Chadwick comes to Chiloquin Indians, government agencies, environmentalists and farmers meet by Klamath Courier Reporter July 13, 2005

CHILOQUIN - Bob Chadwick of Chadwick Consensus Inc. did it before and he intends to do it again. He and his facilitators have traveled nationwide to find solutions for areas in conflict. He was asked to come here by Alice Kilham, who is from Ashland, Oregon, and is a member of the Upper Basin Working Group, to help find a fix for the Klamath water crisis.

Within the past year in the Klamath watershed, Chadwick facilitated
meetings in Klamath, Calif., Somes Bar, Scott Valley, Tulelake and
Chiloquin. His philosophy is to "restore the river because it's the
right thing to do."

Who is Chadwick and why is he here?

Bob Chadwick managed the Winema National Forest for 30 years and has
facilitated consensus groups in over 9,000 situations. When the
biological opinion was written regarding endangered species to control
Klamath irrigation water allocations, it stated that a group must be
formed of stakeholders on the Klamath watershed to find solutions. So
the Bureau of Reclamation is forming the Conservation Implementation
Program, CIP, to bring people together to work out their differences.
The Bureau has been footing the bill of Chadwick and his associates to
bring people together.

Who came to the Chiloquin meeting?

More than 70 people met at the Chiloquin Community Center with Bob
Chadwick and his facilitators from June 28 to 30. There were more than
20 government employees, members of several Indian Tribes, a couple
filmmakers from Humboldt County, ecosystem restoration groups, a
water-marketing group, a Ph.D. student from Virginia studying conflict
resolution, environmentalists, Congressional aids, a Klamath County
Commissioner, power company employees, water resource specialists, and a few farmers and ranchers.

There was a list on the wall of focus areas, or goals. Some of these included:

Focus Area 3: Tribal relationships and trust issues need to be
addressed: "Tribal recognition is supported, recognizing tribal trust
responsibilities with the federal, state and local governments."

Focus area 6: A Klamath River Congress (Conference, Forum) will be held.
"The Klamath River Basin Congress/Conference/Forum is a group that
speaks the heart of watershed people. It is a group that truly
represents all."

Focus area 11: Dams ? Fish passage and power rates: "Form a coalition
between the Upper Basin irrigations/tribes/fisheries/agencies that
provide support decommissioning of the Iron Gate, COPCO 1 and 2 and JC
Boyle Dams."

Why did people come?

Chadwick had people get in a large circle and tell why they came and
what outcome they wanted. Some of the desires were:
. Salmon to flourish in their historic range,
. Tribes to be given their historic homeland in the Winema and Fremont
National Forest,
. More education on facts and science from different parts of the
watershed,
. Environmental groups and tribes to discontinue using the media to
propagate lies about the Klamath Project,
. Dams removed from the Klamath River
. Klamath Project irrigation downsized,
. Thriving agricultural communities
. Thriving tribal and fishing communities

If something bad happens, it's your fault because you thought it

But first, and several times a day, Chadwick told people why they
shouldn't say anything negative. He told them to tell their worst
possible outcomes of these meetings. After they expressed them, Chadwick
told them that by thinking of any negative outcomes, they will make them
happen.

Chadwick used the example of Andy Kerr, an Oregon environmentalist who
is against grazing and told the Tulelake Rotary that farming would come
to an end in the Klamath Basin. Kerr explained how the Oregon Natural
Resource Coalition would help get more species listed as endangered,
plant activist Wendall Wood stationed in the Klamath Basin, and
litigate, to achieve their goals.

Chadwick said that by repeating what Kerr said and thinking about it,
the farmers are causing the outcome. And if you dare to think about
worst possible outcomes, that means you are using your lower brain, your
reptilian brain, which will change you emotionally, chemically and
physically, and you can't differentiate between life-threatening and
non-life-threatening concerns. So if worst possible outcomes happen,
it's your fault because you thought about it.

Who said what?

There were people from all parts of the watershed, with as many views
and concerns. Reporters were asked not to reveal identities, so
individuals will be referred to with initials. Ms. S, from the
Upper-Upper Klamath Basin, said that their small town is
"disintegrating." With the conflict of the tribes wanting to acquire the
National Forests, and the conflict with people selling their water,
there are bad feelings. She said they just want to farm and they don't
want to sell their water. However, Klamath Basin Rangeland Trust has
expressed that if farmers lease their water to KBRT, it is "doing the
right thing," and it will send more water into the Klamath River for
fish and also into the Klamath Project for irrigators. So she feels she
is helping the situation by leasing their water to KBRT, who is paid
more by the government.

Mr. K from KBRT said that many people are against change and progress
and are against the Klamath Tribes getting the National Forest back
(land that the tribes previously sold.) He said those negative people
are "fear mongers," who believe the government and tribes are going to
take their water. He said the Chadwick process can stop those feelings.
Mr. C from Sprague River told about the many projects farmers, ranchers,
and landowners are doing by the River, doing what's good for the land.
The people are working together. He said that "we are all U.S. citizens
and we all have a voice in elected officials." He said that if the
tribes get the National Forest again, locals and the public won't have
part in it and the acquisition would be divisive.

Another man said he and his neighbors have restored wetlands, cut
junipers that were using water, and fenced cattle away from streams. He
formed a group to put an end to over-grazing.

