Before the Klamath Project was built, there were up to 30 feet of water where my farm is now. It was a navigable lake. Why can't we have 2 feet of water for our crops, when all the rest we pump uphill out of our closed basin into the Klamath River? The river often went dry in the fall before the Project was built. 100,000 acres of Off-Project Ag land.have already been taken out of production	Calendar and Action Alerts *** North Coast Water  Quality  Control Board presentation on Klamath TMDLs 7/7/09, 10:25 a.m. Yreka Courthouse 2nd floor NOAA seeks public comment on Proposal to Protect Threatened Green Sturgeon by 7/20/09 Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement Page KBC STATS for April 2009: 15,429 visits, 94,472 pageviews, 164,535 hits. Klamath Basin harvest - story and video ***Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement Page

Anyone is welcomed to send us opinions, letters or rebuttals regarding Klamath Basin issues and articles.

Action Alert! Field Burning Bill Moves (SB 528), Oregon Farm Bureau 6/17/09

The Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement: many wolves and a sheep, Op-Ed by Marcia Armstrong, Siskiyou County Supervisor District 5, 6/16/09

Klamath water report 6/8/09-6/15/09

Obama targets US public with call for climate action, Guardian News 6/16/09. "But the bill has run into strong opposition from some Democratic members of Congress, especially those from agricultural states who say that putting limits on greenhouse gas emissions will hurt farmers' economic interests. That could complicate Pelosi's plans of getting the bill passed through various committees by this Friday, 19 June, and put to a vote next week."

***Immediate Action Alert: S. 787 Clean Water Restoration Act To Be Marked Up Thursday, June 18 @ 9:30 a.m. PLEASE write!

AUDIO: Modoc County Board of Supervisors June 9, 2009, Alturas, listened to advocates and opponents of the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement from Modoc, Siskiyou, and Klamath Counties. Speakers were KWUA director Greg Addington, farmer, TID board president, board member of The Nature Conservancy, Klamath Basin Ecosystem Foundation, Klamath Basin Rangeland Trust, leaseland advisory board, Tulelake Growers Association, and Klamath Water and Power Agency John Crawford, Basin Fertilizer owner and KWUA board Bob Gasser, TID manager Earl Donosky, farmer/rancher and KWUA board member Mike Byrne, TID and KWUA board member and farmer Bill Heiney, farmer JW Walker, farmer/rancher Dave DeMoulder, former KWUA board member and local resident Bob Byrne, President Off-Project and farmer/rancher Tom Mallams, rancher and President off-project Resource Conservancy Roger Nicholson, rancher and chairman of Siskiyou County Republican Central Committee Brandon Criss, and farmer and KWUA board Scott Seus. Posted 6/16/09

Tulelake Irrigation District well water report 6/15/09

Pump storage best way to solve water shortage, by Cloyce Barnes, letter to editor H&N, posted to KBC 6/15/09

For Sunday Prayer Page: God's encouragement "You say: 'It's impossible'' God says:...

Please Write - Action Alert supporting suction dredge miners, 6/14/09 from Dave Mack, President, New 49'er Prospecting Association. "Senate Bill 670 (anti suction dredging legislation) will come up for a vote on Tuesday, June 16th"

Action Alert, SB 519A from Senator Whitsett, posted 6/13/09. "...this bill is an arbitrary obstruction of the rights to free speech for only one group of Oregonians..."

Picking mint at its peak; Tulelake distiller helps determine best time to harvest,  H&N, posted to KBC 6/14/09

A day at the Capitol, H&N 6/14/09

Oregonians for Food and Shelter Legislative News posted to KBC 6/14/09

Klamath Water Report 6/1-6/8/09

Stipulation of Conditional Withdrawal of KPWU's contest to claims 616 and 622 and conditional and interim no-call provisions by the United States and Klamath Tribes, signed May 14, 2009
* Attachment 1 to Stipulation
* Attachment 2 to Stipulation
* Attachment 3 to Stipulation
* Certificate of Service of Stipulation 5/18/0

What’s racist, what’s not regarding (Klamath) Tribes? by Steve Rapalyea, H&N letter to editor, posted to KBC 6/13/09

Sacramento meeting to kick off overhaul of federal forests plan, SacBee 6/13/09, with comments to Bee. "The forest-plan makeover kicks off at a public meeting in Sacramento July 1, at which the U.S. Forest Service will launch a three-year process to revise the management plans for 14 national forests. All federal timberland from the Sequoia National Forest north to the Oregon border is involved."

