***Upper Klamath Lake Land Acquisitions; 97,160 acres of agricultural land has been converted into wetlands from ag as primary water usage above Klamath Lake. Wetlands use nearly twice as much water as irrigated ag lands.
***Bill Ransom's comments to the Klamath Natural Resource Advisory Council

Do you have an opinion on the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement? You do have a voice. Read the (Settlement) Agreement, Check out above websites, videos, and settlement page of letters, articles and documents. This agreement will effect your water rights, water allocation, ground water use, and governing entity. Write your reps, PacifiCorp, and Warren Buffett! HERE for contact information Comment of planting salmon and lamprey (fish parasites) in Upper Klamath basin: odfw.comments@state.or.us

We were shut down several days due to technical difficulties--we are back! KBC

Proposed settlement won’t end court cases, nor guarantee water, H&N by Frank Wallace, Klamath Basin Alliance, 5/19/08

Letters: Siskiyou County supervisor is incorrect on Klamath dams, by Karuk Spokesman/anti dam activist Craig Tucker,
FOLLOWED BY response from Siskiyou Supervisor Marcia Armstong, The Daily Triplicate 5/19/08

California Farm Bureau Federation Friday Review, May 16, 2008. The revised budget proposal:
SB 1562 - authorizing counties affected by the 2007 freeze, wildfires and windstorm to receive a tax deferral,
AB 2168 - known as the "Farm Stand" bill,
SB 1404 container plant labeling for water use,
SB 1527 known as the "Cow Palace" bill,
AB 2386 regarding selecting a union as the agricultural employees collective-bargaining agent,
AB 2714 amending vehicle codes to address "loss of load",
SB 1663 known as the "Used Tire Hauler" bill,
AB 2402 extending the amount of time a commercial motor carrier can be parked at a roadside rest area,
AB 2065 regarding invasive aquatic mussel species.

***Klamath River Compact Commission, Investigation into methods to control algae in the Klamath River Basin.
http://klamathwaterlib.oit.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/kwl&CISOPTR=553&filename=550.pdf
"Excessive algal growth in the Klamath River Basin is a natural phenomenon that has been present for many years." June 1962. (Note that Iron Gate was built in 1962 and at that time, algae was already a documented historic problem). "In order to operate effectively this project should be free of all political pressure and therefore should be supported..." (KBC NOTE: what a concept!)

Report of the Oregon Klamath River Commission on Water Resources and Requirements of the Upper Klamath Basin December 1954. http://soda.sou.edu/awdata/031217g1.pdf
page 37 regarding Klamath treaty.

Salmon closure hits Winchester Bay hard, Oregonian, posted to KBC 5/13/08

Siskiyou County Board's opposition to dam removal, Letter to the editor by Marcia H. Armstrong, Supervisor District 5 (representing the communities downriver of the dams) Siskiyou County 5/11/08. "Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement is premised on dam removal, which poses significant concerns for communities downriver from the dams. There is an estimated 20 million cubic yards of sediment stored behind the dams. The 2006 Klamath River Dam and Sediment Study was not comprehensive..."

LEFT: The waters of Upper Klamath Lake and the closed headgate, in the inlet at lower right, in 2001 in Klamath Falls. BELOW: The mouth of the Klamath River as it empties into the Pacific Ocean. 5/11/08

    



Thomas Christy Palmer Sept. 24, 1949 - May 5, 2008, Tulelake, CA. "In short, he will be missed."

California Farm Bureau Friday Review 5/9/08.
SB 1512 - consolidate the usage of multiple meeters for solar installation
SB 1617 - fire protection fees on all inhabited structures in State Responsibility Areas

 

Horse lovers celebrate their passion; Arabians are centerpiece amid art, music, food and carriage rides, Capital Press 5/9/08, Malin, Oregon.

PHOTO: Sara Bagg plays with 17-day-old Arabian filly Ceilki, the official greeter for the celebration.

Water pressure grows; Four Basin city councils endorse proposed agreement, H&N 5/8/08. "Mitchell and Steve Kandra, a Klamath Water Users Association board member, have met with the councils of the county’s towns, businesses and other organizations to answer questions and secure endorsements. Kandra said there is a lot of misinformation, and other groups had no information on the agreement." (KBC NOTE: yes, they went to the councils of 4 little towns who had not read the agreement, and presented their pitch, and the town councils voted to endorse the plan with no public input. The only people left out of this settlement agreement are the people who have had no vote.

A standout proposal, Sacramento Bee 5/8/08, Thunder Valley Casino. KBC NOTE: (Klamath Tribes, with land given to them in the Klamath Settlement Agreement (they sold their reservation) intend to expand their gaming. No taxes. No accountability for profits. They are the only group or race that can give unlimited money to elected officials, and give jobs with preference to their own race. Click Here for info on Going to Pieces tribal expansion book and to view the full-length online video.)

