Dear KBC,
(11/13/03, from Kurt Thomas, Rangeland Trust, regarding KBC article from Upper Basin tour. The following was cut and pasted directly from Thomas's email to KBC):

Concerns have been raised about comments attributed to me at last Tuesday's upper basin tour which related to the Rich McIntyre property in the Wood River Valley.  I would like to clarify my comments and provide perspective on the tour itself.  First, the tour was organized by landowners and residents of the upper basin as the third in a series of tours basin wide (the project irrigators and the Klamath Tribes conducted the first two tours).  The upper basin tour was not organized by KBRT although members of KBRT were in attendance.  Although I am a member of KBRT, I participate in the tour as a private landowner in the valley and my comments were made in that capacity, not on behalf of KBRT.  My comments were not meant to opine on water rights or their validity.  In addition, KBRT does not opine on water rights or their validity.  That said, Mr. McIntyre has contacted me and has indicated that several comments attributed to me on this website were incorrect.  Specifically, he indicates that his property has been irrigated during the past several years, that he did not sell his water right but rather enlisted it in NRCS/WRP , that the water right is redeemable and available for lease, and finally that he did not receive a tax write-off as a result of this process.  As a final note, the McIntyre property was shown to the tour as an example of a property which has gone through a change of use over the past several years while retaining its functionality and character.  There was no intent to disparage the property, its water right, or their value by showing this property to tour members.

Thank You,

Kurt