Presentation to the Modoc County Board of Supervisors: by Brandon Criss, Farmer/Rancher Macdoel CA.  Masters Degree in Public Administration from Norwich University, Chairman of the Siskiyou County Republican Party, posted to KBC 6/13/09

Klamath Basin Bill Passes House, Office of the Speaker Dave Hunt (D), Oregon House of Representatives 6/12/09

Oregon House passes Klamath dam bill, returns it to Senate, Capital Press 6/12/09

Group will ask voters to overturn Ore. business tax hikes, Capital Press 6/12/09

Today was a Billion Dollar Tax Day in the Oregon Legislature Democrats pass $733 million in tax increases on small and family owned businesses, Oregon Senator Doug Whitsett 6/11/09

Tax bills clear Oregon Senate; governor expected to sign, Capital Press 6/11/09

Democrats prepare for historic Billion Dollar Tax Week, Oregon Senator doug Whitsett,  6/8/09
* 2009 Tax Bills before the 2009 Oregon Legislative Assembly

Biological opinion takes water from people, Capital Press editorial 6/11/09

Klamath farmers hope settlement leads to certainty, AgAlert calif Farm Bureau Federation 6/10/09

Write governor to stop anti-dam agreement, H&N letter by Howard Paine 6/9/09

Animal ID critics vent objections at ag meeting, Capital Press 6/9/09

A life of leisure; Retirement suits LeQuieu just fine, H&N, posted to KBC 6/6/09

(Oregon) Governor addresses local issues, H&N 6/6/09

PacifiCorp: Pact will be delayed, H&N 6/6/09

California Farm Bureau Federation Friday Review - Legislative Update, posted 6/6/09

Oregonians for Food and Shelter legislative update posted 6/6/09

Slow-melting snowpack assures Oregon farms water for irrigation this summer, Oregonian, posted to KBC 6/6/09

B-Engrossed Senate Bill 76.  June 5, 2009 - Summary:
"Directs Public Utility Commission to determine depreciation schedules for Klamath River dams
based on assumption that dams will be removed in 2020. Directs commission to allow affected public
utility to recover undepreciated amounts by imposing rates and tariffs.
Directs Public Utility Commission to require affected public utility to collect surcharges from
customers for purpose of recovering costs incurred by public utility for removal of Klamath River
dams. Imposes limit on amounts collected as surcharges. Requires commission to hold public hearing
on imposed surcharges. Provides for direct review by Supreme Court if person challenges order
issued pursuant to public hearing. Provides that if commission determines that Klamath River dams
will not be removed, commission may terminate collection of all or part of surcharges and direct
refund of amounts collected or use of amounts collected for benefit of customers.
Directs Public Utility Commission to allow affected public utility to include in rates and tariffs
costs that are prudently incurred by utility by reason of changes in operation of Klamath River
dams before removal of dams, or for replacement power after dams are removed.
Declares emergency, effective on passage."
http://www.leg.state.or.us/09reg/measpdf/sb0001.dir/sb0076.b.pdf

Commission approves coastal coho, fall chinook seasons, ODFW 6/5/09

Agreement on dams unlikely by June 30, H&N 6/5/09

Federal plan will protect chinook salmon, H&N 6/5/09

Web version of the KBRA is sparking speculation, H&N 6/4/09. “I think people need a voice. Any information we can get on what’s possibly going to happen to us is something we should know.”

Senator Doug Whitsett District 28, Newsletter: Proposed 2009-2011 Revenue Package, 6/4/09. "The result is an estimated reduction of 10,747 private sector jobs." HERE for Whitsett page

Water for Life worried about dam removal costs; Group opposes removing four dams on the Klamath River, H&N 6/4/09

Helping (Tulelake) Basin farmers try new practices, H&N 6/4/09

Do some real studies about taking out dams, H&N posted to KBC 6/4/09

Why did they put the Klamath Basin through all of this?, guest writer Brandon Criss, H&N, posted to KBC 6/3/09

The ‘only’ Basin water plan is not a good one, by Frank Goodson, letter to editor H&N, posted to KBC 6/3/09

Klamath Water Report: 5/25/09-6/2/09

Bill requires all eggs sold in California to be from cage-free hens, Sac Bee 6/3/09

From Colby Marshall, Oregon Congressman Greg Walden's Representative: Biomass 6/3/09

Republicans’ stand on KBRA disappointing, H&N Letter to the Editor June 3, 2009 by Belinda Stewart, Klamath Water Users Association Outreach and Project Coordinator, along with "Poll shows how people feel about dam removal" by Tom Mallams.

