Posted on 03/29/2002 1:28:14 PM PST by grimalkin
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. -- As farmers cheered, federal officials let the water flow Friday from a canal into fields for the first time since irrigation was deemed a threat to endangered sucker fish.
Members of two Indian tribes chanted and banged drums to show their concern that the Bush administration is favoring the needs of farmers over their own. The fish are considered sacred to tribes in the Klamath Basin.
Due to drought, federal officials decided last summer to cut off water to about 1,000 Klamath area farmers that use it to irrigate fields of wheat, potatoes and other crops. The decision resulted in a summer of confrontation that pitted farmers against environmentalists, Indian tribes and conservationists.
Federal officials decided to open the headgates Friday because of increased snow and rain this winter. But only two months of irrigation water have been authorized because federal agencies are still awaiting opinions, due June 1, from biology experts on long-term environmental impacts of water releases.
"We've come to understand and know the needs of agriculture in this valley," Interior Secretary Gale Norton said. "We have to find ways to balance the needs of the ecosystem and of people."
Norton and Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman cranked open the headgates. Cheering farmers displayed a red, white and blue banner reading: "Thank you President Bush for caring about rural America."
They chanted "Let the water flow! Let the water flow!"
A banner carried by tribal members read: "Bush kills salmon." When Norton spotted it, she said: "We don't think that's true."
After the expert opinions are in, federal officials will reassess how much water is available for farmers in the region.
The National Marine Fisheries Service and Fish and Wildlife Service have agreed that sending irrigation water to farmers will not jeopardize endangered species during April and May, according to a task force set up by the Bush administration to find solutions to the water dispute.
Linda Lown, who farms 80 acres of alfalfa, said no one has come up with a way to guarantee a sufficient amount of water for farmers, fish and wildlife.
"People are skeptical that it will be resolved ... that there won't be further challenges," she said.
Environmentalists caution that giving farmers as much water as they need might mean that there won't be enough for fish or wildlife.
"We don't begrudge the farmers water. We just wish there was more effort made by the federal government to strike a balance," said Steve Pedery of the Portland-based conservation group WaterWatch.
For now...
Really. And what the heck was 2001?
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