A website by the Yurok people, not the tribal leaders: http://www.yurokvoices.com

The New Economics of Hunger; A brutal convergence of events has hit an unprepared global market, and grain prices are sky high. The world's poor suffer most. Washington Post, posted to KBC 5/7/08. "For the 1 billion people living on less than a dollar a day, the world's worst food crisis in a generation is a matter of survival." (KBC NOTE: How will the Klamath Basin contribute to world hunger? After the World Wars, veterans came to the Klamath Basin to feed a hungry nation. The Klamath Basin Settlement Agreement demands downsizing off-Project irrigation by 30,000 acre feet of water, downsizing Project farming considerably, and taking out 4 Klamath River dams that provide power for 70,000 households annually. The Nature Conservancy and gov't agencies have taken 100,000 acres out of ag land and made swamps with most of it, decimating our cattle business and evaporating water that could water more farms or fish. States demand replacing oil with ethanol, already doubling and tripling the cost of corn and grains. The Humane Society forced the ban on killing sea lions which eat thousands of endangered salmon. Shortage of salmon has caused ban on Pacific Coast salmon fishing and cost billions of dollars in studies and restoration projects. People are starving to death. Enemies of the human race are among us.)

PRESS RELEASE: Despite Record High Gas Prices, Democrats Again Vote To Stop ANWR Oil Production; Democrats Vote To Keep 10.4 Billion Barrels Of American Oil Locked Up in Alaska's Arctic, National Resources Committee 5/7/08. (KBC NOTE: farm fuel has doubled in the past couple years thanks to locking up American oil, further raising the price of food. People are starving.

Out-of-court agreement reached in sea lion case, posted 5/7/08. "The Humane Society of the United States has reached agreement with state and federal governments that blocks killing or permanent removal of sea lions in the Columbia River until early 2009."

Pinniped numbers below Bonneville hit new record; reported sightings above dam, CB Bulletin, posted 5/7/08. "From Jan. 11 through April 20 researchers have seen sea lions consume 1,791 chinook and 258 steelhead, with the peaks of the upriver run likely yet to arrive. Another 541 unidentified fish have been taken below the dam."

Oregon, Washington get nod to kill sea lions at Bonneville Dam, Oregonian, posted to KBC 3/20/08. "Federal fisheries managers are giving the go-ahead today for Oregon and Washington officials to trap and, if necessary, kill sea lions that wolf down thousands of salmon at Bonneville Dam every year."

Feds' fish aid plans pending; Headlight-Herald Staff 5/6/08. "If the $500,000 in aid to be distributed by Gov. Ted Kulongoski's office didn't sound like much to Oregon salmon fishers who have been left without a season, the figure $45 million may be more appealing."

False image of tribal importance; Karuk tribal member letter regarding Tribes that interrupted Warren Buffet's stockholders' meeting, 5/6/08. "For Pete's Sake!  I can't believe so many people are actually listening to Leaf Hillman!  He was a..." HERE for more articles on Hillman.

*** URGENT MESSAGE TO MINERS and mining links by research biologist Joseph Greene. "Here is a heads up to all you miners that are not following what is going on in the California State Legislature regarding mining...This report will be used to stop suction dredge mining using remobilization of mercury as the new excuse." Also see Mining Page.

Tulelake Irrigation District well water levels 5/6/08

Klamath Basin Lake Levels and River Flows 5/6/08

States' decade-old "dialogue on Race" dooms quotas, Mountain States Legal Foundation 5/6/08

Water Quality, Shasta Valley, Wetlands & Riparian, by Marcia Armstrong, Siskiyou County Supervisor, posted to KBC 5/4/08

California Farm Bureau Federation Friday Review, posted 5/5/08:
AB 186 (Maze, R-Visalia) Central Valley Rural Crime Prevention Program,
AB 2860 (Mendoza, D-Artesia) regarding Native American tribes, "tribal groups" and the Williamson Act,
SB 1404 (Lowenthal,D-Long Beach) water labeling on container plants,
AB 2714 (Keene, R-Chico) incidental loss of hay or straw chaff from trucks hauling hay on the highway,
SB 1663 (Denham, R-Merced) waste and used tire hauler registration,
AB 2402 (La Malfa, R-Chico) extending the amount of rest time for commercial motor carriers,
SB 1723 (Maldonado, R-Santa Maria) pesticide container-recycling program.

A special invite for you to join the Grange, Pioneer Press 5/5/08

(Siskiyou) County Supervisors meet with Pacific Power officials, Pioneer Press, posted to KBC 5/5/08

Cardiac rehab center will remain closed, H&N 5/4/08. (KBC NOTE: Klamath County alone has a population of 60,500, and Sky Lakes Hospital also services Modoc and much of Siskiyou Counties, with heart disease a leading cause of death.

