Klamath Basin Water Barnes letters 061305

Our Klamath Basin Water Crisis
Upholding rural Americans' rights to grow food,
own property, and caretake our wildlife and natural resources.

Letters written regarding the Barnes Ranch acquisition
2005

Most recent article, Wyden , Smith Secure Funds For Oregon Natural Resource Projects, Josephine County News 6/13/05 (Regardless of the local letters and reasons against the federal government buying Barnes Ranch, Senators Wyden and Smith and DOI want to acquire this for USFWS. This will add to the 94,000 acres of ag land already acquired to 'restore' the Upper Basin. According to Dr William Lewis, Chairman of the National Research Council, this will not benefit suckers nor will it help Klamath Lake quality. Also it will raise lake temperatures and evaporate more water than it can store. Note that they are no longer touting the 50,000 acre feet storage previously claimed. There were NO public meetings. Our voices and science and facts are not being acknowledged. KBC)

More on Barnes and storage, go HERE.

Buying Barnes was promoted as a "storage' silver bullet by the Bureau of Reclamation, however this scheme is another acquisition by US Fish and Wildlife, regardless of the detriment to water quality and regardless of the evaporation, and regardless of water temperature. And it's only a mere $7 million to take yet another ranch off the tax rolls.

Wyden, Smith secured dollars for Barnes Ranch acquisition for refuge. Senate approves funds for Oregon Natural Resource Project, Wyden news release, posted to KBC 7/12/05. (For 3 years the environmental groups and government agencies have been begging support from irrigators to buy Barnes Ranch for 50,000 acre feet storage, "more water for fish and farms." Read the lie! Regardless of letters and lack of community support, and lack of science according to Dr William Lewis, Natural Research Council subcommittee chairman, this will be bought and run by Fish and Wildlife for more refuge, breaching dykes into the lake, evaporating more water than farmland and worsening water quality. Nearly 100,000 acres of upper basin ag land have been bought by federal agencies in the past few years in the Upper Basin, decimating the cattle industry and tax base. KBC)

Geologist Gail Hildreth Whitsett comments to USFW regarding Barnes Ranch federal acquisition 5/19/05

Letter from Oregon Senator Doug Whitsett 5/18/05

Letter from Klamath County Commissioners on Barnes Ranch, 5/12/05

Letter from KWUA responding to Barnes Ranch land acquisition posted to KBC 5/16/05

BARNES RANCH: Flooding more ag land Klamath Courier posted 4/21/05.

BARNES RANCH: Put irrigation at the core of water proposal, H&N posted to KBC 4/21/05.

Barnes Ranch proposed acquisition for refuge, More study needed before going ahead with refuge addition, H&N by Dr Ken Rykbost 4/18/05 The author Ken Rykbost recently retired as superintendent of the Oregon State University Klamath Experiment and Professor, Department of Crop and Soil Science. Opinions expressed are mine alone and do not represent Oregon State University, the Klamath Experiment Station, or Klamath County.

Barnes Ranch won't work for water storage, by Barnes' neighbor Paul Little, 11/13/03. KBC transcript from video, "The way it is now, we might get 2 feet on the 2400 acres, which is less than 5000 acre feet. Most of that would evaporate."

Undated letter by Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner John Keys on behalf of Gale Norton, Secretary of the Interior, concerning the purchase of Barnes Ranch.