or a reduction in deliveries by as much as 500,000 acre-feet, one of the largest single court-ordered reductions in California water history...'The judge’s decision is disappointing because scientists are telling us that the pumps only account for 5-15 percent of the causes that are affecting the smelt population,” Nelson added. “Other factors representing a greater effect on the smelt numbers are loss of food supplies and the introduction of foreign plant and fish species that have dramatically altered the environment.' "

WSWC Conference Oct 10-12

Sten, (Andy) Kerr, McGuire Sign on to Clinton Campaign, Portland Willamette Week, 9/4/07. (KBC Note: According to Enviro-activist Andy Kerr's website, he wants to put salmon in the Upper Klamath Basin, litigate over logging on federal lands, take 100-150,000 MORE acres from Klamath Basin irrigators and make more public land, list more endangered species in Klamath Basin. He's stated: "This nation has more farmers than it needs", farmers have "narrow-minded intolerance", "grazing of any kind is the ecological problem." In Wild Earth he states: loggers, road-builders, miners, grazing permittees, and off-road vehicle users are the primary destroyers of wildlands."

Sali wins support for hydropower, Idaho Press Tribune, posted to KBC 9/4/07

The Endangered Species Act Out of Control, by John R. Lott Jr. and Sonya D. Jones September 04, 2007. "...does it really matter if a fish’s ancestors are from a hatchery or are naturally spawned? As it is, many so-called "wild" or naturally spawned salmon were all but gone and brought back through the use of hatcheries. Given that hatcheries have been around for over a hundred years, it's likely that all naturally spawned salmon have at least some hatchery-spawned ancestors."

Iron Gate fish hatchery, Mail Tribune, posted 9/4/07

9th Circuit, Feds may close land for Indian Worship, 9/4/07, Mt States Legal Foundation, "In May, a panel held that a Latin cross on federal lands in honor of American servicemen killed in World War I violated the Establishment Clause and must be removed...In September, another panel held that Arizona's designation of private property as sacred to American Indian religious practitioners and off-limits to use by its owner did not violate the Establishment Clause."

Please help Klamath River Miners!! Assembly Bill 1032 eliminates and/or reduces most suction dredge mining in many California waterways, 9/2/07. "there will be thousands of property owners affected by this who probably are not even aware of the pending legislation!"

Tuesday at 11 am in the Board Chambers, the (Siskiyou County) Board of Supervisors will be considering the first cut of an ordinance to establish a Natural Resource Advisory Committee to the Board and a statement of general County policies on Natural Resources. The latter is attached for your review and comment as we move through this process. Siskiyou County Supervisor Marcia Armstrong 9/4/07

From Cecil Leslie, Bureau of Reclamation regarding Barnes Ranch questions from OR Senator Whitsett, "We had a meeting with Senator Whitsett and the Water Users in September of 2006 to go over the questions on your web page. We answered all of the questions at that time. No further response is forthcoming, and you can remove the questions from your web page."
However, "Senator Whitsett has not received anything other than a draft report regarding the Barnes property as of September 1, 2007" according to his staff. In fall 2006 we and Whitsett were told by the Bureau that the final answers would be coming soon.

Physical Scientist Claudia Wise responds to Michael Kisielewski letter blasting KBC and the National Research Council, posted 9/4/07

Letter to KBC from Michael Kisielewski, DC, blasting KBC and the National Research Council, 9/2/07. HERE for responses by KBC and readers.

James Waddell, Karuk Tribal Member, writes to KBC regarding Karuk Tribal Corruption, 9/2/07. "There are many things to be learned: corruption, embezzlement again and again, sexual harassment, fornication, illegitimate children, False Shamans, Pot-growers, giving Pot to children as young as five, threats to US Forest Service persons, and false claims of "Being the Karuk Tribe" in the news media and in government meetings... and even in law suits!"

For Struggling Tribe, Dark Side to a Windfall, NY Times, 9/2/07. "...the Yurok people have already hit the jackpot. This spring, the Department of the Interior paid the tribe $92.6 million in logging proceeds, a figure roughly six times the tribe’s annual budget."

Judge sides with smelt; California water supplies in question; Ruling would restrict pumping to 25 Million Californians, CVBT 9/2/07

A new direction at Liskey Farms, H&N, posted 9/2/07