(Klamath) Water users bow to environmentalists, H&N, posted to KBC 5/4/08. "The Klamath Water Users Association has chosen to appease the environmental groups by demanding the removal of the dams on the Klamath River...The message we are sending is clear. Do not fight for what is right, but take whatever your adversaries will give you."

A Republican Candidate for Attorney General After All... Write in Ron Saxton, May 3, 2008, The Write Idea. If Ron receives enough write in votes on the Republican primary ballot; he would automatically be on the ballot in the November general election (if he accepts).
.
Fate of Klamath dams still uncertain; Daily briefing Company that owns dams will defer choice to state regulators and federal officials OMAHA, Neb, H&N 5/4/08.
Klamath-area protesters descend on Warren Buffett in Omaha, The Eureka Reporter, posted 5/4/08. "Leaf Hillman, vice chair of the Karuk Tribe, was temporarily detained by police, preventing him from speaking while he waited in line for his turn at the microphone, according to the news release." (KBC NOTE: last fall Karuk spiritual leader Hillman was arrested for assaulting his wife with a beer bottle, leaving her bleeding and unsconscious.)

Water just needs to melt for irrigators, the question is not if the water is coming, but when, H&N 5/4/08

Sunday Bible lesson, Acts 10, by Jim Foley 5/4/08

Native Women Protest Over Warren Buffett's Klamath River Dams, North Coast Indy Bay, posted to KBC 5/4/08. "The 20 members of the Yurok, Karuk and Hoopa Valley Tribes unfurled a huge banner demanding, "Warren, Un-Dam the Klamath! Sign the Agreement Now!...Wealthy women from the Klamath River make our jewelry from the plants that grow along the river banks and the shells of mussel and abalone...Now the river is so polluted from Buffett's dams we are worried about harvesting the plants we need for our jewelry and regalia."  (KBC NOTE: Dam removal eliminates power for 70,000 customers annual, significantly raising power rates.  There would be potentially 20 million cubic yards of sediment on spawning grounds and emerging fish, decimating salmon runs, habitat, habitat for humanity by dam reservoirs. Dam removal would eliminate $1 million/yr tax revenues in Siskiyou County.)

Judge rules Klamath school discrimination (ACLU) lawsuit to move forward, Eureka Reporter, posted 5/4/08.

Commerce Secretary Declares West Coast Fishery Failure; Opens Door for Disaster Relief. May 02, 2008, Columbia Basin FWS Bulletin

Commodity prices are rising, but so are costs, H&N 5/2/08

Donald R. Glaser named Mid-Pacific Regional Director for the Bureau of Reclamation, Commissioner’s Office, Washington, D.C.5/2/08

Local agriculture: A balancing Act, H&N 5/2/08

Salmon closure worst in history, H&N 5/2/08. "Spain, who helped negotiate the proposed Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement, said the West Coast closure is not related to ongoing fisheries problems in the Klamath River Basin." (KBC NOTE: This article quotes Glen Spain, PCFFA spokesman and Eugene attorney. Spain has initiated numerous lawsuits against Klamath irrigators including getting compensation for the 2001 water shutoff. He has written Oregon salmon trollers trying to convince them not to deal with the Klamath irrigators: "the leadership of the Klamath Water User's Association (KWUA) do not care about fish -- they care about making sure they have all the irrigation water they want, and the fish be damned. The current closed door efforts of the KWUA to "woo" certain salmon trollers on the Oregon coast to their cause is one example of how they hope to use fishermen for their purposes." PCFFA filed lawsuits with tribes against Klamath irrigators getting a reasonable power rate since they pump the water 7 times, then uphill into the Klamath River to provide mandated higher-than-historic river flows. Now Spain helps write the Settlement Agreement for supposed irrigation water and better power rates for irrigators with a verbal agreement to quit suing us if we sign on the dotted line. It demands dam removal and land to the Klamath Tribes who sold their reservation. KWUA and districts have signed this blackmail document with no vote from their constituents.)

July 20, 2006, PCFFA Strategy meeting Minutes: SAVING THE KLAMATH SALMON: Development of an Intervention Strategy or What to Do Between Disaster Relief and the Dams Coming Down.

Council OKs salmon fishing on Klamath; DFG vote next, The Record-Stockton, 4/30/08. "But Chinook salmon fishing on the Klamath River will be open as usual, with a larger than normal quota (22,500 fish) allocated for the 2008 season. The Klamath Tribal allocation is 27,000 fish." (KBC NOTE: Fishing in the Pacific Ocean is shut down this season decimating the fishing industry and economies, Tribes want the Klamath dams out because they say it is causing the fish to go extinct, and the fish run on the Klamath is exceptional...?)
Foes of dams to confront Buffet again, Times-Standard posted 4/30/08
Salmon ban takes toll in Fort Bragg, Modesto Bee, posted 4/30/08

(Klamath) farmers key to local economy 043008, H&N by Warren Haught.

