Klamath Water: Tribes approve Agreement in close vote

By Erika Bentsen
April 17, 2014
Western Ag Reporter
Billings, MT
westernagreporter.com

            The Klamath tribes have approved the Upper Klamath Basin Proposed Settlement, but it was a narrow margin of 564 in favor and 419 opposed.  Tribal members complained they weren't given enough time to read the document.  They argued they are being forced to give away their heritage, the water.  The $45 million for becoming "self-sufficient", the $26 million dollar tree farm, the removal of the energy producing dams on the Klamath river, the management decisions on privately owned riparian land along the rivers, and the job training programs just aren't enough of a trade.  Many believe the water is worth billions, not millions.  Even though Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) promises to come through this time with congressional funding required for the settlement to proceed, many in the tribes doubt he will get results, and even if he does, "it won't last very long."  Additionally, many strong feelings are being aired that the chief counsel is working deals for personal gain that the majority of tribal members will never see.

            The ranching community has until April 18 (Good Friday) to decide whether or not to sign the agreement.  Even if this settlement is passed by the ranchers as well, the question remains how many times this water will have to be repurchased from the tribes.  Regardless of assurances in the document this is a once-and-for-all agreement, many still remember that when the tribes voted to free themselves from the tyrannical control of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1954 and become independent citizens, they were far more unified in their "forever" decision, and yet even after repeated payments, future generations eventually overturned that promise.

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