Media and Press

For North Coast’s rivers, relying on luck is not a plan by Jared Huffman San Francisco Chronicle Opinion Sept. 11, 2013 In “Dirty Harry,” Clint Eastwood memorably asked, do you “feel lucky?” It made for great theater, but it’s no way to manage North Coast salmon. Unfortunately, that’s been the policy of the U.S. Department […]

A Record Year For Columbia River Fall Chinook by Courtney Flatt Northwest Public Radio Sept. 11, 2013 Fall chinook have kept fish counters at Bonneville Dam busy. With several weeks left in the strongest part of this year’s run, numbers are already close to beating the previous record set 10 years ago. Counts are on

Drought is causing duck die-off from disease: Klamath Basin marshes drying up by Jeff Barnard The Associated Press August 29, 2013 GRANTS PASS, Ore. — The drought that has forced irrigation shutoffs at cattle ranches in the upper Klamath Basin is also causing hardship for waterfowl on national wildlife refuges in the region. Thousands of

Reverse effect: Wildfire smoke can cool rivers By Devan Schwartz Herald & News August 27, 2013 One of Will Harling’s first memories is the 1977 Hog Fire in Northern California. Fire burned the forest behind the cabin where he was born. Ten years later, in the Siege of ’87, nearly 200,000 acres burned through the

Trinity River flows to be released Eureka Times-Standard August 22, 2013 Trinity River water will be released to protect salmon after a federal judge lifted his order halting the flows at around 5:30 p.m. today. The decision came after Judge Lawrence O’Neill found that if the injunction was granted to block the flows, it would

Judge halts Klamath River flows, for now; order on salmon releases in effect through Friday by Kimberly Wear The Times-Standard August 14, 2013 Salmon fishing communities from Tillamook, OR to Monterey, CA depend upon Klamath River fall chinook for their livelihoods. Photo by Times-Standard. A U.S. District Court judge in Fresno halted water releases meant

Klamath River may be an option to improve salmon conditions by Devan Schwartz Herald & News August 14, 2013 With uncertainty shrouding the Trinity River, additional focus turns to the mainstem Klamath River — the other water source usable to help prevent a fish kill. PacifiCorp owns and operates four Klamath River hydroelectric dams. The

Clackamas Watershed Collects Pollutants And Drinking Water by Cassandra Profita OPB August 12, 2013 The city of Lake Oswego plans to double the amount of water it takes from the river and is building a larger intake system. Photo by Cassandra Profita/OPB On a nursery in Boring, researchers are demonstrating a new high-tech pesticide sprayer

Watershed warning delivered OSU scientists find that changes may be needed to save the main source of drinking water for Eugene-Springfield By Samuel Stites The Register-Guard July 27, 2013 McKenzie River Photo by Tracey Adams The average temperature on Earth could increase by 3.6 degrees by the middle of this century, according to data from

Domestic wells affected by irrigators By Samantha Tipler Klamath Falls Herald & News July 23, 2013 Dennis Oden lives outside Merrill in the middle of green agricultural fields. Oden is not a farmer. He gets water for his home with a domestic well. With the drought this year, and with some Klamath Project farmers choosing

Fish vs. Farmers In Conflict Over Klamath River By Peter Fimrite San Francisco Chronicle July 20, 2013 Big, healthy chinook salmon are all but leaping into fishing boats this summer off the California coast, but the wriggling hordes could be in for trouble when they start heading up the rivers on their annual egg-laying runs.

State legislature approves handing out fewer suction dredge mining permits by Zach Urness Statesman Journal July 8, 2013 A bill that would scale back the number of suction dredge mining permits issued in Oregon has passed the House and Senate and heads to the desk of Gov. John Kitzhaber, who is expected to sign the

Klamath Basin Task Force Will Be Coordinated By Governor’s Office by David Nogueras OPB July 8, 2013 Members of Oregon’s congressional delegation joined Gov. John Kitzhaber Monday to announce the creation of a task force to work on long term solutions to water and power issues in the Klamath River Basin. The task force is

Key wildlife refuge hit hard in Klamath Basin’s water wars by Scott Learn Oregonian July 7, 2013 STATE LINE ROAD — Normally, the honks and calls of thousands of ducks, grebes and egrets clustering at the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge make it hard to talk over the racket. But conversation is easy this summer.

Water Commission Approves Temporary Rules For Klamath Water Use By Amelia Templeton OPB July 1, 2013 The Oregon Water Resources Commission has approved temporary rules that prioritize drinking water for people and cattle in the Klamath Basin. The rules will remain in place to help during a summer drought and are meant to ensure a

Senator: Price tag too high on Klamath Basin deals By Tim Fought The Associated Press June 21, 2013 Parched canal in the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge PORTLAND, Ore. — Drought has again brought the water struggles of the high-desert Klamath Basin to national attention, but an Oregon senator says Congress won’t pony up the

Senate Committee Hearing: Power rates may drop for irrigators By Devan Schwartz Klamath Falls Herald & News June 21, 2013 Solving water crises in the Klamath Basin may need more time, more inclusion and a lower price tag. “Everyone in the Klamath Basin has the right to deserve better,” U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., told

Klamath Tribes and federal government put out historic call for water rights in drought-stricken Klamath Basin by Scott Learn The Oregonian June 10, 2013 The Klamath Tribes and the federal government called their water rights in southern Oregon’s Klamath Basin for the first time Monday, likely cutting off irrigation water to hundreds of cattle ranchers