Bureau of Reclamation weekly Klamath water report, 4/30/08

Fish and Wildlife Service to Provide Additional Opportunity to Comment on Proposal to Revise Critical Habitat for the Canada Lynx in July 2008, FWS 4/30/08. "Service is proposing to designate approximately 42,753 square miles of habitat..."

Status Review of Bull Trout Completed; Species still threatened in the United States, additional analysis will be done, FWS posted 4/30/08

PRESS RELEASE - "President Bush Is Absolutely Correct - The Democratic Anti-Energy Policies Will Continue To Worsen America's Gas & Energy Problems," Alaska U.S. Rep Don Young. "If President Clinton hadn't vetoed this bill, ANWR production would now be providing our nation with more than one million barrels of oil each day. This Democratic opposition to ANWR oil production has kept 10.4 billion barrels of American oil locked up in the northern coast of Alaska Coastal Desert."

4/29/08 - The U.S. Geological Survey says a magnitude-5.2 earthquake has hit in the Shasta National Forest west of Weaverville, 191 miles north of Sacramento, Sacramento Bee.

Looters Limit Out on BPA Salmon Dollars, James Buchal, posted to KBC 4/30/08

Sunday Bible lesson, Acts 9, by Jim Foley 4/27/08

Salmon win in this dam legal battle, Capital Press editorial 4/25/08. "It's a fact that some environmental groups won't be happy until every dam is removed from every salmon stream and river in the West. Whether that's practical is, for them, not a concern. They simply don't seem to be willing to accept any alternatives. For them, it's an all-or-nothing proposition."

That Dam Bill, Ratepayers and regulators want PGE to explain a land donation. Willamette Week 4/25/08. "Some PGE ratepayer groups say the utility may have given up their millions when it did a transaction that included blowing up a Sandy River dam."

Tax dollars are used to fund our destruction, Letter to Pioneer Press 4/25/08. "The administration of the Klamath Tribe and various environmental groups have appealed forest service timber sales for years, which has killed the timber harvest and hurt all of us." Klamath Tribe document  explains that, in the Klamath Settlement plan with a gift of 92,000 acres to the Klamath Tribes, they will trade that land for the Winema Forest so THEY can log it, acquire surrounding private land, and with ripping out 4 hydro dams, they will build a power plant.

More on Willman and book, go HERE.

California Farm Bureau Federation Friday Review, 4/25/08. "Farm Bureau’s testimony focused on the fact that Prop. 98 will not affect the use of eminent domain for public facilities, public transportation, or public utilities, such as much needed water infrastructure. Despite the false claims by our opponents, Prop. 98 will not impact future water development in California."

Letter from Karuk Tribal member James Waddell to friend Glen, and from Glen to friend Leo regarding Klamath settlement agreement, posted 4/25/08

Tulelake endorses deal, H&N 4/24/08. (KBC NOTE: Klamath Water Users Asso. board member Steve Kandra promoted the Klamath Settlement Agreement to the Tulelake City Council. They had not read the agreement. They did not have a public comment period. They voted that night to support the agreement. The council member we spoke with did not even realize that 'settlement' entailed taking out four hydro dams on the Klamath, giving our water rights to the Klamath Tribes, downsizing Project ag, nearly obliterating ag Off Project, introducing endangered fish with demands that the fish live or the farmers' assurances are rewritten, and giving control of the Klamath Watershed to 26 groups which include 3 tribes, 9 environmental groups, feds, and the Project farmers have merely one vote in a non-consensus new government that was formed excluding the public.) "Kandra plans to meet with the Malin City Council Tuesday and Merrill City Council May 5."

< Senator  Doug Whitsett Newsletter, posted 4/24/08

Tribes water claims wind through process, Billings Gazette 4/24/08

Tribes to lobby in Omaha, H&N, 4/24/08
 

Family Farm Alliance April 2008 issue:
• Aging Water Infrastructure Is Focus, Pages 3-5
• Reclamation Plans Canal Workshop, Page 4
• Wrapping Up Reclamation’s M4E, Pages 6-8
• Hearing Held On Indian Water Rights, Page 8
• Columbia River Fish Pacts Proposed, Pages 9-10
• Water 2025 Applications Are Sought, Page 10
• California Pays Fish-Saving Price, Page 11
• Senate OK’s Site Security Cap, Page 12

Klamath Water Users Association Klamath Project timeline, April 24, 2008
Klamath Water Users Association settlement information packet, April 24, 2008

Doing fowl deeds to fields, followed by Farms’ support of birds studied, H&N 4/24/08

Board of supervisors continues work on Klamath resolution, Siskiyou Daily News, posted to KBC 4/24/08

Proposal would put chinook in local waters, H&N 4/23/08. (KBC NOTE: this public meeting was announced today, and the public meeting was today 4/23.)
Proposal > www.dfw.state.or.us  under Special Plans and Programs.
Comment > odfw.comments@state.or.us

***Fish and Wildlife Service Final Biological Opinion, posted 4/22/08

Coos County Commissioner John Griffith responds to Riverkeeper regarding Klamath dam removal, posted to KBC 4/22/08

Klamath water report 4/22/08

United Nations with Agenda 21 is alive and well in the Klamath Basin, to control our resources, our population, and herd people into 'sustainable' communities using the Endangered Species Act, Water Quality mandates, etc. Here is an extensive resource in UN documents, agenda, and NGOs.

