Conservation groups to file lawsuit over Klamath River water flow

Conservation groups to file lawsuit over Klamath River water flow By The Associated Press April 4, 2013 GRANTS PASS — Two conservation groups warned federal agencies Thursday they plan to sue to get more water devoted to protected salmon in the Klamath River. Oregon Wild and WaterWatch of Oregon filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue. They object to …

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Klamath Advocates Condemn Destruction of the “Everglades of the West”

Klamath Advocates Condemn Bureau of Reclamation’s Willful Destruction of the “Everglades of the West” Conservationists Call on Gov. Kate Brown, Senators Wyden and Merkley to Stop Likely Catastrophic Waterfowl Die-Off, Hold Bureau Accountable for Longstanding Waste and Abuse Contacts: Jim McCarthy, WaterWatch of Oregon, (541) 708-0731 Bob Sallinger, Audubon Society of Portland, (503) 380-9728 Steve Pedery, Oregon Wild, (503) 283-6342 March …

Judge Denies Irrigators Special Treatment, Millions in Drought Payments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 2, 2017 CONTACTS Glen Spain | Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations | 541.521.8655 | fish1ifr@aol.com Jim McCarthy |WaterWatch of Oregon | 541.708.0731 | jim@waterwatch.org Stephanie Tsosie | Earthjustice | 505.270.5098 | stsosie@earthjustice.org Judge Denies Irrigators Special Treatment, Millions in Drought Payments Read the Decision Here Washington, D.C. – Judge Marian Blank Horn of the U.S. Court …

Conservation Groups Sue To Get More Water To Klamath Wildlife Refuges

Conservation Groups Sue To Get More Water To Klamath Wildlife Refuges by Jes Burns OPB/EarthFix January 18, 2017 Three Oregon conservation groups say a new plan to manage National Wildlife Refuges in the Klamath Basin doesn’t do enough to protect habitat. The groups filed a lawsuit Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Medford to force the U.S. Fish and Wildlife …

Klamath dam removals heavily supported by community

Klamath dam removals heavily supported by community by Natalya Estrada The Eureka Times-Standard January 12, 2017 Close to 100 people showed up to speak for the removal of the four dams on the Klamath River at a public meeting put on by the California State Water Resource Control Board in Arcata on Thursday evening. The board set out to gather …

Klamath Irrigators Should Not Have Gotten $32M From Federal Agency: Report

Klamath Irrigators Should Not Have Gotten $32M From Federal Agency: Report by Jes Burns OPB/EarthFix October 13, 2016 A new audit finds that Klamath irrigators should not have received millions of dollars in taxpayer money. The money was used to pay farmers not to use scarce water supplies from streams and rivers in the Klamath Basin straddling Oregon and California. …

Senators put pork before Klamath Basin water

Senators put pork before Klamath Basin water By Jim McCarthy For The Register-Guard February 27, 2016 Parched Lower Klamath NWR, Sept. 20, 2013 Most Oregonians expect our elected leaders to support more ­water conservation efforts in the drought-prone Klamath River Basin. They don’t ­expect them to prop up excessive water use at the expense of taxpayers, wildlife, salmon and coastal …

On the Klamath, a surprising win for river advocates

On the Klamath, a surprising win for river advocates Dam removals on the Oregon-California border move forward without water deals for irrigators By Paige Blankenbuehler High Country News Feb. 5, 2016 Klamath Basin tribes and allies from the commercial fishing and conservation community stage a rally at the 2006 meeting of the International Hydropower Industry. Patrick McCully, Flickr User Earlier …

A realistic path forward for the Klamath Basin

A realistic path forward for the Klamath Basin By Jim McCarthy Bend Bulletin December 27, 2015 Parched Lower Klamath NWR, Sept. 20, 2013 A recent editorial unfortunately repeated the claim that Congressional implementation of the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA) will largely resolve the Klamath’s longstanding water disputes. In reality, this controversial deal would only exacerbate conflicts in the region …

