Klamath Water Users Association 

Klamath Project irrigators and Klamath Tribe leaders gathered again last Monday, this time to tour ranch operations and restoration projects along the Sprague and Wood rivers. While attendance was down due to new snow and icy roads, approximately 30 diverse interests participated in the daylong tour.

The group met early Monday morning at the Chiloquin High School gymnasium, where they were welcomed by Becky Hyde, a Sprague River irrigator, Allen Foreman of the Klamath Tribes, and KWUA Executive Director Dan Keppen. Bob Sanders of the Sprague River Water Users provided an overview of the historic water management practices undertaken in the Upper Basin, including descriptions of several dams constructed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the early part of the 20^th century. Tom Burns of Modoc Point Irrigation District described the successful collaboration that has occurred between stakeholder interests involved with studying feasibility of fish passage improvements at Chiloquin Dam, and noted that type of spirit will lead to better things.

"We need to start small, get some obvious problems behind us, and that will only help our ability to work together to tackle the bigger challenges," said Burns.

After leaving Chiloquin, the group toured the Sprague River Valley in vans, and observed several riparian fencing projects created to enhance riverside vegetation on certain reaches of the Sprague. Many of these projects were completed through a federally funded program administered by the Klamath Water Users Association in the mid-1990s. The importance to local ranchers of groundwater drawn from an underlying deep aquifer was readily apparent, as several wells with production exceeding 1,000 gallons per minute were pointed out along the route.

After sharing lunch in the community of Sprague River, the group spent much of the afternoon touring properties in the Wood River Valley that have been enrolled in a restoration program developed by the Klamath Basin Rangeland Trust (KBRT). The centerpiece of KBRT’s current work is an ongoing pilot project covering 9,000 acres. On the participating ranches, all irrigation water rights in 2003 were forborne in order to increase natural stream flows and improve water quality. As part of this conversion to dry land grazing, cattle stocking rates have been reduced to 20 percent of historic levels, and approximately 8 miles of riparian fencing is being constructed in the Sevenmile Creek and Fourmile Creek drainages.

"This riparian fencing paves the way for more extensive instream restoration work in the future," said KBRT Director Chrysten Lambert, after the tour. "The land management changes implemented by KBRT are vital for improving the water quality and habitat quality in the Klamath Basin streams and lakes."

KBRT’s program has drawn criticism from local cattlemen who fear that their industry will be adversely impacted by removing grazing lands from the area. Klamath Project irrigators are looking forward to reviewing data that demonstrates how much "real water" was generated by the 2003 pilot program. KBRT representatives are meeting with local interests in an attempt to address their concerns.

A diverse collaborative work group established by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation on Monday drafted a letter to Bush Administration in support of the complete removal of Chiloquin Dam on the Sprague River as the means most likely to provide the best biological benefits to endangered sucker fish. The work group, consisting of state and federal agency scientists, the Klamath Tribes, Sprague River irrigators, environmental interests, and the Klamath Water Users Association (KWUA), provided a promising, show of unity in support for removal of the dam. Oregon Congressman Greg Walden’s staff brought the group together to collectively sign a letter of support that will be delivered to U.S. Interior Secretary Gale Norton.

"I was very impressed with how well the group works together and their efforts to ensure that all interests were represented in the letter to Secretary Norton," said Walden district director John Snider. 

The meeting – held Monday afternoon at the U.S. Forest Service Chiloquin District office – also generated preliminary commitments from stakeholder interests to pursue future funding that would help offset additional costs to Modoc Point Irrigation District, which would likely see increased pumping and maintenance costs if the dam is replaced with a screened pump diversion. Tribal interests want to ensure that important cultural issues – including continued access to important tribal fishing sites - are also addressed.

Recently, the National Research Council report entitled Endangered and Threatened Species in the Klamath River Basin identified removal of the dam as an important step in the recovery of the species. Last year Congressman Greg Walden successfully included authorization in the Farm Bill for a feasibility study of the Sprague River Dam and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation recently completed its final study that outlines options for removal of the dam.

The letter deriving from Monday’s meeting states the group’s belief that the removal of the dam is only a part of a successful plan to restore the sucker populations. It stresses that the restoration of upstream conditions is equally as important and essential in maximizing the benefit of removing the dam.

The letter also expresses concern that, with the possibility of increased passage of suckers above the dam, consideration must be given to providing future funding for fish screens in order to protect endangered fish and also provide incidental take coverage to upstream water users.

Dave Vogel, a fisheries biologist with KWUA, is encouraged by the current wide support for dam removal.