The environmentalists spoke, unveiling their strategies

Mr. P came to the Salmon River, a tributary of the Klamath River, 30
years ago. (He and Felice Pace formed the Klamath Forest Alliance.) He
said he must protect the watershed and the community. He said with
western expansion, trappers killed animals and gold miners killed
Indians. Mining damaged the rivers. The Forest Service excluded fire,
which ruined the natural process. Farmers and ranchers dewatered
wetlands, which reduced habitat. Farm chemicals ruin water quality and
cows damage riverbanks and water quality. Logging was purely greed for
money, ruining public trust. Loggers believe that "the only good tree is
a stump."

Mr. P. said it is his duty to make sure industry and business do not
further destroy forests, and he supports regulations like the Endangered
Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and Clean Water Act, to
slow society; "regulations curb greed and destruction."
(If you look on a Wildlands Map, you will see dots covering most of the
Western United States.) Mr. P said that he, through Klamath Forest
Alliance, helps map corridors and core areas. These are the areas
targeted by the ESA (which lacks peer review), NEPA, and Clean Water
Act, to eliminate people from these areas. He said that the process took
a long time through the Klamath Task Force, however listing coho salmon
as endangered helped the process.

Water is over-allocated, said Mr. P. He does not believe in storing
water, because he feels it will allow less water down the river, and
storage will cause fish diseases. And he wants the tribes to acquire the
Forests.

The reason he does not like the water bank, which will take 100,000 acre
feet of water from the irrigators this year to send down the Klamath
River, is because he thinks water should not be privatized. The Klamath
River dams should be taken out. He is involved in the Klamath Basin
Fisheries Task Force and monitors the river. He said that TMDL's, the
regulations for water quality, and support of "restoration" will help
achieve his goals.

He said he supports the Chadwick process, because it will allow the
environmentalists to be heard.

Mr. B from Water Watch followed that talk with the following: he lives
in the city, feels like agriculture has ruined the wildlife and wetlands
and water quality in the Klamath Basin, there isn't enough water to go
around, and he doesn't support farming on the refuges. So he wants
farmers, "willing sellers," to sell their land. He wants that land then
to become wetlands. (But in reality, wetlands evaporate more water than
farmland, diverting less water into the Klamath River.)

He blamed irrigators and Congressmen for losing $125 million dollars in
the past. Mr. B. said money was previously available to buy out Klamath
Project farmers and give the Tribes the National Forest. But farmers and
Congress did not support this use of funds.

Farmer angry with environmentalist 

Mr. S, Klamath Project irrigator, became angry with Mr. B, saying how he
hated Mr. B's half-truths. He said, "I want to "kick your ass." Mr. S.
said that Hitler used half-truths like Mr. B.
Mr. S. said he believed Mr. B would win, eradicating farms from the
Klamath Basin, he said he would show Mr. B. where there are farmed
lands that should not be farmed.

Another environmentalist said farming and logging communities should not
be decimated by extreme environmentalists.

Bureau of Reclamation and Yurok discuss CIP

Ms. R from the Bureau of Reclamation, discussed the Conservation
Implementation Program, called CIP. She explained how it was the
government's response to the people's request to have a basin-wide forum
to look at the watershed and find solutions. She said she moved here to
"make a difference" in the water crisis.

Mr. T, Yurok Tribal member, said that he does not want the CIP to
happen. He said he does not trust the Bureau and does not trust the area
manager. He said Ms. R and Ms. C work for the Bureau manager and Sue
Ellen (Wooldridge from U.S. Department of Interior) so can't be trusted
and they might move away so no one would be accountable.

Ms. C, Bureau fish biologist, said she also moved here to "make a
difference' and stay forever. She showed the human side of federal
employees, telling how she watches wildlife, loves the area, and wants
to influence decisions in our area. She explained to Mr. T that the
biological opinion mandates the CIP. She and the Klamath Area Manager
worked on a CIP program on the Upper Colorado, which was successful.

Mr. T asked everyone if they trusted the government. He wants demand
reduction of water, a Klamath Basin Congress to make decisions on water
allocation, and wants no CIP program and wants a meeting with no "feds."
Ms. K asked who would pay for the meeting expenses, since the government has sponsored these.

The play and the movie ?

Ms. May, from Humboldt County, is using the Chadwick sessions to write a
play, "Salmon is Everything." It features the 2002 fish die-off in the
Klamath River. Mr. P will be in the play.
A filmmaker attended who is in the final stages of his documentary. He
has interviewed many people in the watershed, including John Anderson
from Tulelake.

The last circle ?

In the last big circle, day three, late afternoon, everyone was supposed
to say what they wanted to do next. If anyone dared say something
negative, they certainly would be labeled a lower-brain reptilian, whose
health and mind would disintegrate.
So everyone except one was gung-ho to move forward and find ways to make their wishes happen - take out dams, return the Forest to the tribes, restore salmon west to Bly, preserve farming, and have basin-wide social
times with everyone loving and understanding each other.

But there was one reptile, Ms. D.

She wondered how this group, with many who attended several Chadwick
workshops, could make solutions for the Basin when most of them still
believe that the Klamath Project used to be a desert. And many in the
room think that irrigators are taking their water from the Klamath River
rather than from storage they built and paid for. Some said that the
river and lake are lower instead of higher than pre-project levels.

Their solution is Klamath Project water "demand reduction" regardless of
the facts and the science. Many of these people want to be a "One Basin
Congress." They are forming committees to study things such as Project
Irrigators' power rate, Tribal Trust, and taking out dams. Ms. D did not
feel confident that this group would represent the science and interests
of the Klamath irrigators, while representing tribes and agencies and
environmentalists.

If these dedicated people are the citizens who you would like to have
represent you in a Klamath Congress, be sure and write your Congressmen
to allocate money for their conservation and restoration efforts. They
would like your support.