Yurok Tribe pulls out of Klamath River agreement

Yurok Tribe pulls out of Klamath River agreement By Adam Spencer The Triplicate September 17, 2015 The Williamson River, tributary to Upper Klamath Lake, running through the Fremont-Winema National Forest. The historic agreement designed to end long-standing water wars between fish advocates and farmers throughout the 16,000-square-mile Klamath River Basin appears to be facing collapse. On Tuesday, the Yurok Tribe …

Tribes call on bureau to release fish-kill prevention flows this week

Tribes call on bureau to release fish-kill prevention flows this week By Will Houston Eureka Times-Standard August 17, 2015 2002 Klamath River fish kill. With ceremonial dam release flows expected to reach the Trinity River waters near Hoopa this evening, federal and tribal officials are still working out the details and timeline on another set of dam releases proposed to …

Tribe files dam lawsuit amicus

Tribe files dam lawsuit amicus Yuroks join Hoopa Valley effort against Klamath dams By Adam Spencer The Triplicate October 8, 2015 The Yurok tribe filed a friend of the court brief Friday in support of the Hoopa Valley Tribe’s lawsuit that asks the U.S. Court of Appeals to force a federal agency to end eight years of relicensing delays for …

Opinion: It’s Time to Acknowledge KBRA Isn’t a Solution

Opinion: It’s Time to Acknowledge KBRA Isn’t a Solution By Jim McCarthy Two Rivers Tribune July 28, 2015 Iron Gate Dam on the Klamath River The Klamath Basin is again suffering another punishing drought year. Locals and coastal fishing communities are again hoping that Klamath salmon won’t suffer more harm from a reckless federal water management plan that has repeatedly …

Conservation Groups File 60-Day Notice of ESA Challenge on Klamath Salmon

For Immediate Release WaterWatch of Oregon * Oregon Wild * Hoopa Valley Tribe Contacts: Jim McCarthy, WaterWatch, 541-941-9450 Steve Pedery, Oregon Wild, 503-283-6343 x212 Regina Chichizola, Hoopa Valley Tribe, 541-951-0126 Conservation Groups File 60-Day Notice of ESA Challenge on Klamath Salmon Coalition says Bureau of Reclamation continues to endanger Klamath River fish, wildlife by implementing water management plans ahead of …

35 Conservation Organizations Sound Alarm on Klamath Water

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 24, 2012 Contact: Steve Pedery Oregon Wild 503-283-6343 ext. 212 Bob Sallinger Audubon Society of Portland 503-380-9728 Jim McCarthy WaterWatch of Oregon 541-708-0731 Noah Greenwald Center for Biological Diversity 503-484-7495 35 Conservation Organizations Sound Alarm on Klamath Water Wildlife advocates urge Obama administration not to allow National Wildlife Refuges to go dry during critical fall migration …

26 Organizations Sound Alarm on Klamath Water

For Immediate Release March 27, 2012 Contact: Steve Pedery, Oregon Wild, 503-283-6343 ext212 Bob Sallinger, Audubon Society of Portland, 503-380-9728 Noah Greenwald, Center for Biological Diversity, 503-484-7495 Jim McCarthy, WaterWatch of Oregon, 541-941-9450 26 Organizations Sound Alarm on Klamath Water Wildlife advocates urge Obama administration not to allow National Wildlife Refuges to go dry, halt removal of endangered fish Portland, …

Latest Klamath Dam Removal Proposal Delays Decision to Remove Dams

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Latest Klamath Dam Removal Proposal Delays Decision to Remove Dams Joined Agreements Protect Dam Owner and Agribusiness, Leave Fish and Wildlife at Risk PORTLAND, OR Sep 30, 2009 Portland, OR –WaterWatch of Oregon, an ardent advocate for the removal of four salmon-killing dams on the Klamath River, joined other conservationists in criticizing a final draft dam removal plan …

