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 Archive 46 - March 2006
also  see main archive page

Klamath Basin Views on current green media attacks and fishing season closures, March 2006.

Letter from Don Stevens, advisor to the Oregon Salmon Commission, to Glen Spain and Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen, regarding Spain's untruths and mis-quotes the Register Guard article (following). posted to KBC 3/31/06

Closing of Sport and Commercial Salmon Fishing, letter by Congressman Greg Walden to Dept of Commerce and Pacific Fishery Management Council, 3/31/06, pdf file.

Letter to KBC, "How is it that your truth is so much different from virtually EVERYTHING else I can find on the subject. I guess it’s right though….it's backed by so much anecdotal evidence and personal stories. Who needs facts. Your right…we should make every effort to save a tiny, man made farming community at the expense of a state wide industry." Kevin Quigley
Response from KBC. Yes, if , from your office in California, you choose to accept as fact the enviros and green media  (mostly who have never been here) , you will hear a different story from the real fishermen and the real farmers, who live on the land. Why believe reports like the National Academy of Science when you can find other reports to support an agenda? Why tour the Klamath Project and see how much water the former lake, and irrigators, put into the river to artificially elevate the flows, when the media gives you all the opinion you need? Why believe personal stories by a bunch of fishermen and farmers; what do they know?  If you want facts, take a look at the fishermen's petition,  irrigators response to green media, letter to PCFFA from Oregon Salmon Commission advisor, and letter from Oregon Congressman. You will not find these "facts" in your media sources.

Klamath Water Users update March 31, 2006
* KWUA Statement on District Court Ruling
* KWUA Response to Media Accusations
* Walden Sends Letter to Commerce/PFMC; HERE for entire letter, pdf file.
* Quote
* KWUA Calendar of Activity

Habitat restoration gets $10 million, Project to help endangered suckers on Williamson River, H&N March 31, 2006. Millions and $ and 100,000 acres have been taken from ag land to make 'sucker habitat', while Chiloquin Dam blocks 95 per cent of sucker habitat. See Chiloquin Dam page.

Tribes' fresh hope on salmon river, Scotsman.com 3/31/06

Federal Agencies Make Klamath Suggestions/fish ladders on Klamath Dams, Posted to KBC 3/31/06

California Farm Bureau Friday Review  MARCH 31, 2006. Today's Friday Review contains information on the Williamson Act, SB 1162, SB 1167, AB 1835, AB 1844, and SB 1379.

PRESS RELEASE: FWS 3/31/06 Secretary Norton Announces Funding to States To Prevent Wildlife from Becoming Endangered ($60 million), FOLLOWED BY:  Secretary Norton Announces Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Apportionments to States; Both Accounts Pass $5 Billion Mark. More on ESA$ go HERE

FORESTS: House Resources panel OKs salvage legislation, host of bills, E&E Daily, posted to KBC 3/30/06

Klamath River Tribes applaud federal agency efforts to restore salmon habitat, Finally, Salmon’s Return to Upper Klamath Basin a Possibility,  posted to KBC 3/30/06 "...says Hillman. "Our aim is to keep the farmers farming and the fishermen fishing."
Klamath Basin Water Quality Investigations (by Karuks), posted to KBC 3/30/06. (blaming Klamath irrigators for "inefficient water usage, diversions, and polluted runoff", "The Karuk Tribe has entered into cooperative agreements with both the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife to monitor and assess water quality conditions in the Klamath and its major tributaries.")

Coastal Fishermen Fight Back With Petition, 3/30/06. (Coastal fishermen are facing a possible season closure. They have submitted the following petition stating that all fish returning to the Klamath are to be counted equal, regardless of spawning in the gravel, or spawning in a hatchery.)

Irrigation season delayed, H&N 3/30/06

Feds to Reconsider Vast Species Habitat Designations, in Response to PLF Lawsuit -- More than 280,000 Acres in California are Affected, PLF 3/30/06

Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Securing Our Border, Enforcing Our Laws, And Upholding Our Values, President Bush's Presidential Action, posted to KBC 3/30/06

National Indian Gaming Commission: Tribe Must Cease. Volatile letter tells Alturas tribe to cease construction and stop plans for gaming in Yreka, Pioneer Press, posted to KBC 3/30/06.

