July 14, 2009

Dear Friends,

It’s time to celebrate!  WaterWatch has achieved many truly important victories for Oregon’s rivers in recent months through the Free the Rogue Campaign and in the Oregon Legislature. Recent successes have been dramatic and remarkable:

1. On June 30, Jackson County, Oregon was awarded a $5 million stimulus grant by the Obama Administration to remove Gold Ray Dam from the main stem of the Rogue River. This defunct hydropower dam is the last barrier to fish and recreation on the lower 153 miles of the Rogue River. Removal will provide salmon and steelhead unimpeded access to over 333 miles of spawning and rearing habitat above the dam. WaterWatch wrote the grant for the county and secured the political support necessary to make this award a reality. The Free the Rogue Campaign is producing results of national importance.

2. Savage Rapids Dam demolition is currently underway, and the dam will be completely removed by October 2009. This fall, the Rogue will flow freely at Savage Rapids for the first time since 1912. In 2008, WaterWatch's Free the Rogue Campaign helped remove two dams in the Rogue basin - Elk Creek on a significant Rogue tributary and the City of Gold Hill Diversion Dam on the main stem Rogue River. With the pending removal of Savage Rapids Dam and progress towards the removal of Gold Ray Dam, we are on the brink of creating one of the longest free flowing reaches of river in the American West. The Free the Rogue Campaign is producing results of national importance and is arguably the most successful river restoration campaign in the nation.

3. In the 2009 Oregon Legislature, WaterWatch secured passage of a landmark water policy bill (HB 3369) that will:

• Protect streamflows in the Columbia River for migrating fish.

• Help recharge declining aquifers in the Umatilla Basin while augmenting streamflows in the Umatilla River.

• Require environmentally appropriate standards and environmentally appropriate eligibility requirements for use of state monies on new water storage projects.

• For the first time, place statute protections for peak and ecological flows.

WaterWatch was the environmental voice in the coalition supporting the bill, which included the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, agricultural interests, county interests and business interests. HB 3369 has been described as the most significant water legislation in Oregon in over 20 years.

4. In the 2009 Oregon Legislature, WaterWatch was instrumental in the effort to keep the Water Resources Department’s capacity to manage the state’s waters reasonably intact in this fiscal crisis. In the budgeting process, WaterWatch helped pass new legislation (SB 788-A) that secured new fees that will fund much needed groundwater studies and raised the Department’s cost recovery on water transactions from 30% to 50%. These gains are huge, especially in light of the earlier proposals to cut the Department budget by 30% and terminate 45 of 141.6 total employees at the Department. The proposed cuts would have gutted the agency and eliminated much of the Department’s capacity to manage the waters of the state.

5. WaterWatch was a key member of the coalition that successfully passed legislation to protect the Metolius River from large-scale destination resort developments. In addition, WaterWatch’s legal work on the water right applications of the larger proposed development served as the template for many other groups and the federal agencies opposing the development.

As you know, these are trying times for many non-profits. WaterWatch is by no means immune to the larger economic situation. Results like those above cannot happen without your investment in Oregon’s rivers and balanced water policy.

Despite these remarkable recent successes, many threats remain. Climate change, population growth, land use changes and new water storage proposals all threaten Oregon’s rivers. Noted author Charles Wilkinson has recognized the need for a strong voice for rivers and balanced water policies:

“Western water policy, more than any other front-line environmental issue, is left mainly to state law. Rightly or wrongly, deep traditions push towards state dominance. Despite some truly impressive contributions, the national conservation organizations have never been able to dedicate themselves to detailed, structural reform of state water policy.  The only way to do this is through day-to-day oversight in the state water agencies, the governors’ offices, the state legislatures, and the state courts. . . . Everyone who cares about our rivers – not just in Oregon but all across the West – should keep a close eye on WaterWatch. This is an idea, and an approach that holds the brightest possible promise for making historic advances in reforming the outmoded laws and policies that continue to rule our waters.”

Now more than ever, WaterWatch needs the support of those people like you who understand how important healthy rivers and balanced water policy are to Oregon’s quality of life and economy. Healthy rivers and balanced water policies are critical, but often overlooked, parts of the environmental legacy we will leave for future generations. Please invest in your rivers today.

We are truly grateful for your outstanding support. On behalf of Oregon’s rivers, thank you!

Sincerely,

John DeVoe
Executive Director
WaterWatch of Oregon