By David
Smith, Siskiyou Daily News August 17, 2010
Yreka, Calif. — Introduced as Measure W,
an advisory election asking whether or not voters
approve of the removal of dams along the Klamath River
will appear on the Nov. 2 ballot as Measure G, according
to Siskiyou County Clerk Colleen Setzer.
Measure G will specifically ask voters “Should the
Klamath River dams (Iron Gate, Copco 1, and Copco 2) and
associated hydroelectric facilities be removed?” as part
of the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement, which
lays out a plan for the potential removal of the three
dams in California, as well as the JC Boyle Dam in
Oregon.
Now, arguments urging a “yes” or “no” vote can be
submitted, according to California elections code, with
the final date for submitting arguments unknown as of
press time.
While the Siskiyou Water Users Association has offered
to write an argument urging a no vote, arguments for
either side can be submitted, with the elections code
stating that the county elections official will give
“preference and priority,” in order, to arguments
submitted by the board of supervisors or a member of the
board, individuals or associations that are bona
fide sponsors or proponents of the measure, bona fide
associations of citizens and finally, individual voters
who are eligible to vote on the measure.
The board of supervisors declined to write an argument
supporting a “no” vote at an Aug. 6 special meeting.
The dam removal question had been in danger of not
making the ballot due to space restrictions, but the
city of Mount Shasta’s Measure A was denied last week
due to alleged violations of elections code.
Readers Comments:
ptcruiser
you vote to remove these dams you will
regret it . there goes the recreation and everything
down the tubes. oh well let the f----n power company and
all the criminal enviroinmental units run your county
they are already doing it. look at the old ellis louie
ranch ,gobbled up by extreme environmentalists. they are
not stopping there either. pretty soon siskiyou county
will be blank. they run everything that trys to come in
there out . i can see it coming. ghost town ,previously
known as yreka .
why me
If you really think that removing these
dams are going to help the salmon, THINK AGAIN!
rgierak2
Remove dams and you can expect: loss of
water supply to communities; Loss of water storage to
fight fires; Loss of wells to along the river due to
drop in river height; Sky rocket increases in PP&L
billings; Property values will plummet; Loss of
recreational and mining income to the County; Marshes
and swamps in the summer and inundating floods in the
winter; Loss of water storage for the Fall Salmon run;
County tax base and services will be reduced; Loss of
agriculture and ranching; Loss of jobs and the collapse
of small businesses. Premise for removing dams is to
restore Pacific Northwest Salmon Fisheries. WE HAVE BEEN
LIED TO. In 1950 the total Salmon catrch was 149,000
metric tons and in 2007 the total Salmon catch was
403,000 metric tons. These numbers from National Marined
Fisheries Service.
rgierak2
Re: Pacific Northwest Fisheries; It is
true that for the last two decades the Pacific Ocean has
been in an El Nino condition with the temperature of the
Ocean rising. As a result of the warmer water the Salmon
have moved North. In 1950 80% of Salmon were caught in
Alaska whereby in 2007 97% were caught in Alaska. As a
result, the Commercial fishing industry in California
and Oregon have been decimated. Even Washington is only
producing 50% of their normal catch. According to the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has
recently published an article indicating that we may be
transitioning into a La Nina effect. This will reduce
the Ocean temperature and we can expect a return of
Salmon. This may take a number of years. In no way do
the dams restrict the Salomon fisheries.
