Columbia River Treaty watchers hope to right 50 years of wrongs By: ROB CHANEY rchaney@missoulian.com April 13, 2018 Fire up half a dozen bulldozers over a summer and Canada could turn the Kootenai River away from Libby Dam and pour its water into the Columbia River.
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 …
New treaty must address ecosystem concerns
GUEST VIEWPOINT New treaty must address ecosystem concerns By John DeVoe The Register-Guard January 28, 2018
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 …
Brown signs bill protecting salmon habitat from river mining
Brown signs bill protecting salmon habitat from river mining BY ANDREW THEEN The Oregonian/OregonLive June 14, 2017 Gov. Kate Brown signed a bill Wednesday that protects thousands of miles of critical salmon habitat across much of western Oregon from suction dredge mining.
Oregon Senate passes permanent dredging-ban bill
Oregon Senate passes permanent dredging-ban bill By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune April 10, 2017 A permanent ban on suction dredging in Western Oregon’s wild salmon habitat championed by the late Democratic Sen. Alan Bates passed out of the Oregon Senate on Monday
Judge Orders More Water Releases From Klamath River Dams
Judge Orders More Water Releases From Klamath River Dams by Cassandra Profita OPB/EarthFix February 8, 2017 In a ruling Wednesday, U.S. District Judge William Orrick ordered more water releases from dams on the Klamath River to flush out parasites causing deadly disease outbreaks in salmon. In recent drought years, scientists have found extremely high rates of a disease caused by …
Rescue effort aims to save stranded Deschutes River fish
Rescue effort aims to save stranded Deschutes River fish Annual die-off occurs at small channel when river flows are reduced By Hilary Corrigan The Bulletin October 14, 2016 Volunteers and contractors spent part of this week shocking, netting and moving stranded fish from a dry river channel near Bend in what’s become an annual fish rescue. Fish get stranded along …
Judge To Hear Water Case For Upper Deschutes
Judge To Hear Water Case For Upper Deschutes by Amanda Peacher OPB March 20, 2016 A federal judge in Eugene will hear a case Tuesday about water management in the Upper Deschutes River. Environmental groups want to see more regular flows coming out of Wickiup Reservoir on the Upper Deschutes River. They say the way the river is managed now …
In My View: It’s time to save the Upper Deschutes
In My View: It’s time to save the Upper Deschutes By Doug La Placa Bend Bulletin March 19, 2016 2013 Upper Deschutes River fish kill. Photo by Doug La Placa. When I was in the second grade a friend brought over a beat-up old fly rod. We tied on some fishing line and ran to the nearest pond. I hurled …
Guest Commentary: Just Add Water
Guest Commentary: Just Add Water BY CRAIG LACY Bend Source March 16, 2016 Few people alive remember what the Upper Deschutes River was like before Wickiup Dam was built in 1949. It was then regarded as one of the finest fisheries in the US. In 1914 Clyde McKay received the Field and Stream award for the second largest stream-caught rainbow …
Lawsuit Filed to Stop Harm to Deschutes River
For Immediate Release: January 11, 2016 Contact: Jim McCarthy, WaterWatch of Oregon, 541-708-0731 Janette Brimmer, Earthjustice, 206-343-7340, ext. 1029 Lawsuit Filed to Stop Harm to Deschutes River Mismanagement of flows jeopardizing threatened spotted frog, fish, and local livelihoods 2013 Upper Deschutes River fish kill. Photo by Doug La Placa. BEND, OR – Today, WaterWatch of Oregon filed suit in federal district court …
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 …
Gov. Kate Brown asks for new approach to Nestle water deal
Gov. Kate Brown asks for new approach to Nestle water deal By Kelly House The Oregonian/OregonLive November 6, 2015 The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife owns the right to water from Oxbow Springs, which it uses to run a salmon hatchery. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will scrap its latest strategy to free up water for a …
Oregon, feds to map cold water fish refuges in Columbia, Willamette rivers
Oregon, feds to map cold water fish refuges in Columbia, Willamette rivers By Kelly House The Oregonian/OregonLive November 3, 2015 Yakama fishermen Rex Zack and Doug Lamere prepare hoop nets on a fishing platform suspended over the Columbia River. Salmon have been central to the economy and culture of Pacific Northwest tribes for centuries. Photo by Casey O’Hara/The Oregonian The …
Miners go to court over suction dredge moratorium