Klamath Basin water plan won’t harm protected fish, federal scientists say by The Associated Press June 3, 2013 GRANTS PASS — A new plan for balancing scarce water in the Klamath Basin between fish and farms won’t harm salmon or other fish protected by the Endangered Species Act, federal scientists said Monday. The NOAA Fisheries

Op-Ed: What are the facts about the KBRA, dam removal and tribal rights? Eureka Times-Standard by Dania Rose Colegrove May 30, 2013 There has been much debate lately over the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement and whether legislation is needed to remove the Klamath dams and whether the KBRA terminates tribal rights. We are in the

Civil Suit Demands Changes At Evans Creek Dam Medford Mail Tribune By MARK FREEMAN April 18, 2013 A conservation group has filed a federal suit against the owners of a defunct Evans Creek irrigation dam near Rogue River, arguing that the dam must be fixed or removed to allow safe passage of protected coho salmon.

Oregon lawmakers consider moratorium on motorized mining By Yuxing Zheng The Oregonian April 14, 2013 SALEM — Oregon lawmakers are considering a moratorium on suction-dredge mining in response to concerns that a growing number of recreational miners are causing harm to fish and rivers. The moratorium would ban motorized mining on the full length of

Legal Hook By Paul Fattig Mail Tribune April 14, 2013 Some 157 miles of the Rogue River flows freely again because of Bob Hunter. Hunter, 60, of Eagle Point, who retired in 2011 as the senior staff attorney for WaterWatch of Oregon but remains on its board, led the group’s decades-long battle to remove Savage

Bill would add to point of diversion requirements By Mitch Lies Capital Press March 5, 2013 SALEM — Farmers, ranchers and farm lobbyists have come out against a bill requiring the Oregon Water Resources Department to consider effects on wildlife and provide an opportunity for public comment when approving changes in water rights points of

Protecting Oregon’s rivers Bill would limit suction dredge mining on waterways Register Guard Editorial March 4, 2013 Nearly a quarter century has passed since Oregon last updated the State Scenic Waterways Program, which increases protection for the state’s most treasured rivers and limits destructive activities such as suction-dredge mining. The program, overwhelmingly approved by state

County withdraws from KBRA Commissioners voice concerns over impact on Klamath’s economy By Samantha Tipler Klamath Falls Herald & News February 26, 2013 Klamath County Commissioners plan to remove themselves and the county from the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement. At their regular meeting Tuesday morning, all three commissioners voted to draft an order for Klamath

Scenic rivers run through it Oregon, that is — and Bates’ bill would protect some of them from being dredged Medford Mail Tribune Editorial Board February 22, 2013 State Sen. Alan Bates, D-Medford, has introduced a bill that would restrict suction dredge gold mining on some parts of some creeks and rivers in the state.

Water proponents split over annual fee proposal By MITCH LIES Capital Press February 21, 2013 SALEM — At a recent ceremony in Portland, Sens. Jackie Dingfelder, D-Portland, and Bill Hansell, R-Pendleton, stood side-by-side in a show of bipartisan support for a plan to tap Columbia River water for irrigation in a way that protects fish.

Senate Bill Would Expand Protections for Oregon’s Rivers By Rachael McDonald KLCC February 20, 2013 A bill introduced in the legislature by Senator Alan Bates of southern Oregon would expand protections for the state’s rivers. It has the support of environmentalists and recreationalists. Senate Bill 401 expands the number of rivers and bodies of water

Roll on, Oregon House Republicans, roll on By Steve Duin, The Oregonian February 20, 2013 Ten thousand jobs. For more than a year, that’s been the pitch from Oregon House Republicans: Release a few drops from the mighty bucket of the Columbia River and — voila! — 10,000 jobs will magically rise from the fertile

Kitzhaber, farmers, environmentalists sign deal to add more water for Umatilla Basin irrigation By Scott Learn The Oregonian February 15, 2013 Gov. John Kitzhaber and a task force of farmers, environmentalists and government regulators agreed Friday to move forward on a short-list of projects that could provide more irrigation water for the water-short Umatilla Basin.

In Klamath, Politics Defeat Science and Common Sense By Leonard Masten Special to the Klamath Falls Herald and News February 03, 2013 Recent claims of retribution by government scientists come as no surprise. The Klamath Bureau of Reclamation has used bad science in the past. No one living on the Klamath River can forget the

2013 could be a watershed year for water in Oregon By Mitch Lies Capital Press January 8, 2013 Lawmakers will gather in Salem Jan. 14 to kick off the 2013 Oregon Legislature with an eye on water. Among other water issues expected to surface this session, lawmakers will debate the merits of a new water-right

Klamath Basin Farmers and Tribes Extend Water Deal For Two More Years By Amelia Templeton OPB Dec. 31, 2012 Farmers and tribes have voted to extend a restoration deal that could lead to the removal of four dams on the Klamath River. The deal was set to expire December 31, 2012. The Klamath begins in

Study links climate change to warmer Oregon streams by Keely Chalmers KGW November 2, 2012 A new study by Oregon researchers claims climate change is causing double trouble for our salmon. The snow that blankets Mount Hood is much more than just a pretty sight. It feeds the streams and rivers below it, giving fish

Officials deny water permit for gravel pit near Rogue River By The Associated Press October 18, 2012 GRANTS PASS — The state of Oregon has denied a water permit for a mining company that wants to develop a gravel pit along a tributary of the Rogue River. The Oregon Department of Water Resources said there