Siskiyou and PacifiCorp testimony harmful to Project irrigators; Tulelake Irrigators meet with County Supervisors, Klamath Courier 3/30/06 "Project irrigators paid in full for the Klamath Reclamation Project which puts millions of dollars worth of free water into Klamath River for PacifiCorp to produce cheap power for its ratepayers. In exchange for free regulated water, Project irrigators were given an affordable power rate. However, PacifiCorp has led Siskiyou County supervisors to believe..."

Irrigators wrestle with water ruling; Judge accelerates Klamath River plan,  3/29/06 "We're very concerned that we've taken a step backward in that one entity will bear the brunt of dealing with supply issues,” Kandra said. “The solution needs to come from a watershed-wide approach."

Immigration in the basin, establishing roots, H&N 3/29/06

PRESS RELEASE: House Committee Overwhelmingly Approves Bipartisan Forest Health, Research Legislation, House Committee on Resources votes 25-13 to advance Forest Emergency Recovery and Research Act introduced by Walden, Baird, Herseth, 3/29/06. Forest page go HERE.

PRESS RELEASE: Pombo, Frank and Young Introduce Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization Bill Bipartisan legislation would strengthen regional management of America's fisheries, HRC 3/29/06

Working for a future, H&N 3/28/06

Work brings many from Mexico to Klamath Basin, H&N 3/26/06.  "‘I wonder what would happen if migrant workers didn’t work for a week. If we could do it with the people who live here in the United States that would be good. But we can’t.’
   — Javier Chavez
President Bush on immigration and farm workers, received from Oregonians for Food and Shelter 3/20/06

 


 

Civ. No. C02-2006 SBA ORDER GRANTING MOTION FOR INJUNCTIVE RELIEF FOLLOWING REMAND, Case 4:02-cv-02006 Document 452 Filed 03/27/2006  HERE FOR FULL COURT ORDER.

Dr. Hardy was scientist whose studies were used in the biological opinions. BIA/Dr. Thomas B. Hardy page

California Farm Bureau Friday Review, "Beware if you have dust on your farm or ranch." posted to KBC 3/26/06. More bills and laws, go HERE.

Chiloquin mayor opposes removal of dam, H&N, posted to KBC 3/26/06. "The 1992 Biological Opinion developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) states – "the construction of the Sprague River dam near Chiloquin effectively blocked approximately 95% (70 river miles) of the potential spawning range of the Lost River and shortnose suckers in Upper Klamath Lake". HERE for more on Chiloquin Dam.

Federal Land Sale Concerns, Loss of grazing allotments feared by county cattlemen, Pioneer Press, posted to KBC 3/26/06.

Mr. Kempthorne goes to Washington (as Secretary of the Interior), Capital Press, posted to KBC 3/26/06.

National potato stocks down 8 percent from last year, Capital Press 3/26/06.

PRESS RELEASE: Oregon Women for Agriculture learn about Coastal Agriculture, posted to KBC 3/26/06

Oregon to hold emergency on coast fishing closure, cbbulliten, posted to KBC 3/26/06.

Yreka Casino irks GOP, Pioneer Press, posted to KBC 3/26/06

Bureau of Reclamation chief retires after refocusing agency, Capital Press, posted to KBC 3/26/06

New extension agents headed to Basin, H&N 3/26/06

This is a response to your editorial dated March 20, 2006, “Where are the Klamath Salmon?” by W.D. Kennedy, Klamath Basin farmer, for the San Francisco Chronicle.

NATIONAL AG WEEK March 19-25

Operation Iraqui Freedom, Three Years Later, President George W. Bush, President’s Radio Address posted to KBC 3/23/06

Nozzles, pump tests available, H&N 3/23/06 for Oregon and California Irrigators.

PRESS RELEASE: FEMA: Siskiyou County disaster-related flood insurance coverage, posted to KBC 3/23/06 "April 4, 2006, is the last day to register for state and federal disaster assistance"

Of Mice and Men, Wall Street Journal, 3/23/06 "31,000 acres of local government and privately owned land in the state and stretching into Wyoming--an area larger than the District of Columbia--was essentially quarantined from all development so as not to disrupt the mouse's natural habitat. Even the Fish and Wildlife Service concedes that the cost to these land owners could reach $183 million." "It turns out that not only is the mouse not endangered, but it isn't even a unique species." More on ESA price tags, go HERE.

