KBC response to  'environmental writers' Klamath articles,
followed by KBC comments on Felice Pace's misinformation

August 16, 2004

In their coordinated effort to crucify the Klamath farmers, the left-wing media and environmental writers have done it again. But most seem to use the same words and strategy, swallowed up by the common agenda of decimating agriculture and communities.

They do not ever mention the National Academy of Science (NAS) report: According to the NAS final report, “....no obvious explanation of the fish kill based on unique flow or temperature conditions is possible” (p. 8)
   “It is unclear what the effect of specific amounts of additional flow drawn from controllable upstream sources (Trinity and Iron Gate Reservoir) would have been. Flows from the Trinity River could be most effective in lowering temperature.” (p. 8).

They blame Bush for fish dying 2 years ago. 

They disregard reports that say that the water was lethal temperatures in 2002, and that more warm water would not have helped fish.

There is no mention that 2002 had a record run of Chinook, these were Trinity River fish, they were overcrowded, and died 200 miles away from Klamath Project, which contributes less than 4% of the water at the mouth of the Klamath.

We do not 'divert water for agriculture'. There is never, ever, acknowledgement  that the Klamath Basin, once a 30 - 40 ' deep lake, diverted its water into Klamath Lake for irrigation water storage, and down the Klamath River, and much of this water was in a closed basin and could not escape until we built diversions to get rid of the water.

None of them mention that the river is artificially high due to the building of the Klamath Project to store water for irrigation. "MBK Engineers assessment of Reclamation’s draft "Undepleted Natural Flow of the Upper Klamath River" report concluded that the agency report is sound and defensible, and that that downstream flows have increased 30 percent over discharges before settlement. The flow increases are attributed to the fact that irrigated land uses less water than evaporation loss from the thousands of acres of swamps and marshes that existed before the shallow lakebeds were reclaimed for agricultural use.

No consequences of dam removal are ever mentioned---go HERE for report.

The following blatent lie repeated over and over has no hint of the truth "...the lion's share of the water from both the Klamath and its major tributary, the Trinity River, is diverted for agriculture." How could our 3.4% contribution of water to the Klamath be a "lion's share'?

None of them mention that the US Fish and Game did not test the waters for a week after the 2002 fish die-off. And now 2 years later, they double their dead-Trinity-Fish estimates and blame the Klamath Irrigators.

KBC comments of Felice Pace's misinformation

First, for a few background articles regarding Pace, go Here, Here, Here, and Here. These are very enlightening---enjoy!

What is not mentioned in Felice's story, are, of course, everything above.
Also not mentioned regarding the Endangered Species Act (ESA)  Klamath hearing, were, all of the participants said they felt the ESA needs to be improved and that it needs to have peer review. That included tribes and government agency representatives and fishermen. Mr. Pace was not there.

For more on fish die-off, go to Science page. For more on 'environmentalists', go HERE. More on dams go HERE.