Dissecting the Klamath

Dissecting the Klamath By Steve Pedery Fly Fisherman Magazine July 01, 2009 Dissecting-the-Klamath-Fly-Fisherman-Mag-July-09

Upper Klamath water rights issue settled

Upper Klamath water rights issue settled By John Driscoll The Times-Standard May 22, 2009 One of the most contested issues between irrigators and American Indian tribes in the Upper Klamath Basin has effectively been resolved, potentially simplifying talks on a much larger dam removal and restoration deal. On Thursday, Klamath water users and the Klamath Tribes announced a settlement of …

Senate OKs surcharge for Klamath dam removal

Senate OKs surcharge for Klamath dam removal By Matt Preusch and Ted Sickinger Oregonian February 17, 2009   The Oregon Senate passed a bill Tuesday to pay for removing four Klamath River dams with a 2 percent surcharge on the Oregon ratepayers of Pacific Power. Senate Bill 76 was approved 18-12 on largely partisan lines with Sen. Jason Atkinson of …

Bill would pass cost of Klamath Dam removal to ratepayers

Bill would pass cost of Klamath Dam removal to ratepayers By Matthew Preusch Oregonian February 03, 2009   A plan to pass much of the tab for removing Klamath River dams to Oregon power users gets its first hearing in Salem today. The bill is considered a critical step in a larger agreement amongst farmers, fishers, tribes and others to …

Feds tell irrigators Klamath salmon need more water

Feds tell irrigators Klamath salmon need more water Ag Weekly (AP) June 23, 2008   GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — Federal fisheries biologists want more water in the Klamath River to keep coho salmon from heading closer to extinction. After evaluating the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s latest plans for splitting water between irrigators and fish, the NOAA Fisheries Service said …

Don’t rush toward flawed Klamath deal

Don’t rush toward flawed Klamath deal By Steve Pedery and Bob Hunter Times-Standard May 02, 2008   Recent Times-Standard My Word columns (Greg King, March 20; Felice Pace, March 26; Walter Duffy, April 7) make clear that the long history of water battles in the west is far from resolved. Some raise concerns over river flows and fish, while others …

Another View: Fish are key to deal on Klamath

Another View: Fish are key to deal on Klamath Opinion column by Hoopa Valley Tribe’s Chairman Lyle Marshall regarding the draft Klamath settlement proposal. Sacramento Bee February 10, 2008   As chairman of the Hoopa Valley Reservation, which has the Klamath and Trinity rivers running through it, I want to clarify my tribe’s position regarding the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement. …

Walden cuts pressure for fast action on water pact

Walden cuts pressure for fast action on water pact Herald and News editorial on the draft Klamath settlement proposal. By Pat Bushey Herald and News January 30, 2008   The proposed settlement of Klamath River water issues deserves better than a quick decision. It’s too big, too complex and too expensive for that treatment. People need time to absorb it. …

Maybe we can turn the clock back

Maybe we can turn the clock back Daily Astorian editorial regarding the draft Klamath settlement proposal. Daily Astorian January 22, 2008 Negotiations in the Klamath Basin could lead to PacifiCorp dam removal It’s a rare thing when we have the chance to turn the clock’s hands back and undo a big environmental mistake. That’s what may happen a few years …

A deal on Klamath’s dams

A deal on Klamath’s dams Article in the San Francisco Chronicle on the draft Klamath settlement proposal. San Francisco Chronicle January 21, 2008   For complexity, the years-long water war along the Klamath River rivals the Middle East. A list of contending parties, long-held grievances and state borders have strained hopes of settlement. Until now. Some two dozen interest groups …

A Klamath settlement that isn’t

A Klamath settlement that isn’t Op-ed from the Oregonian on the draft Klamath settlement proposal. Oregonian January 17, 2008   Don’t break out the champagne just yet to celebrate the sweeping settlement announced Tuesday for restoring Klamath River salmon runs. It’s not really a settlement. It’s more like a real estate agent declaring he’s got a great deal on a …