Pombo named vice chair of ag committee, Capital Press 3/23/06

Citizens voice concerns over water demands, Siskiyou Daily, posted to KBC 3/23/06

Reclamation position a key one for the Basin, H&N, posted to KBC 3/23/06

KBC response to: Salmon fishermen feel pain of Klamath's troubles, followed by article, The Olympian posted to KBC 3/21/06. "Barnard from AP has been recently saturating his readers with his repetitive lies or half-truths along with Glen Spain, PCFFA-Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen (who represents some California fishing groups)"

President Bush on immigration and farm workers, received from Oregonians for Food and Shelter 3/20/06

The Bucket, Herald and News letters 3/20/06, 3 letters, by Barb Hall, Bill Ransom, and Marcus Robinsons.

Smith Releases Progress Report on Biscuit Fire Recovery, Nearly $140 million in timber value may be lost along with hopes of reforestation, posted 3/19/06. "The Forest Service cited lawsuits as a primary factor in timber loss and stated that lack of funds generated through salvage have caused delays and reductions in reforestation, habitat restoration, and fuel treatments."

Responses to Questions asked by the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations concerning the Biscuit Fire in Southern Oregon, posted to KBC 3/19/06, Word doc   Here for Forest Page.

Be careful with water, Beckman H&N, posted to KBC 3/19/06.

California Farm Bureau Friday Review, posted to KBC 3/19/06. "The Heritage Tree bill is back. Senator Perata reintroduced his bill, SB 1799, to protect the state’s heritage trees. The bill defines a heritage tree by age and size and makes it a crime to harvest or harm a heritage tree...Included in the list of heritage trees, are hardwood species with a diameter greater than 28 inches at stump height. This provision impacts not just forested areas, but rangeland as well. "

Taking American's Rights and Land, Nancy Levant, posted to KBC 3/19/06. This is a gentle, basic summary of the UN's role in our loss of rights. "First and foremost, Agenda 21 mandated that there is to be NO ownership of private property – worldwide. The U.N. believes that all land, watershed systems, and natural resources must be owned and administered by “government.” To American people, this is what we consider to be Communism. We believe that ownership of property is directly tied to freedom.....The U.S. is a member of the United Nations, and therefore we were required to implement Agenda 21."

Reclamation manager moves on  followed by A job full of challenges, H&N 3/19/06

DOI Press Release: Commissioner Keys Has Resigned: Norton Lauds Service of John Keys as Commissioner of Bureau of Reclamation, 3/17/06

Weather, Flows, Maps, Crop Water Information. Check out this page for informative links. (Thank you Peter L. Palmer, AgriMet Program Coordinator, US Bureau of Reclamation, Pacific Northwest Region, for the recent corrections and additional resource links." 

Reuters: Bush picks Idaho's Kempthorne for Interior---WASHINGTON, March 16, 2006 (Reuters) - President George W. Bush on Thursday chose Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne as his choice to replace Gale Norton as Interior secretary...

Klamath Chapter Oregon Hunters Association Annual Fundraiser Scheduled for April 8. Proceeds go to Wildlife Conservation Projects, posted 3/16/06

Water for New Demands Must Come from New Storage, or it Will Come from Agriculture by Dan Keppen, Family Farm Alliance Executive Director, Klamath Falls, OR. 3/16/06 "The roaring river flows we have seen in the past several weeks ought to make every sensible person question the activists’ claims about "too little water". On New Year’s Eve, measurements on the Klamath River showed that flows over 400,000 cubic feet per second were being discharged to the Pacific Ocean. That flow rate equates to approximately 800,000 acre-feet of water in one day. By comparison, the Klamath Irrigation Project and adjacent national wildlife refuges use approximately 350,000 acre-feet of water in an entire typical irrigation season."

Geese Numbers, Damage Rise, Birds keying in on alfalfa fields; damage can be total "When Bob Flowers was growing up on his family’s ranch near Midland, geese weren’t a problem. Now they are."

Knowledge is Power, by Pat Ratliff, Klamath Courier 3/16/06, "if the Oregonian prints 25 articles in a row without ever contacting anyone from the Klamath Basin to check facts or ask questions about the other side of the story, which camp would you put them in, friend or foe?"