Prayer Page on Nehemiah and the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement, 4/18/08 by Rudy Hiley

Utility hesitant about dams, Pacific Power official: Liability of Klamath dam removal unknown, H&N 4/18/08. "Art Sasse, strategic consultant for PacifiCorp, said mail received by the utility is running 15-1 against dam removal..."

ODFW to Study Reintroduction of Salmon into Upper Klamath Basin, Columbia Basin Bulletin 4/18/08

Judge: harm to salmon justifies Columbia River sea lion removal, 4/18/07, Columbia Basin Bulletin.

Unemployment in California surges to 6.2 percent, SacBee 4/18/08. (KBC comment: The feds, tribes and environmental groups have locked up our forests so they will burn rather than be harvested, shut down our fisheries, and taken our farmland called "restoration." They want to take our Klamath Basin hydro dams which will raise power rates and further downsize agriculture. They have shut down our oil drilling and coal mining, and are trying to shut down our Klamath River gold mining. There is less farmland, higher world hunger, and higher food and gas prices. Welcome to the West!)

Dr. Calvin Hunt, we'll miss you!

HERE is an op-ed written by Dr. Hunt that the Herald and News refused to print. He stayed up nights last year, in the midst of his illness, so he could inform his community of this impending travesty.

Energy 2008: the coming economic meltdown; The energy policy of the United States seems designed to purposely and artificially raise prices to the consumer by throttling supply, Intellectual Conservative, posted to KBC 4/17/08. "In California there is a concerted effort to destroy the Klamath dams. These dams provide cheap, renewable energy to 70,000 homes in Oregon and California. Replacing this energy with natural gas would release 473,000 tons of additional carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year. This is roughly equivalent to the annual exhaust of 102,000 cars."

Tulelake Irrigation District well report 4/17/08

Klamath County delays water decision, Commissioners vote to postpone recommendation on agreement, 4/16/08

Commentary: The truth about the Clean Water Restoration Act, CFBF 4/16/08

Schwarzenegger commended for quick response to fisheries closure, Eureka Reporter, posted to KBC 4/13/08. (KBC Question for anyone who knows: Is any money going to the PEOPLE and communities being devastated by the closure, or is it only going to "restoration projects?")

ODFW announces limited ocean coho salmon season, ODFW, posted to KBC 4/13/08

Klamath County Natural Resource Advisory Council members, H&N 4/13/08

Council voices concern with deal; county advisory board postpones recommendation, Posted to KBC 4/13/08

Klamath Fish Management by Larry Toelle, Ft Jones 4/13/08

CEI Fights Sierra Club Demands for CO2, CEI posted to KBC 4/13/08. "If Sierra Club wins the litigation, potentially hundreds of thousands of previously unregulated small- to mid-sized farms, factories and buildings would have to go through the costly and time-consuming PSD permitting process, because the statutory threshold for regulation under PSD is 250 tons a year."

Sunday Bible lesson Acts 8, by Jim Foley 4/13/08

Farm families continue to struggle for water, H&N, posted to KBC 4/13/08

Toxins found in Klamath fish, Study commissioned by (Karuk) tribe on river finds risk to public health, H&N, posted to KBC 4/13/08. Craig Tucker, Karuk spokesman, was previously activist with 'Friends of the River', an international dam removal group, and presently 'Riverkeeper.' Karuks along with Bobby Kennedy, President of Waterkeepers, filed a lawsuit against PacifiCorp to get the dams removed because of algae. A quote from Tucker 7/4/07: "It would be worth better understanding what they could to address the algae problem. But note that our push for dam removal comes with or without the algae as the dams remain a barrier to the recovery of salmon even if the human health threat of the toxic algae blooms were addressed." S. Craig Tucker, Ph.D., Klamath Campaign Coordinator, Karuk Tribe of California

Chinook season closed, The World Link, posted 4/13/08

KBC NOTE: Sea lions each kill several salmon per day. Sea lions have an unlimited salmon season.

Sea lion removals postponed to await looming court decisions, CBB, posted 4/13/08. "Last year an estimated 80 California sea lions made the 145-mile quest to the dam. Observers documented a sea lion "take" of 4.2 percent of the salmonid run in the waters immediately below the dam. Those fish include five salmon and steelhead stocks that are listed under the Endangered Species Act."
Followed by, Hazing not reducing sea lions' salmon catch."California sea lions were the primary predator of adult salmonids in the Bonneville Dam tailrace, accounting for 99.0 percent of the 8,946 observed adult salmonid catches over the recent three-year period, and 99.8 percent of the 4,957 observed chinook salmon catches...White sturgeon was the most commonly observed prey item for Steller sea lions, which made 97.8 percent of the 626 observed sturgeon catches since 2002."

