Free Republic

California Governor Schwarzenegger and Oregon Governor Kulongoski today directed their respective state agencies to organize a Klamath Summit to be held before the year ends. The governors have joined forces and are holding the summit to resolve a multitude of complex issues related to the health of the river that impact salmon fishermen, tribes, hydroelectric power and a host of environmental and habitat concerns. “We have the problems of water quality, water supply, listed species, energy generation, and agricultural sustainability expressed in countless ways in the Klamath Basin,” Governor Kulongoski said. “We must forge a consensus on a sustainable approach...

PacifiCorp may agree to removing dams But such a step to help Klamath salmon runs wouldn't be taken if higher power rates resulted, the utility says The new president of PacifiCorp's power generating division says the utility could agree to remove five dams from the Klamath River to help restore salmon if customers don't have to pay more for electricity. "We have heard the tribes' concerns," PacifiCorp Energy President Bill Fehrman said in a statement posted Wednesday on the utility's Web site. "We are not opposed to dam removal or other settlement opportunities as long as our customers are not...

To show continued gratitude to all Freepers who value the constitution and who are actively engaged in preserving it...either through service to their country, dialog with their friends, relatives and neighbors, online activism, protesting against foerign and domestic enemies of our constitution and way of life, corresponding with legislators and other elected or appointed officials, and just to say thanks to all of those on FreeRepublic who have encouraged and helped me in my own activities...I am extending my free ebook download offer at: JEFF HEAD FREE EBOOK DOWNLOAD for my following two published books: THE STAND AT KLAMATH FALLS...

I have been invited to be a guest on Ken Bagwell's, "Heads Up America", show on Friday morning (tomorrow) at 11 AM Eastern Time, 10 AM Central, 9 AM MOuntain, and 8 AM Pacific. The topics will include: The aftermath and current situation at Klamath, including my book, The Stand at Klamath Falls Illegal Immigration and the need for the American people to stand and demand and end to it. The Red China Threat and my book series, The Dragon's Fury Series. Ken is a conservative, all-American talk show host. He was very supportive of the Klamath Farmers during the...

For those interested, and following it, the printed version of, "The Stand at Klamath Falls", is now available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The subtitle reads, "How rural western farmers stood up against entrenched environmentalists and agencies of the Federal Government...and prevailed." You can find links to the Amazon and Barnes & Noble sites at the main site here: THE STAND AT KLAMATH FALLS I have also made the Adobe eBook version of the book available for free to all Freepers. Just go to the following site and download it direct...no cost, no obligation. FREE EBOOK DOWNLOAD I...

As a way of saying thanks to the good members of FreeRepublic who have supported me both while I was involved at Klamath Falls, and while I wrote my Dragon's Fury Series of novels about the dangers Red China poses, I am going to offer a free Adobe eBook version of either or both of those books, "The Stand at Kalmath Falls", and "The Dragon's Fury Series Collectors Edition" (which includes all five volumes) to any registered Free Republic member who would like them. I will email them to anyone who asks and informs me via FRemail. DO NOT put...

<p>The Federal Bureau of Reclamation announced Wednesday that beleaguered farmers in Klamath Falls, Ore., will be receiving water this year in time for the 2002 planting season, which officially begins next month.</p> <p>Speaking to reporters in Washington, John Keys, the head of the Reclamation Bureau, said the move will not guarantee enough water for the farmers. But if current weather patterns and water levels hold it should be plenty, he said.</p>

Water flows through one of the six new headgates on the A Canal this morning. Contractors opened the headgates today to begin priming the system, meeting a deadline set by the Bureau of Reclamation in order to allow irrigation to begin on schedule in the Klamath Project. Headgates open on schedule published April 1, 2003 By DYLAN DARLING Water began pouring through a new set of headgates on the A Canal today, marking a milestone in a complex construction project and the beginning of an uncertain irrigation season. Also entering service today is a high-tech fish screen to keep...