Miners go to court over suction dredge moratorium By Mark Freeman Medford Mail Tribune October 21, 2015 Miners have asked a federal judge to block Oregon’s upcoming moratorium on suction dredge mining in wild salmon rivers such as the Rogue, claiming federal mining laws trump state restrictions on federal lands. A consortium of mining interests filed suit Monday in U.S. …
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 …
Guest Opinion: Removal of obsolete dams benefits rivers, the public and landowners
Guest Opinion: Removal of obsolete dams benefits rivers, the public and landowners By Jim McCarthy and Tonya Graham Medford Mail-Tribune September 6, 2015 Demolition crews knock out first notch in Wimer Dam on Evans Creek, a tributary of the Rogue River. Photo by Scott Wright, River Design Group. In recent years, the growing number of successful removals of obsolete dams …
Feds release extra water to save Klamath salmon from disease
Feds release extra water to save Klamath salmon from disease By JEFF BARNARD THE ASSOCIATED PRESS August 21, 2015 This Oct. 1, 2002 file photo shows dead salmon along the Klamath River near Klamath, Calif., after a disease outbreak that killed an estimated 60,000 salmon. With water scarce in Northern California’s Klamath Basin, a federal agency is again releasing cool, …
WaterWatch of Oregon Issues Warning to Protect Deschutes River
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 13, 2015 CONTACT: Jim McCarthy, WaterWatch of Oregon, 541-708-0731 60-Day Notice is available here. WaterWatch of Oregon Issues Warning to Protect Deschutes River Irregular streamflows are harming fish, wildlife and local livelihoods Bend – Today, WaterWatch of Oregon announced its intention to challenge the Central Oregon Irrigation District, North Unit Irrigation District, Tumalo Irrigation District, and the …
Top Priority Dam Removal Nears Completion in Rogue River Basin
For Immediate Release August 10, 2015 Contacts: Bob Hunter, WaterWatch of Oregon Board Member, 541-778-3310 Brian Barr, Geos Institute Project Manager, 541-621-7226 Denise Hoffert, American Rivers, 541-619-5896 John DeVoe, WaterWatch of Oregon Executive Director, 503-295-4039 Photos and map showing both dams are available here. Video of Wimer Dam removal available here. Top Priority Dam Removal Nears Completion in Rogue River Basin Demolition …
State will test fish-passage mitigation bank
State will test fish-passage mitigation bank By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune August 7, 2015 State fish managers will test-drive a new, big-picture approach to fixing fish-passage barriers by bypassing otherwise required work on some bridges and culverts in favor of larger barriers that will generate greater benefits for wild salmon and open more usable habitat for them. Despite warnings that …
2 Of Oregon’s Worst Dams For Fish Are Coming Down
2 Of Oregon’s Worst Dams For Fish Are Coming Down by Jes Burns OPB/EarthFix August 5, 2015 Demolition crews knock out first notch in Wimer Dam on Evans Creek, a tributary of the Rogue River. Photo by River Design Group Evans Creek is barely a trickle. A dry summer in Southern Oregon means the important salmon and steelhead creek, a …
‘Mitigation banking’
‘Mitigation banking’ Project would allow smaller fish-habitat improvements to slide in favor of bigger returns By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune August 2, 2015 State fish managers hope a new, big-picture approach to fixing fish-passage barriers by bypassing otherwise required work on some bridges and culverts in favor of larger barriers will generate greater benefits for wild salmon and open more …
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 …
Major Grant Awarded to Top Priority Rogue Basin Dam Removal Project
For Immediate Release April 28, 2015 Contacts: John DeVoe, WaterWatch of Oregon Executive Director, 971-322-5635 Bob Hunter, WaterWatch of Oregon Board Member, 541-778-3310 Brian Barr, Geos Institute Project Manager, 541-621-7226 Major Grant Awarded to Top Priority Rogue Basin Dam Removal Project Funding Means Salmon and Steelhead to Regain Access this Fall to 70 Miles of Habitat on Key Spawning Tributary …
Appeals Court Delivers Victory for Clackamas River Salmon and Steelhead
For Immediate Release December 31, 2014 Contact: Lisa Brown, WaterWatch Staff Attorney: 503-295-4039 x4 John DeVoe, WaterWatch Executive Director: 503-295-4039 x1 Court of Appeals decision available here: http://www.publications.ojd.state.or.us/docs/A148870.pdf Appeals Court Delivers Victory for Clackamas River Salmon and Steelhead Opinion Requires State to Maintain Flows Needed for Imperiled Fish Clackamas River by Erin Barnholdt Today the Oregon Court of Appeals delivered a …
WaterWatch of Oregon Statement on Oregon Supreme Court Opinion in Noble v. ODFW