Salmon fishing closure prompts Schwarzenegger to declare emergency, Sacramento Bee, posted 4/13/08

Alaska Cuts Chinook Quota Nearly 50 Percent, NW Fishletter #245, posted April 13, 2008. " it is widely recognized that unfavorable ocean conditions in 2005 and 2006 likely were a significant cause of the poor survival of chinook in the early part of their four- to five-year life-cycle, Some of these ocean conditions have moderated substantially and appear to be returning to a status more favorable to salmon populations."

Dr. Moyle, cited in Dan Bacher's article, "Peter Moyle's Commentary on Central Valley Chinook Salmon Decline" would like us all to believe that ocean conditions play a small role in today's salmon decline, note and links by Joseph Greene, EPA retired scientist, posted 4/13/08
Peter Moyle's Commentary on Central Valley Chinook Salmon Decline, Indy Bay, posted to KBC 4/13/08
2008 salmon forecast predicts 18th largest harvest since 1960, Alaska Journal of Commerce, posted 4/13/08."The total harvest is expected to include 672,000 Chinook salmon, 47.1 million sockeye salmon, 4.4 million coho salmon, 66 million pink salmon and 18.7 million chum."
Climate, Uncertainty and the Pacific Salmon Treaty: Insights on the Harvest Management Game, Miller et al, posted 4/13/08

Kruse: Salmon Run failures in 1997-1998, A link to Anamalous Ocean Conditions, posted to KBC 4/13/08

Agreements propose $980.5 million for projects; support for feds' salmon strategy, CBB, posted 4/13/08

Ocean conditions: do Columbia and Alaska chinook go to the same place? posted April 13, 2008, Columbia Basin Bulletin. "Blame for declining runs of Pacific Northwest salmon has been cast broadly: habitat loss from logging and development, an abundance of predatory sea lions, power-generating dams, terns and other coastal birds that prey on juvenile fish, and over-fishing by commercial and sport fishermen. But no factor is more critical to salmon prosperity than ocean conditions, experts say..."

Researchers hope to continue "River of Origin" salmon study, CBB, posted 4/13/08

< Plowing in the Klamath Basin ended abruptly as 2 inches of snow covered the ground on April 8. It’s that time of year when the farmer just never knows what tomorrow, or this afternoon, might bring.

Bill Ransom's comments to the Council yesterday regarding the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement went something like this: Go HERE. (The Natural Resource Advisory Council was supposed to vote today to recommend to the Klamath Commissioners how to vote on the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement. They decided to vote in May because they need more time, and, Draft 12 has not been made public yet. The comments recorded by board member Ransom covered the majority of the concerns expressed by most of the board, with all the board members expressing that they believe that their are viable solutions to these concerns and that they would like to see the parties work out the differences that still exist.)

APRIL 11, 2008 California Farm Bureau Friday Review, Bills

Law of the river, By Anthony Intiso, Pioneer Press 4/10/08. "it can help the board keep the dams intact and maintain sufficient water for the Basin farmers, fishing and water rights for the Indians, and a hydro-electric clause as well. What is this law? It is an existing document called, "Klamath River Basin Compact." An agreement entered into between the states of Oregon, California and the U.S. Congress agreeing to a set of conditions that would govern all of the "Basin" water and land rights, including the hunting, fishing, and water rights of the tribes."

County-sponsored talks fall through, H&N 4/10/08. (KBC NOTE: Off Project irrigators felt it was unfair that the settlement converted from a consensus group to a majority vote group to create the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement, KBRA. So the other groups voted to downsize Off-Project irrigators by 1/2. They previously irrigated 150,000 acres with surface water. In the past several years The Nature Conservancy and federal agencies bought out 100,000 acres of their private land, one ranch at a time, decimating the cattle industry. To get Off-Project folks, feds promised them that the government takings would end and the new gov't acquisition would provide more water storage. It only provided more water evaporation. The KBRA demands that they retire 30,000 more acre feet of their water rights. Tribes and KWUA refused to reopen negotiations to create a fair settlement. Tribes refuse to work with Off-Project elected representatives. HERE for Tribal intentions for private land they want to acquire, including "purchasing retired water rights...obtain funds to buy back private land within the former boundaries of the Klamath Tribes' reservation "(that they sold twice already)...purchasing private land so they can "assert tribes senior water rights,"....expand gaming, create biofuel (people would need to buy power if they rip out the 4 Klamath dams.) trade Mazama acquisition for public lands )

County close to vote on water, Commissioners haven’t finalized positions, H&N 4/10/08

Investigate (Siskiyou) Supes secret meetings, Pioneer Press 4/10/08

Klamath adjudication process reopens, H&N 4/10/08

Klamath Basin Water Theft by Barbara Peterson, posted to KBC 4/10/08

Leo (Bergeron) runs for supervisor, Pioneer Press 4/10/08

Family Farm Alliance brings testimony and press release on Clean Water Act concerns, FFA 4/10/08

Off the hook: Salmon fishing ban OK’d, Central Valley Business Times 4/10/08

Salmon fleets seek political help, The World, Coos Bay 4/10/08

Klamath River (Yurok) Clean-up, Triplicate, posted 4/10/08.  Past cleanups of garbage have totaled 160 yards.