I was there today in Saginaw, Texas to meet the Klamath Falls convoy to the Sawgrass Rebellion. Rocky (Issaquahking), Bill Ramson and others whom I had come to know last year in Klamath Falls, Oregon were there with the convoy. There was a great parade. I rode with the bucket (from Klamath Bucket Brigade) for a while and the shovel (from Jarbidge Shovel Brigade) for a while, but mostly walked along side engaging the people watching the parade and asking them to come to the fair to hear the speeches or look up the events on the internet (Klamath Falls...

I am very close to finishing my book regarding The Stand at Klamath Falls and the crisis of 2001. Here is the cover art: (Note: In this post I am including the Introduction, the Acknowledgements, and the Epilogue for review and comment.. The book should be completed and to the printers by the 1st of February.) INTRODUCTION It has been almost five years since the memorable and pivotal events surrounding the struggle by farmers in the Klamath Basin of Oregon and California took place. Much has occurred since then that has overshadowed those events…but nothing can erase the importance of...

Court tosses Bush plan for Klamath water Water A federal judge says the irrigation plan for farmers doesn't help threatened fish Wednesday, October 19, 2005 MICHAEL MILSTEIN A federal appeals court on Tuesday threw out the Bush administration plan to deliver irrigation water to Klamath Basin farmers, saying it does not do enough for threatened coho salmon in the Klamath River. The ruling probably will mean more water must be shifted from farmers to fish in the basin's emotional tug of war over the precious resource. "This clearly could be a worse picture for us than what we had in...

A judge has ruled that coho salmon have been illegally listed as an endangered species, a victory that comes too late for the farmers of the Klamath River Basin and the families of four young firefighters. In the spring of 2001, the government ordered irrigation water cut off to 1,400 farms in southern Oregon and northern California to save suckerfish and salmon... [snip] Last week, federal judge Michael Hogan agreed with the Pacific Legal Foundation that the government violated the ESA when it failed to include hatchery fish in its assessment of the coho’s status. ...the Klamath community was practically...

Klamath River Salmon Protections Ruled Illegal: Federal Court Says Endangered Species Listing Of Klamath Coho Is Bogus Eugene,OR; January 13, 2005: Coho salmon in the Klamath River Basin region have been illegally listed under the Endangered Species Act as a threatened species, a federal judge declared yesterday. Ruling from the bench, Judge Michael Hogan agreed with Pacific Legal Foundation that the federal government violated the ESA when it failed to consider hatchery fish in its assessment of coho in southern Oregon and northern California rivers. ESA protection of coho in the Klamath River was a significant factor in the government’s...

Suckers hang around restored wetland Monday, November 8, 2004 1:34 PM PST By DYLAN DARLING MODOC POINT - Tiny juvenile suckers foraged this summer in a shallow bog that once served as a cow pasture beside Upper Klamath Lake. The appearance of the endangered fish was particularly rewarding for the Nature Conservancy, which bought the land and breached a dike to let lake water flow in and out of the parcel to create sucker habitat. "It is showing us that if we open up areas, they will use them," said John Crandall, the Klamath Basin fisheries ecologist for the Nature...

Screens accomplish at least one big goalPublished November 7, 2004 The new $16 million fish screens at the headgates on the A Canal apparently have done a job. They had two jobs to do, actually, and while we don't know if they've done both of them, they've certainly done one. In building the fish screens, the federal government has eliminated a source of contention between irrigators on the Klamath Reclamation Project and the Klamath Tribes, to whom the suckers are an important part of their religion and culture, and, historically, as food. Two species of the sucker have come under...

Native Americans demonstrating in Edinburgh yesterday Fish rotting in the Klamath river. The tribesmen are calling for fish ladders or other measures to allow salmon to move upstream. Picture: David Moir NATIVE Americans embroiled in a dispute with the energy company ScottishPower have pledged to take their case to the governor of the State of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger. The tribesmen were in Edinburgh yesterday to demonstrate at ScottishPower’s annual meeting. They say dams owned by a subsidiary of the company have damaged their fishing grounds. They publicly challenged the chief executive of ScottishPower, Ian Russell, to make a personal...

