Klamath Basin Conservation
 

Losing a huge opportunity for the Klamath Watershed by Siskiyou, Klamath and Modoc County Commissioners, Capital Press 9/29/22. "...We have seen decades of random acts of restoration in our watershed already. Tens of thousands of acres of agricultural land have been taken out of production. Projects have been built and then abandoned. Dikes that once protected productive farmland have been blown up to flood that farmland and create habitat for endangered species. That project — like others that have been tried over the past 20 years — has, by all accounts, failed miserably..."

Klamath Irrigation District's Final Water Management and Conservation Plan 8/16/21. "(The KID WM and CP) captures a brief summary of our history and discusses what we know about the present. Recent conversations have indicated many are not aware of Klamath Irrigation District's efforts to move towards a more modern and efficient irrigation system. The first step to the future is understanding our past and our infrastructure design, then understanding our present conditions....from there we can create a vision for the future."
"Proposed date of submittal of an updated Water Management Conservation plan to OWRD required in OAR 690-086-0225.6: The submittal of an updated plan in the foreseeable future is unnecessary and should not be required before 1 January 2035 or upon a Reclamation directive consistent with our contract."

Executive order aims to conserve land, biodiversity, "an executive order from Gov. Gavin Newsom aimed at conserving 30% of California's land and marine areas by 2030," AgAlert 10/14/2020

Wetlands Projects in Oregon and Washington Get Boost from Federal Grants, USFWS 6/18/10: "The grants are among a total of $35.7 million the commission approved for refuge acquisitions and wetlands grants for migratory birds"

Altering the landscape; Steps taken to provide habitat for endangered suckers, H&N 8/12/09. (KBC NOTE: For acquisitions of ag land above Klamath Lake, go HERE.)

Walking wetlands program causes concerns; Public should be frustrated about program’s relationship to restoration agreement, by ANI KAME’ENUI, guest writer from Oregon Wild/formerly ONRC, Herald and News 8/9/09. This letter was written referring to KBC News notes 7/19/09: Walking Wetland Controversy, and Bureau of Reclamation Issues. (KBC NOTE: For your information, several stakeholders who wrote and support the KBRA/Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement are in the Klamath Coalition with Oregon Wild/ONRC opposing government leaseland farming. Those groups are American Rivers, Friends of the River, Klamath Forest Alliance, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen, and Trout Unlimited. Riverkeeper publicly opposes the KBRA, however at the same time their board members Craig Tucker and Leaf Hilman with the Karuk Tribe are at the table of the KBRA. The following is a  portion of the endorsed Vision of many KBRA stakeholders who are part of the Klamath Coalition: Go HERE

California Receives $18 Million for Agricultural Water Enhancement Projects, USDA -  Natural Resources Conservation Service 7/31/09 ..."restore 60,000 acres wetland habitat..." For more on wetland controversy go HERE > Walking Wetland Controversy, and Bureau of Reclamation Issues, by KBC reporter July 19, 2009

Restoration Projects For Klamath Watershed Announced, Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Bulletin 7/24/09

 Stauntons win stewardship award, H&N 3/13/09

The Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge near Klamath Falls, Oregon, provides nature's proof the American Bald Eagle is making a comeback, PRWeb, posted 3/5/07 "...there can be a unique balance of conservation and economic benefit in this prime farm and eco-region. And this is actually proving true. Many farmers have been rotating their private land in tracts that go unfarmed and are submerged in marsh-like water tracts for years, providing increased wildlife birding habitat. Amazingly, the aviary and agricultural result is that in just a few years, not only are important feed lands established for aviary, but later they are dried out to become better and more fertile land for their crops. Farmers are able to plant their crops and market them as organic, garnering higher prices at market."