PFUSA Klamath Dam Removal Statement, by Katherine Lehman, posted to KBC 4/9/08

Klamath Project not likely to impact suckers H&N 4/8/08. "Based on the U.S . Bureau of Reclamation’s proposed operation of the lake, the agency found that Project operations “were not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of endangered suckers.”

Klamath Project Operation Plan, Bureau of Reclamation, posted to KBC 4/8/08

El Dorado Hills woman fighting Indian tribe over home repairs, Sac Bee 4/8/08. In the Klamath settlement agreement, tribes would receive 92,000 acres of land which surrounds many private properties. HERE for tribal intentions for when settlement comes to pass.

Lake levels and river flows, Bureau of Reclamation 3/31-4/7/08

Interior grants disbursed to conservation projects, Indian Country 4/8/08. Karuk Tribe of California: $100,000 for the Bluff Creek Habitat Protection Project, Yurok Tribe: $200,000 for the Yurok Tribe Condor Release Initiative

A Canal head gates opened, H&N 4/8/08

Siskiyou supervisors oppose water proposal, H&N 4/2/08.
These were the actual motions that were approved.

Stakeholder groups meet in Yreka, H&N 4/2/08. "We wanted to get together and get some of our board members with tribal members from different tribes,” Addington said. “We’re here to eat some salmon, Klamath potatoes, elk and eel.” 

Wolves are being planted by the feds in rural America. HERE is video of the Yellowstone Story, wolves and the elk herd. HERE for KBC wolf page. HERE for nice slide show.

Stakeholders react to Siskiyou decision, H&N 4/2/08

Snowpack at record levels, H&N 4/2/08

"The Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors passed two motions today.
* The Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors voted to oppose removal of the four lower dams on the Klamath River.
* The Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors voted to opposed the proposed Klamath River Restoration Agreement. The motion also included something to the effect that the Board would continue to pursue any other course of action that would further the interests of the people of the County. It also stated that a list of findings in support of our position would be prepared.
The vote was role call and was unanimous with all Supervisors present." by Siskiyou County Supervisor Marcia Armstrong.

No’ on water deal likely, Siskiyou Board of Supervisors poised to vote against proposed water settlement, H&N 4/1/08

Klamath County water meeting may move ahead without Klamath Tribes, H&N 4/2/08

Don’t take away my fishing hole, H&N 4/1/08. "If algae in the Klamath River is a problem caused by the PacifiCorp dam system, then please explain the source of the algae blooms in Lake of the Woods, Fish Lake, Hyatt Lake, and all the other fishing sources in the area."

$48 million requested for Basin, Rep. Greg Walden asks for money to research salmon disease in the Klamath River, projects at OIT, H&N 4/1/07

Siskiyou County supervisors meet with stakeholders, H&N 4/1/08

Press Advisory: Karuk Tribe ·  Yurok Tribe · Klamath Tribes · Klamath Water Users’ Association hold strategy summit,  3/31/08, on April Fools Day.

"Congressional style" meeting on the proposed Klamath River Basin Restoration Agreement, 3/28/08, Yreka, by Marcia Armstrong, Siskiyou County Supervisor. KBC photos
Nearly 200 farmers, ranchers, fishermen, Indians, enviros and feds, came to Yreka to hear the Siskiyou County Supervisors question those on the forums. In our (KBC's) opinion of the meeting, Pacific Power was instrumental in ripping apart the communities of Siskiyou and Klamath Basin.  Tribes, feds and enviros have formed this blackmail closed-door agreement: "Sign on or we'll continue to sue you." "Sign on or we you will get none of the billion$ funds after we take out your dams." "Sign on or you will get no irrigation water." "Sign on or you will not be able to afford the power to pump water off your farms and into the river." 200 faces of rural folks being decimated by divisions, fear of losing their livelihoods, homes, communities, property, and rights. Our sons and daughters are fighting abroad as did our mothers and fathers, for freedom. Today we can allow our freedoms to be ripped from us, or, we can stand up and defend them. PLEASE, by April 1, write your supervisors and commissioners. Write Pacific Power, write to your irrigation districts, senators, governors and congressmen...that is just a beginning.  Read the Agreement! It WILL effect you.