KWAPA meeting 6/2/09

Should biased polls guide public officials? by Dave Solem, Klamath Irrigation District manager, letter to H&N 5/31/09.

A time to choose: collaboration or conflict? by Klamath Tribal members, biologist, and attorney, H&N 5/31/09. KBC notes.

Urgent Help Needed! Update concerning SB 670, anti-suction dredge mining legislation, by Dave Mack 5/31/09. Litigation Summary by James Buchal: "A reform group of Karuk Tribe members has also emerged, filing intervention papers which outline the unsavory history of the Tribe’s current leadership, and the degree to which the Tribe’s entire jihad against suction dredge mining is actually motivated by a desire to protect marijuana growers, rather than protecting the environment."

Endangered Species Act: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Has Incomplete Information about Effects on Listed Species from Section 7 Consultations, GAO/Government Accountability Office May 2009

The Klamath Reclamation Project was built solely for irrigation. Our settlers rerouted the lake water into canals, lakes for storage for irrigation water, then diverted it out of the Project, into the refuges and Klamath River:
Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement changes the purpose of the Klamath Project: "15.1.3. Modification of Klamath Reclamation Project Purposes. "The Parties support the following term in the federal Authorizing Legislation. The purposes of the Klamath Reclamation Project include irrigation, reclamation, domestic, flood control, municipal, industrial, power, National Wildlife Refuge, and fish and wildlife purposes." Continue reading the above link for the allocations for wetlands, refuge farmers and walking wetlands.
From a KBC Reader: "Whose power does this expand? What landowner rights does this diminish?"

Leave dams in a better renewable energy option, Murl Metz, letter to editor H&N 5/30/09

Thumbs up to the legislators and their poll, even if flawed, H&N posted to KBC 5/30/09. KBC Comments

Klamath protesters return to Omaha, Indian Country Today 5/30/09. More on Karuk spokesman Craig Tucker

Oregon Senator Doug Whitsett Newsletter 5/29/09. "The passage of SB 76 will start the process that will result in the largest dam removal since World War II, and the largest planned dam removal project in the history of mankind. It represents the first domino to fall in the destruction of the hydroelectric project and the implementation of the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement. Incredible political pressure was exerted upon Oregon legislators to adopt SB 76, especially by governor Kulongoski and his staff. It appears that the dam destruction is an integral part of the Governor’s remaining legacy. This pressure was applied in spite of a recent poll of Klamath County registered voters that indicated overwhelming opposition to dam removal, and a recent poll of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho registered voters that indicated nearly identical overwhelming opposition to the destruction of the hydroelectric dams on the Snake River. "

House panel moves forward Klamath bill, Capital Press 5/29/09

California Farm Bureau Federation Friday Review of bills, 5/29/09

Oregon SB76 passed.
Rex Cozzalio testimony for Oregon Senate Bill 76A, posted 5/28/09

Klamath Water and Power Agency/KWAPA meeting 6/2/09

Poll shows how people feel about dam removal, posted to KBC 5/28/09, H&N by Tom Mallams. "The headlines announcing the results of this poll should have read, 'Only 11 percent of Klamath County registered voters favor dam removal.' These three elected officials seem to be representing their constituents as they were elected to do so"

Suction dredge mining ban passes Senate 31-8, Siskiyou Daily News 5/28/09

Klamath Water Report 5/28/09.

Health care, water hot topics; Senator speaks with Basin residents at town hall meeting, H&N, posted to KBC 5/28/09.

(Oregon Senator) Wyden's forest-protection bill has no regard for biology, posted to KBC 5/28/09 Statesman Journal

Back to the drawing board for NAIS, Capital Press 5/28/09. "...all but two of the 75 producers who testified opposed NAIS. These were not wild-eyed conspiracy theorists with tin foil on their heads. They included the state veterinarian, two statewide cattle organizations and other operators, large and small."

Use fish ladders to get fish past Klamath dams, H&N letter 5/28/09

No Kidding, Pioneer Press, posted to KBC 5/28/09. "So, why won't our leaders go after the heart of the matter and represent the interests of the vast majority of their constituents?"

Tucker, Gore and the other GAGs, Pioneer Press 5/20/09 letter by Nita Still

For more May chronological news, see Archive 84. For Main Archive Page go HERE.

'Homesteading in a Promised Land' DVD

'Klamath
ESA' DVD

Global Machinery Network

Winema Lodge

Inn of Malin B&B

Links to

Save the Family Farm

Klamath Water
Users Association

Klamath Bucket Brigade