PRESS RELEASE: Horsefly Irrigation District Wins Reclamation’s Mid-Pacific Regional Director’s 2006 Water Conservation Award, Bureau of Reclamation 3/1/07

OTHER PLACES: IDAHO: Conservation program launched -- Idaho, Capital Press 5/29/06. (This plan would take 100,000 acres out of productive farmland, grow native grass, and cost taxpayers $258 million dollars. Farmers could not farm this for 15 years, so by then their machinery would be inadequate, the children gone from farm country, and the agricultural infrastructure gone or greatly reduced. What happened to our country paying money to grow food for America while sending some to impoverished countries? KBC)

Livestock Men of the Year awards announced, Capital Press, posted to KBC 4/10/06. Congratulations Mike Byrne, Tulelake. "Byrne is a fourth generation cattle rancher who manages a family commercial cow-calf operation in the Klamath Basin of Northern California and Southern Oregon on the same lands the family has grazed for over 175 years. He has been recognized for his significant communication, outreach and leadership effort to conserving the basin area. He lobbies in Washington D.C. and on state and local levels on issues that he feels are critical to the livestock industry and western lifestyle. For his work in resolving water and endangered species issues in the Klamath Basin, Byrne received the “2004 Excellence in Conservation Award” by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Resources Conservation Service."

Wetlands may be part of rotation, H&N posted to KBC 11/15/05

Klamath Basin residents get land use awards, H&N 10/27/05

GAO - Government Accountability Office -  report to Congressional requesters on the Klamath River Basin Conservation Area  Restoration Program, Limited assurance regarding the federal funding requirements, 9/19/05, pdf file.

Workshops to help farmers conserve, H&N 8/27/05

Fish Habitat Improvement Projects Scheduled For Wood River And Crooked Creek, Medford News 8/23/05

Agencies target overgrown juniper (Alturas), SacBee 8/19/05

New fish ladder to smooth suckers' swim, H&N 1/19/05

Screens accomplish at least one big goal, H&N 11/8/04. Regarding the $16 million dollar fish screen: "We still don't know - and we don't know that anyone does - whether construction of fish screens to keep suckers from going into the irrigation canal significantly improves the long-term survival of the suckers because nobody seems to have a firm handle on just how many suckers there are."

Saving fish, H&N 11/1/04, "It appears that that's (6 million dollar fish screen) doing its job and keeping the suckers out," he said. {according to testimony at the Klamath Congressional hearing, there are 10's of thousands of suckers and if they had counted them in the first place they never would have been listed...KBC}

If they restore habitat, irrigators should get their water assured, Mike Connelly H&N 10/6/04

Saving water, getting good yields with irrigation technology, TULELAKE, CA Capital Press 8/17/04.

PRESS RELEASE: California Rancher Receives Excellence in Conservation Award, "WASHINGTON, June 25 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) today presented its 2004 Excellence in Conservation Award to Michael J. Byrne, a (Tulelake) California rancher."

Award recognizes irrigators' efforts, H&N 6/21/04

District presents annual awards, H&N 10/29/03 "Farmers and ranchers in the Klamath Basin continue to find ways to share their stored irrigation water to benefit wildlife and the environment, according to Martin Kerns, chairman of the Klamath Soil and Water Conservation District".
 

Leadership in Conservation awarded to  Klamath Water Users Association by Tri-County Courier staff writer Kehn Gibson, photos by Pat Ratliff HERE for complete story KWUA director Dan Keppen accepting award, photo.

"Oregon Dept. of Ag. director Katy Coba said she discovered, during a trip to the Basin with Gov. Ted Kulongoski in April, that there were hidden facts about the efforts of the irrigators in the Basin."      "'In the brief time I spent there I was completely impressed with their efforts to conserve water," Coba said. "There has been so much negative media coverage I think it is important their proactive efforts be recognized.'"      " '... with more than 250 conservation projects completed in the Basin since 1992....irrigators have never been recognized for that work, and to have a Democratic governor be the first gives me a lot of hope that real solutions are coming.' "

USDA: Wetlands increase at 131,400 acres, Washington Times posted to KBC 4/26/04. For more information on Klamath Basin wetlands, go HERE.

PRESS RELEASE: Walden Announces $7.3 Million in Conservation Funding for the Klamath Basin, 4/22/04

Conservation Service helps cut demand for river water, NRCS letter in H&N 3/8/04

Oregon Dept. of Agriculture's "Story of the Week." Conservation measures help farmers get the most out of every drop of water Klamath irrigators turn down the faucet, posted 7/22/03

District to shut down for 5 days, H&N 7/10/03.

Klamath Water Users' ongoing conservation projects

Irrigators' conservation projects underway to comply with 2003 operation plan that calls for less water to irrigators since we had a wet spring (posted July 2003)