Tribal control - Now we will have to march down to the capitol ourselves to talk some sense into those folks, Larry Toelle, Pioneer Press, posted 3/28/08

Klamath Settlement - Make no bones about it, Pioneer Press by Gary Lake, Shasta Nation, posted 3/28/08

USFWS official presents one view of agreement, Mt Shasta News 3/28/08. (KBC NOTE: Did Detrich tell Dunsmuir that there's no proof salmon ever thrived in the Upper Klamath Basin? that the Klamath Tribes, to receive 92,000 acres forest land, sold their reservation 2ce, and voted for termination? Did he say that the Karuk tribe spearheading this anti-dam movement has no fishing right presently on the Klamath River? That the agreement says we give our water rights to the Klamath Tribes? That the feds have already taken 2/3s of the Off Project land  irrigated by surface water and this agreement demands 30,000 more acre feet of their remaining water rights? Did he tell them that all the Siskiyou County Granges, Cattlemen's Association, and Water for Life oppose this document? And the districts did not get to vote..only the leaders? Did he tell them about the blackmail..sign on or else? Did he tell them the public has no input into this new governmental entity? That this has ripped apart our communities like nothing ever before?)

Company proposing (Klamath) geothermal power plant, H&N 3/26/08

Lake levels and river flows 3/26/08

Town has an easygoing pace, Sprague River, H&N 3/26/08

March 25, Congressional-Style hearing on settlement agreement, Yreka, public welcomed.

Going To Pieces, The Dismantling of the United States of America, by Elaine Devary Willman and Kamie Christensen Biehl. "Tribalism expansion is now claiming vast waters, lands, and natural resources -- undermining the tax base of urban and rural communities through the proliferation of congressionally protected, tax-free tribal casinos and other tribal enterprises. The authors searched, confirmed, and compiled reports of those who have been victimized or threatened by the spread of tribalism, demonstrating the catastrophic consequences of federal Indian policies that, more often than not, ignore and trample upon the constitutional protections of tribal members and millions of other citizens." For short version of Going to Pieces Video, Click Here  To view the 1 hour 34 minute film click here. HERE for > Klamath Tribe agenda on Klamath Tribe's Settlement Agreement. posted 3/25/08

Is your property surrounded by tribal land? California Senate Bill 331, 3/25/08

Bob Gasser: Involved in irrigation politics again, H&N, posted to KBC 3/25/08. "He acknowledges that some Upper Basin irrigators aren’t happy with the settlement plan, which calls on them to idle 30,000 acre-feet of water. Gasser says they’ve made concessions before, taking about 90,000 acres out of production — the Barnes, Wood and Agency ranches along with other land — and weren’t rewarded with stable river flows and lake levels. “We sold out our neighbors,” Gasser says. “That land should still be in production. I understand why the Upper Basin is upset.”

EPA - Reconsideration of California’s 2006 Section 303(d) List Omission of Microcystin Toxin Listings for three Klamath River Segments and Determination to Add Microcystin Toxins Listing for Klamath River Hydrologic Unit (HU), Middle HA Hydrologic Area (HA), Oregon to Iron Gate, posted 3/25/08

Klamath Water talks should bring us together, not pull us apart, H&N by Frank Wallace, Klamath Basin Alliance, posted 3/25/08. "Just as suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem, so too is this proposed water settlement."

Yurok Tribe annual Klamath River Clean-up coming in April, The Eureka Reporter, posted 3/25/08. "The clean-up is a yearly effort to rid the Klamath River of illegally dumped trash or debris washed down the river by winter storms... Last year’s clean-up removed 22 tons of trash, which is a key habitat for salmon, steelhead and sturgeon."

Friday Review of California Bills and Laws, CFBF, posted to KBC 3/25/08. "This weeks Friday Review contains information on AB 2860 (Williamson Act), AB 2881 (right-to-farm), AB 1992 (local government associations, SB 1285 and SB 1323 (adequacy of land appraisals for conservation purposes)". 

Our condolences to the family of Betty Lou Dalton Byrne Shirley.

Easter Sunday lesson by Jim Foley, Acts 6, 3/23/08

State Senator Tom McClintock will be in Alturas March 21 for a no host lunch at the Brass Rail at noon. He is running for John Doolittle's congressional seat.

Three strikes against removing Klamath dams, Redding Record Searchlight, posted 3/20/08

Don't remove the dams, guest opinion by By Grace Bennett, Yreka City Council Member, Pioneer Press, posted 3/20/08

Lawmakers have their eye on new dams, higher dams, 1976 Teton Dam disaster is just one hurdle facing any project to store more water and make more electricity, Statesman Journal 3/20/08

Klamath water report, H&N from BOR 3/20/08

ESA - Julie MacDonald Defends Interior Role, Family Farm Alliance 3/08

U.S. Supreme Court to Decide Whether ESA Listing Exceeds Federal Power, Environmental News, 4/1/08 issue.

For more March chronological news see Archive 70. Also see main archive page