"It is evident that dam removal provides the greatest opportunity for sucker recovery," said 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."

KWUA has long been a proponent for correcting the fish passage problems at Chiloquin Dam to benefit suckers and to accelerate their recovery in the basin. In the past ten years, two sucker recovery plans prepared by the association emphasize this project as a key component.

The Klamath Water Users Association (KWUA) this week was represented in San Diego in the first of three southern California conferences taking place in November and December. The three conferences, hosted by the American Water Resources Association (AWRA), the National Water Resources Association, and the Association of California Water Agencies, are seen as an opportunity to provide a wider audience with the association’s perspective of the challenges facing the Klamath River watershed.

On Wednesday, KWUA Executive Director Dan Keppen delivered a presentation to the AWRA annual conference entitled "The 2002 Klamath River Fish Die-Off: Facts, Falsehoods, and Politics". Keppen was one of over 300 presenters from around the world who participated in the four-day event. His panel also included consultant Jim Clark of Los Angeles, who called western water the "oil of the future", and Fidelis Ateh-Awung Folifac from the University of Stuttgart, in Germany.

Keppen’s PowerPoint presentation included information prepared by fisheries biologists David Vogel regarding the 2002 fish die-off on the Klamath River. Traditional advocates of high mainstem Klamath River flows quickly concluded last fall that the deaths of 33,000 fish in the lower Klamath River were due in large part to Klamath Project operations, despite the fact that the fish died below the confluence of the Klamath and Trinity rivers, 200 miles downstream of the Klamath Project. The California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) released a report two months later that sought to justify this conclusion. In the wake of the unfortunate fish die-off, long-term critics of Klamath Project irrigators employed a variety of aggressive tactics aimed at Project farmers and ranchers and the Bush Administration. The fish die-off was pointed to as testimony that Project operations needed to be changed.

Vogel’s work provides clear and compelling findings that cast serious doubt on the initial conclusions reached by the California Department of Fish and Game and others relative to the fish die-off. Recent findings developed by Klamath Project water users and review of the CDFG report has identified several major errors in the CDFG document.

The KWUA presentation further outlined the orchestrated efforts of Klamath Project critics to link the Project to the fish die-off – via litigation, press releases, legislation, and government administration actions – in the absence of any factual findings. Since September 2002, several new lawsuits have been filed against Klamath Project interests, two federal bills have been introduced in Congress, petitions to list sturgeons and lampreys under the Endangered Species Act have been filed, and reports of alleged "whistleblowers" and suppressed information have permeated the media. The CDFG draft report has been used a primary citation to support these actions.

"The Klamath River watershed is clearly one where politics, conflict and high emotions tend to obscure the true nature and extent of the challenges facing the people who work there and care for its environment," said Keppen told the AWRA audience. "Before any solution can be proposed, it

is imperative that existing problems-and potential causes-be evaluated in a credible fashion."

Coos County Commissioner John Griffith – one of the coastal community leaders involved with this year’s fishermen-farmer tours – recently outlined his views on the $46 million congressional plan to buy out nearly half of the West Coast trawl fishing fleet. By reducing the fleet, Congress and the industry hope to bring economic stability to coastal communities that have lost tens of millions of dollars since the collapse of groundfish stocks.

"The buyback is necessary because the groundfish fleet is overcapitalized compared with the allowable catch, which is set by the federal government," said Griffith. "It does not affect salmon fishing, the issue facing the Klamath Basin situation. These are boats that participate in fisheries that have no connection to freshwater inputs to the ocean. They are deep-dwelling, full-salinity fish species."

According to Griffith, under the terms of the buyback, the boats cannot be refitted to pursue another fishery such as salmon or crab. If they could, it would constitute an effort shift to fisheries that are already completely capitalized with catcher capacity.

"The big concerns are what shall those who sell do to make a living, and what will happen to those who chose not to sell," he said.

In theory, those who remain in the business could make decent livings again if the allowable catch remains the same. The fear is that the government will continue to slice the allowable catch, as it has every year since the early 1990s, and starve out those who remain.

"It's a huge concern," says Griffith. " The greens keep pushing for marine reserves and threatening or actually filing litigation to reduce the allowable catch. It is unrealistic to think they will stop simply because catcher capacity has been reduced by about half."

According to Griffith, most of the current fishing grounds have been so reduced that "de-facto marine reserves" exist across much of the ocean where people used to fish.

"Will the government relax that closure and other restrictions?" he asks. "Doubtful, and a big concern to those who remain in the fishery." He continues.