Klamath water deal reached

Klamath water deal reached LA Times article re: Tribes, farmers and others draw up a plan to remove dams and revive dwindling salmon populations. By Eric Bailey LA Times January 16, 2008 SACRAMENTO — After more than three years of negotiations, a collection of long-quarreling Klamath Basin farmers, fishermen and tribes announced a breakthrough agreement Tuesday that they said could …

Dam removal key to Klamath pact success

Dam removal key to Klamath pact success Article on the draft Klamath settlement proposal. By Mateusz Perkowski Capital Press January 16, 2008   A long-awaited agreement among farmers, fishermen, Indian tribes, conservationists and the federal government to manage water in the Klamath Basin and remove four hydroelectric dams received mixed reviews from the people it would affect. The plan, announced …

Deal afoot to alter Klamath for users

Deal afoot to alter Klamath for users Article in the Oregonian on the draft Klamath settlement proposal. By Peter Sleeth Oregonian January 16, 2008   A unique gathering of government agencies, Native Americans, farmers and fishermen Tuesday proposed removing four dams on the Klamath River, with a cornucopia of benefits running to river users ranging from $80 million to tribes …

Deal Would Remove Klamath River Dams

Deal Would Remove Klamath River Dams Associated Press article on the draft Klamath settlement proposal. By Jeff Barnard Associated Press January 16, 2008   GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) – More than 300 miles of struggling salmon runs would be restored along the Klamath River as part of a landmark $1 billion proposal that represents the largest dam removal project in …

No Dam Deal In Klamath Settlement Talks

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE No Dam Deal In Klamath Settlement Talks Proposed Settlement Deal Lacks Guaranteed Dam Removal, Guaranteed Water For Fish PORTLAND, OREGON Jan 15, 2008   Portland, Ore—The Bush administration is expected to release today one piece of a  “Klamath Dam Settlement Agreement,” the product of three years of secret negotiations over the future of PacifiCorp dams on the Klamath …

Groups offer plan for removing dams on Oregon’s Klamath River to help salmon population

Groups offer plan for removing dams on Oregon’s Klamath River to help salmon population Oregonian (AP) article regarding draft Klamath settlement proposal. By Jeff Barnard Oregonian January 15, 2008   GRANTS PASS — A deal calling for removal of four hydroelectric dams on Klamath River to restore struggling salmon runs has been forged among farmers, Native American tribes, fishermen, conservation …

Groups Want to Remove Dams for Salmon

Groups Want to Remove Dams for Salmon Associated Press article on the removal of four dams on the Klamath River. By Jeff Barnard Associated Press January 15, 2008   A deal calling for removal of four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River to restore struggling salmon runs has been forged among farmers, Indian tribes, fishermen, conservation groups and government agencies …

Klamath groups offer plan for removing dams to help salmon

Klamath groups offer plan for removing dams to help salmon Associated Press article on the draft Klamath settlement proposal. Associated Press January 15, 2008   GRANTS PASS — A deal calling for removal of four hydroelectric dams on Klamath River to restore struggling salmon runs has been forged among farmers, Native American tribes, fishermen, conservation groups and government agencies battling …

Bringing closure to the Klamath conflict

Bringing closure to the Klamath conflict An Oregonian op-ed regarding Klamath Basin solutions by Jim McCarthy of Oregon Wild and Bob Hunter of WaterWatch. Oregonian December 21, 2007   The relicensing process for PacifiCorp’s Klamath River hydropower project presents a unique opportunity to remove its lower four dams and bring Klamath salmon back home to Oregon. Removing these dams would …

Negotiating the Klamath

Negotiating the Klamath Oregonian article about the ongoing Klamath settlement talks. By Peter Sleeth Oregonian December 09, 2007 KLAMATH FALLS — Water cleaves the West. If you doubt its razor edge, think of the Klamath River Basin where the water divides the people — fishermen from farmers, Native Americans from the dam owners, conservationists from one another. At one time, …