Senator Doug Whitsett, Oregon District 28, March Newsletter.

Good news -- Judge Coughenour has endorsed the stipulation removing the Oregon Coastal Coho from the Washington Toxics injunctive order that imposed buffers for use of certain pesticides near coho streams in this ESU  A copy of the signed order is attached, Terry and Paulette, Oregonians for Food and Shelter. pdf file of Wa Toxics Coalition, plaintiffs, vs EPA and Croplife America.

COMING TO AN AREA NEAR YOU SOON: Wolf packs must learn to fear man, Capital Press 3/16/06. More on PREDATOR PAGE

The Game’s Over, Governor slams the door shut on Alturas Rancheria casino in Yreka "State claims Alturas Rancheria is building casino on “non-Indian lands.” Pioneer Press 3/15/06

Fish-stocks mystery untangled; Scientist can predict survival rate of salmon, posted to KBE 3/13/06

ESA TODAY Doubts cast on superstar woodpecker's return, New Scientist 3/13/06. "The apparent rediscovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker in 2005 – hailed as one of the great conservation triumphs of recent times – may be merely a case of mistaken identity....the US government moved quickly to appoint a recovery team and commit more than $10 million to try to rescue the species.....The problem is that the video – still the best evidence of the woodpecker's existence – contains no more than a blurry, four-and-a-half-second glimpse of a distant bird as it takes off from a tree and flies away into the forest."

3/12/06 Fact for today, revisited: The 1992 Biological Opinion developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) states – "the construction of the Sprague River dam near Chiloquin effectively blocked approximately 95% (70 river miles) of the potential spawning range of the Lost River and shortnose suckers in Upper Klamath Lake". According to fish biologist Dave Vogel, "Fish passage at Chiloquin Dam was the primary reason the suckers were listed as endangered in 1988 and, in our opinion, is the primary factor limiting recovery of the species."  HERE for Chiloquin Dam page.

PRESS RELEASE: Secretary Norton Announces Departure from Interior, posted to KBC 3/12/06

The Herald and News got it wrong. The big bucket at the courthouse was about unity and coming together; it wasn't a symbol of conflict in 2001. People came from around the country to aid people in distress. Veterans gathered every day.
The Klamath story: F
ighting Forward...For Us All. Klamath should be remembered for courage of character, by Tim Findley, Range Magazine, published in Winter 2002 edition.
H&N opinion: Time to move past symbol of 2001 conflict? 3/12/06

Shasta Indians Seek To Clarify Its Jurisdiction  "Shasta Indian Karol Purcell from the Scott Valley asked the Siskiyou County Supervisors on Feb. 21 to request a congressional investigation concerning the Karuk (Karok) Tribe’s federal recognition, claiming that the Karoks “fraudulently” received its federal recognition in 1978 by the use of the Shasta’s treaty." Siskiyou Daily news, posted to KBC 3/12/06

Grazing allotments by Marcia Armstrong, Siskiyou County Supervisor District 5, 3/12/06. HERE for Grazing Page.

On the Klamath River, pain flows downstream: another perspective. Steve Cheyne responds to Oregonian editorial,  3/12/06

Liability - From Indonesian Troops to Saskatchewan Wolves, by Jim Beers, posted to KBC 3/12/06. WOLF PAGE.

Ocean closures restrict trawlers, Oregonian, 3/9/06

WA Congresswoman Morris Introduces Legislation to Require ESA Cost Transparency, posted to KBC 3/9/06 "According to the BPA, last
summer's spill assisted between 25 to 300 adult salmon, meaning it cost
rates payers between $250,000 to $3 million per fish. By law, the agency
passes on all of these costs to its wholesale customers, who in turn forward
the costs on to the retail electricity consumer."

Klamath Basin sons and daughters, moms and dads, are in the military. Here is an update on their accomplishments: IRAQ: The Untold Truths, The New York Post, posted to KBC 3/9/06.

(Chiloquin) Dam removal could help Tribes, H&N 3/9/06

PRESS RELEASE: Walden Earns Award from National Association of Wheat Growers, Congressman one of only five "Wheat Advocates" in the U.S. House of Representatives, 3/9/06

Meeting on cougar plan to be held, H&N 3/8/06 "Craig Foster, an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist, will provide details about the state’s proposed cougar management plan at 7 p.m. Thursday in the meeting room at the Klamath County Courthouse, 316 Main St."  HERE for predator page.

