Klamath Water Users Association 

Two Klamath Basin agricultural organizations on Wednesday night were presented with leadership awards at the Ag Progress Awards Dinner held in Pendleton, Oregon. The Klamath Water Users Association (KWUA) was presented by Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) Director Katy Coba with the state's "Leadership in Conservation" award, and CAL-ORE Produce was honored for "Excellence in Marketing".

KWUA was recognized for its investment of time and resources towards water conservation and environmental restoration efforts in the Upper Klamath Basin over the past ten 10 years. A report of activities issues by the association earlier this year describes how nearly 25,000 acres of farmland in the upper basin has been converted to wetlands and other environmental projects in that time period. Other efforts include riparian fencing to improve water quality and ecosystem enhancement, fish passage improvement projects, and development of individual water conservation plans for farms and ranches. In the past year, the association participated in the development of an environmental water bank in which the Bureau of Reclamation compensates farmers for changing management practices that leave more water in Upper Klamath Lake to meet regulatory environmental requirements.

"In the past decade, over 250 partnership-driven restoration actions were undertaken in the Upper Basin, primarily with the intent of helping sucker fish protected by the Endangered Species Act," KWUA Executive Director Dan Keppen told the audience at awards dinner. "To date, no flexibility in lake level management has been provided to reflect these efforts. In fact, despite these efforts, supplies from Upper Klamath Lake were curtailed in 2001, and we nearly had another curtailment just two months ago. Tonight's award is the first time any sort of formal recognition has been granted to local landowners for their efforts. On behalf of the 1,400 family farms and ranches of the Klamath Project, I thank you."

Tulelake farmer Sid Staunton accepted the state's ag marketing award on behalf of CAL-ORE. Staunton's organization was honored for its efforts to ensure proper growing, handling and packing of produce. CAL-ORE ships 4,000 truckloads every year, making it the largest shipper of fresh market potatoes in California and Oregon.

"We honor CAL-ORE tonight for its visionary practices in ag marketing," said Coba, as she presented the award to Sid Staunton.

"Product safety is on everyone's mind, especially since September 11^th," said Staunton. "We have a great partnership with ODA that ensures improved ag practices and packaging at CAL-ORE."

Other award recipients honored at Wednesday's dinner included:

• Thomas Orchards - Excellence in High Value Products
• Burgerville - Oregon Products Retailer of the Year
• Oregon Century Farm and Ranch Program - Excellence in Education
• Cory Schreiber, Wildwood Restaurant - Oregon Products Chef of the Year

KWUA was presented with a plaque for its efforts.

A panel of Upper Klamath Basin water interests on Monday will discuss key aspects of a recent historical Klamath River hydrologic review completed by Dr. Ken Rykbost of Oregon State University (OSU). The two hour event is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. Monday, September 8, at the Klamath County Commission chambers in Klamath Falls.

Rykbost, the superintendent of OSU's Klamath Experimental Station, will provide a 45-minute presentation of his findings, which both confirms old understanding and also presents new ideas:

• The Upper Basin above Iron Gate Dam, including Klamath Project diversions, accounts for a consistent 15% of annual flow at the mouth of the Klamath River.

• Klamath Project agricultural water use has not changed significantly in the past 50 years.

• High summer flows requested for environmental uses are only potentially available because of Klamath Project storage.

Following Dr. Rykbost's presentation, Klamath County Commissioner Steve West will moderate a panel that will discuss key aspects of Rykbost's presentation. Panelists include Harry Carlson (University of California), Dan Keppen (Klamath Water Users Association), Dave Solem (Klamath Irrigation District), Rodney Todd (OSU Extension), and Rick Woodley (Klamath County Soil and Water Conservation District).

U.S. District Court Judge Robert E. Jones yesterday released an opinion ordering the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to reconsider its denial of a petition filed by several Klamath Basin residents to remove two species of suckerfish from the list of endangered species, according to James Buchal, attorney for the delisting petitioners.

A small group of Klamath Basin residents had filed a petition to remove the fish from the endangered species list in October 2001. The petition was based on the testimony of biologist David Vogel, who told Congress that year that either "the estimates of the sucker populations in the 1980s were in error and did not, in fact, demonstrate a precipitous decline (i.e., the populations were much larger than assumed)" or "the suckers have demonstrated an enormous boom in the period since the listing and no longer exhibit 'endangered' status".

USFWS biologists who listed the fish in 1988 reported they were so scarce that virtually none could be found, but by the time competent measurements of the populations were conducted in the 1990s, there were hundreds of thousands of adult suckers in the Basin. The USFWS nevertheless rejected the petition to delist the suckers, arguing that they still faced risks.

Judge Jones found that the USFWS’ denial of the petition contained "unexplained conclusions not supported by the administrative record" and ordered the USFWS either to reconsider its rejection of the delisting petition, or proceed to a full status review, the next procedural hurdle prior to delisting.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) has released its 2003-04 school year calendar; a "Celebration of Oregon Agriculture" presented by the Oregon Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) Foundation. The calendar - featuring artwork from Oregon elementary school students - highlights the diversity of agriculture throughout the state. Artwork featured in this calendar was selected from 1,700 pictures from students in 25 counties that entered their artwork for the AITC contest. Hundreds of agricultural facts are included in the calendar, including reference to Klamath County's prominence as Oregon's top barley producing county and one of the leaders in Oregon potato, hay and beef production.

The contest for next year's calendar is open to students in grades K-6. For more information on this contest- which ends May 31, 2004 - go to the AITC website at http://AITC.oregonstate.edu.

An environmental group with a long history of suing Klamath Project interests yesterday announced that it will sue PacifiCorp to put fish screens on Upper Klamath Lake at the Link River Dam. Although the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has nearly completed its new $15 million fish

screen at the A Canal headgates, the Oregon Natural Resources Council (ONRC) is suing to force attention on the power utility's diversions.

"It took the Bureau twelve years to screen the A Canal, and now PacifiCorp's failures are being ignored," said ONRC's Wendell Wood.

The ONRC announcement is just the latest in a long string of litigation the group has directed at Upper Klamath Basin interests. Previous unsuccessful lawsuits filed by ONRC have been aimed at reducing or eliminating Klamath Project irrigation deliveries (ORNC v. Bureau of Reclamation, 1995 and PCFFA et al v. Bureau of Reclamation, 2002), and influencing pest management plans on lease lands (Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides and ONRC v. Babbitt, 1999). ONRC last year filed suit regarding use of aquatic herbicides and pesticides on refuge lease lands.

Monday, September 8, 2003 - Panel Discussion on Klamath River Historical Flows. 7:00 p.m., Klamath County Commission Chambers, Courthouse Annex, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Wednesday, September 10, 2003 - Klamath Water Users Association Board of Directors Meeting. 6:00 p.m., KWUA Office, 2455 Patterson Street, Suite 3. Klamath Falls, Oregon.
 

Klamath Water Users Association
2455 Patterson Street, Suite 3
Klamath Falls, Oregon 97603
(541)-883-6100 FAX (541)-883-8893 kwua@cdsnet.net

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