For Immediate Release May 15, 2014 WaterWatch of Oregon Statement on Oregon Supreme Court Opinion in Noble v. ODFW A Win for Salmon and Steelhead In a decision critical to native migratory fish across Oregon, the Oregon Supreme Court reaffirmed the importance of fish passage at dams across the state. The court’s decision in the case of Noble v. Department of Fish …
WaterWatch of Oregon’s Statement Opposing Measure 26-156
For Immediate Release April 1, 2014 WaterWatch of Oregon’s Statement Opposing Measure 26-156 As an organization that has worked since 1985 to protect and restore flows in Oregon’s rivers to sustain the native fish, wildlife, and people who depend on healthy rivers, WaterWatch of Oregon strongly opposes Measure 26-156. Measure 26-156 would result in the elimination of valuable City of …
Conservationists, Fishing Interests Respond to U.S. Treaty Recommendation for Columbia River
Center for Environmental Law & Policy * WaterWatch of Oregon * Pacific Rivers Council Save Our Wild Salmon * Sierra Club * Columbia Institute for Water Policy For Immediate Release Conservationists, Fishing Interests Respond to U.S. Treaty Recommendation for Columbia River December 13, 2013 Contacts: Pat Ford (SOS) 208.345-9067 pford@wildidaho.org (Boise) Rachael Paschal Osborn (Columbia Institute for Water Policy) 509.939-1290 …
Governor Signs Bill to Protect Salmon Habitat
For Immediate Release August 15, 2013 Contact Forrest English, Rogue Riverkeeper, 541-261-2030 Josh Laughlin, Cascadia Wildlands, 541-844-8182 Erik Fernandez, Oregon Wild, 503-283-6343 x202 Jim McCarthy, WaterWatch of Oregon, 541-708-0731 Governor Signs Bill to Protect Salmon Habitat Bill to Reduce Impacts of Suction Dredge Gold Mining on Oregon Rivers Salem, OR — Anglers, landowners, outdoor recreation businesses, and river advocates celebrated …
Conservationists Seek Solution to Critical Salmon Barrier on Rogue Basin’s Evans Creek
For Immediate Release Contacts: Jim McCarthy, WaterWatch, 541-708-0731 Janette Brimmer, Earthjustice, 206-343-7340 x1029 Conservationists Seek Solution to Critical Salmon Barrier on Rogue Basin’s Evans Creek Fielder Dam Ranks in Oregon’s Top Ten List of Barriers Harmful to Salmon, Steelhead For a pdf copy of the legal complaint click here. For additional background on this issue click here. Medford, OR -– In …
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 …
Legislation Introduced to Protect Water Quality and Wild Salmon
For Immediate Release February 19, 2013 Contact: John Ward, Rogue Flyfishers (Medford), 541-482-2859 Frank Armendariz, River Trail Outfitters (Eugene), 541-228-4084 Legislation Introduced to Protect Water Quality and Wild Salmon SB 401 would curb destructive suction dredge mining in Oregon’s iconic waterways Salem, OR — Local businesses, outdoor enthusiasts, and conservation organizations applaud the recent introduction of Senate Bill 401 by …
Columbia River-Umatilla Solutions Taskforce announcement
Statement by Kimberley Priestley, WaterWatch of Oregon’s Senior Policy Analyst, on the February 15, 2013 Columbia River-Umatilla Solutions Taskforce (CRUST) announcement: “Today’s agreement offers a menu of balanced potential solutions that will provide additional water to Umatilla farmers without harming flows needed for struggling salmon and steelhead runs or – importantly – without undermining river protection laws critical for maintaining …
Senators Merkley and Wyden and Governor Kitzhaber Announce Crooked River Water Agreement
“This legislation provides significant improvements for fish and river habitat in the beloved Crooked River, and we are very happy that our Senators provided the leadership to strike a balance between many interests,” said Kimberley Priestley, Senior Policy Analyst for WaterWatch of Oregon. “We look forward to working with all those involved to ensure that the Crooked river, its fish …
Rogue River Runs Free at Former Gold Ray Dam Site
For Immediate Release WaterWatch Of Oregon * Rogue RiverKeeper * National Center for Conservation Science and Policy October 14, 2010 Media Contact: Bob Hunter, WaterWatch, cell: 541-778-3380 Lesley Adams, Rogue RiverKeeper, 541-488-5789 Brian Barr, NCCSP, cell: 541-621-7226 Rogue River Runs Free at Former Gold Ray Dam Site Project marks river’s fourth significant dam removal in three years Central Point, OR …
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 …
Fishy stimulus money
Fishy stimulus money By High Five “Today’s Must-Reads” Oregon Business Magazine July 06, 2009 The U.S. Commerce Secretary has announced that Oregon will be receiving $7.3 million in stimulus funds. The money is designated for tearing down a Rogue River dam and restoring a salmon habitat, among other things. The money is part of $167 million going to 50 …
Dissecting the Klamath
Dissecting the Klamath By Steve Pedery Fly Fisherman Magazine July 01, 2009 Dissecting-the-Klamath-Fly-Fisherman-Mag-July-09