"A concern to coastal counties and towns, too, is what do our young people do? They used to work in the woods or mills, and that's gone now. They used to fish, and most of that's gone now. Some ranched or farmed, which is still here but less viable than before. With only half as many trawl boats, usually crewed by three men, those jobs are gone. There's still salmon fishing, but the number of boats in that fishery has gone from the thousands to a few hundred coast wide."

According to Griffith, school enrollment in Coos County has dropped because family-aged couples had to move away to find work. Reduction of capital assets - fishing boats, logging companies, mills - translates to reduction of jobs for family heads and downward spiral for school enrollment and our entire economy. Support industries close, such as net makers, gear sales companies, and grocery stores, and the job market shrinks more.

"We cannot expect retirees and tourists to pick up the slack," said Griffith. "There are not enough jobs in those sectors to employ our children, some of whom cannot be expected to become doctors, nurses, stockbrokers or waiters."

Griffith puts part of the blame on the state of Oregon.

"Oregon used to need fishermen, loggers and mill workers. It has chosen instead to import the products those domestic industry sectors used to create from countries that do not care or cannot afford to care about the environment. Oregon as a state has done nothing to correct the attack on its traditional industries. It does not fight litigation brought by the attackers. It does not join counties and producers who do. It fights them instead."

Griffith is withholding judgment of Oregon’s current governor in this matter.

"Governor Kulongoski still might come to the aid of Oregonians who work in places and industries that gave our state its identity," he said.

Is Griffith satisfied with the fleet buy back?

"Let’s say I'm hopeful," he replied. "I know some of the people who sold, and some who didn't. Those of us in the affected communities naturally wish the best for all of them, that those who sold can invest their money in businesses that can prosper here, and those who remain can return to making a decent living. But unless our state begins to defend itself instead of leaving it up to producers who have less money and power to defend themselves, the future does not look good."

Reclamation Commissioner Announces Organizational Changes

Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner John W. Keys III this week announced several organizational and staffing changes which, when combined with
the significant changes that have been implemented over the last year in Reclamation's Washington and Denver offices - including the appointment of two Deputy Commissioners - will further enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of Reclamation.

"These organizational changes reinforce Reclamation's commitment to remain responsive to our customers and bring our senior executives
closer to the stakeholders with whom they interact on a regular basis," Keys said.  

The organization reassignments include the appointment of Roseann Gonzales, currently in the position of acting Deputy Director of the Office of Program and Policy Services, as Director of that office, located in Denver. Ken Maxey, formerly area manager at the Albuquerque (N.M.) Area Office, will be moving to Denver as Deputy Director of the Office of Program and Policy Services. 

Jack Garner, who was raised in Northern New Mexico, and currently serves as Deputy Director for Operations in the Commissioner's Office in Washington, will assume the area manager position in Albuquerque in addition to providing leadership as Deputy Director, Operations-West on various critical issues facing Reclamation.  In his 30 years of experience working for Reclamation, Garner has held a wide range of positions in Colorado, Washington, D.C., and California.

Fred Ore, currently Manager of Reclamation's Nebraska-Kansas Area Office, will become Deputy Director Operations in Washington. Ore has held a wide variety of positions throughout Reclamation including time spent in Texas and Oklahoma and has previously served in the Commissioner's Office and on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. over the
course of his 30 year career with the Bureau.

"I am fortunate to have such highly qualified personnel to choose from as we are continuing to make Reclamation more responsive to its
constituents.  I am confident that these four appointments will allow Reclamation to be more receptive to its customer's interests and it is
my pleasure to make this announcement today," Keys concluded.

The Klamath Water Users Association (KWUA) on November 12 will address the National Water Resources Association (NWRA) Environmental Task Force at NWRA’s Annual Conference in Long Beach, California. The panel discussion entitled "Preventing Another Klamath" is intended to provide better understanding of how implementation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) can be improved upon. KWUA Executive Director Dan Keppen will describe what Klamath Project irrigators have learned since the 2001 curtailment of Project supplies to meet ESA requirements, and will discuss with other western water interests what actions can be taken to avoid similar situations in the future. NWRA represents water users in 17 western states, and its members have considerable collective experience with the requirements and restrictions of the ESA.

Monday, November 10, 2003 – KWUA Administrative Committee. 9:00 a.m. KWUA Office, 2455 Patterson Street, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Klamath Water Users Association
2455 Patterson Street, Suite 3
Klamath Falls, Oregon 97603
(541)-883-6100 FAX (541)-883-8893 kwua@cdsnet.net

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