Record bond proposal creates lobbying frenzy in state capital, Mercury News 3/8/06. "Environmentalists and some North Coast Indian tribes are urging that the bonds include money to improve salmon runs on the Klamath River, possibly by tearing down a series of hydroelectric dams to help the fish reach spawning grounds."

Water bank figures start to roll in, H&N 3/8/06. (Snow pack last month was 158% of average. However the Bureau's mandatory water bank will take more than 100,000 acre-feet of water, (1/4 Project downsize) from irrigation and send it to the ocean to artificially raise the lake level and river flows because of the biological opinion driven by Dr Hardy science. KBC) HERE for Hardy page. HERE for water bank page.

Tulelake Irrigation District well water report 3/8/06. TID well water page go HERE.

PRESS RELEASE: “Rural or Urban, It’s Ridiculous to Regulate Dust in the Wind”, U.S. cattle producers testify today across the nation, National Cattlemen's Beef Association 3/8/06. (EPA issue)

Water for New Demands Must Come from New Storage....or it Will Come from Agriculture by Dan Keppen, Family Farm Alliance Executive Director, posted to KBC 3/8/06

PRESS RELEASE: Pombo Introduces Bill to End Off-Reservation Indian Gaming 3/8/06

POWER RATES CPUC comments, NOW, before March 6-7 hearing

To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to clarify certain activities the conduct of which does not require a permit, OFS 3/6/06.

FEMA: Yreka disaster center to close Saturday 3/3/06 "The center at 1712 Fairlane Rd. is staffed by federal, state and local officials and by volunteer agencies to provide information and answer questions for Siskiyou County residents who registered for disaster assistance for damage suffered in the December-January flooding."

Hoopa tribe gets $103,000 for river hydropower study, Eureka Reporter 3/6/06

Bids accepted for lease lands, H&N 3/6/06

Research, potatoes, grass and water, H&N 3/6/06. Dr. Ken Rykbost retires. Klamath Watershed in Perspective A review of historical hydrology of major features of the Klamath River Watershed and evaluation of Hardy Iron Gate Flow requirements. By Dr. K.A. Rykbost, Superintendent, Klamath Experiment Station, Oregon State University, and R. Todd, Klamath County Extension Office, Oregon State University. HERE for Power Point presentation. 3/25/04. HERE for Dr. Rykbost biography

Karuk Treaty controversy continues, Pioneer Press, posted to KBC 3/5/06 "Supreme Court ruling documents, congressional testimony and historians utilized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the National Indian Gaming Commission are the basis for the proof that the Karuk Tribe received its federal recognition through a lie."

Talks about Chiloquin Dam encouraging, H&N 3/5/06. HERE for Chiloquin Dam page.

Diseases killing fish, by Marcia H. Armstrong, Siskiyou County Supervisor – District 5, posted to KBC 3/5/06

Chadwick Consensus Klamath Basin Congress, Conference Planning Meeting Notes, posted to KBC 3/5/06. HERE for Chadwick Page.

Save our Species Alliance: Newsletter ESA reform, posted to KBC 3/5/06

33 years of water and potatoes, Friends honor spud breeder, devil’s advocate in water issue

Ken Rykbost, center, shares a laugh with Klamath County Commissioner Bill Brown, right, and about 100 people who turned out to honor him.

Klamath Watershed in Perspective, Rykbost's Power Point presentation.

PRESS RELEASE:  Bureau of Reclamation, Bid Opening Announced for Klamath Project Lease Lands 3/3/06

TULELAKE - Spud variety licensing shift under way, Capital Press 3/3/06

Talk on geese planned Friday, H&N 3/2/06

District weighs dam removal, H&N 3/2/06. (The Chiloquin Dam produces no power and blocks more than 95% of sucker habitat. Rather than removing this dam that tribes, irrigators, and government agencies agree on removal, more than 100,000 acres of ag land has been acquired for 'sucker habitat' when in fact the problem lies in removing that dam. KBC) HERE for more on Chiloquin Dam.

Genetically-modified seed stirs debate, H&N 3/2/06

PRESS RELEASE: Bureau of Reclamation and USGS Budget Review, House Committee on Resources 3/1/06

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