Legislators seek changes to Endangered Species Act KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. (AP) - A House subcommittee looking for ways to change the Endangered Species Act came to the Klamath Basin on Saturday, where irrigation water was cut off to 1,400 farms in 2001 to conserve water for threatened and endangered fish. "In 30 years, only seven species of 1,300 listed have been recovered, and those are mainly due to other conservation laws," said Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., chairman of the House Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power. "At the same time, communities across the West are stopped cold in their tracks...

I have created a public register of "bump lists" here on Free Republic. I define a bump list as a name listed in the "To" field used to index articles. Free Republic Bump List Register

Klamath water sketchy this year By John Driscoll The Times-Standard A National Research Council report on the Klamath River won't be ready until summer, and won't review two key studies related to the federal government's water policies. The council's report on the agency opinions that prompted the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to cut water to farms in 2001 is about to be sent out for peer review. That means it will be June or July before it's released. It won't review an important flow study, or a planned U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report on the causes behind a huge...

<p>SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Researchers at a government-funded science organization are investigating the possibility of burying up to 1 million metric tons (1.1 million tons) of carbon dioxide to help solve the problem of greenhouse gas emissions.</p> <p>Carbon dioxide is among the gasses emitted by burning fossil fuels that are blamed for global warming.</p>

Two days of talking fish: Klamath Fisheries Task Force hears agency reports By Christine Walters For the Times-Standard HARBOR, Ore. -- The Klamath River Basin Fisheries Task Force met in Bookings/Harbor for two days this week to hear reports from various agencies and groups regarding findings on the Klamath fish kill and possible land purchases for additional water storage, as well as updates on fishery restoration efforts. MaryEllen Mueller of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's California/Nevada office, said her agency is refocusing its efforts around the revitalization of the fisheries program. According to a December 2002 agency report, the...

WATER WARSSalmon killed by illegal drug activities?Journalist's findings challenge official explanation of cause of death Posted: February 22, 20031:00 a.m. Eastern By Sarah Foster© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com Recently uncovered evidence strongly suggests that the deaths of 33,000 salmon and steelhead trout during last September's fall run within 20 miles of the mouth of the Klamath River in northern California was not due simply to a lack of sufficient water, as claimed by a California state agency and environmentalists, but may have been caused by contamination from illicit drug manufacturing operations near rivers in the area. A second overlooked factor appears to have been...

Counties hit ruling on Trinity RiverPublished: February 18, 2003 By Laura Brown Triplicate staff writer Del Norte and Humboldt counties are asking Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton to appeal a judge's decision that could pose harm to Trinity and Klamath River fish. "It's a fiasco. These judges are next to God when it comes to making these decisions," said David Finigan, chairman of the Del Norte County Board of Supervisors. In identical letters, the neighboring counties ask Norton to appeal Judge Oliver Wanger's December ruling that fragmented a decision promising to return 47 percent of the Trinity River's flow....

Trinity County will support Klamath River suit By John Driscoll The Times-Standard Trinity County will join with Humboldt and Del Norte counties and other cities as a friend of the court in a lawsuit being waged against the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation over the bureau's Klamath River operations. The Trinity County Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 on Tuesday to support the lawsuit pressed by fishing and environmental groups. The lawsuit claims the bureau's operations violate the Endangered Species Act, and was refiled shortly after 33,000 salmon died on the Klamath River. About half of those fish were bound for the...

ESA Forum Exposes Keppen's Species' Recovery Plans and Kerr's Lack of FactsThe Bald Eagle Conference had Dan Keppen, executive director of Klamath Water Users Association, Andy Kerr, representing Oregon Natural Resources Council, Bob Davison from Wildlife Management Institute of Bend, and Kristen Berry, regional director of the National Audubon Society, as panel speakers Saturday Feb.15, at Mills Elementary School. Each speaker presented their views to over 70 people regarding the Endangered Species Act, then the panel was asked questions. Davidson and Barry both felt that the endangered species act needed to be strengthened. Davidson also advocated more communication and partnerships...

What caused salmon deaths? The Klamath Basin issue on the California-Oregon border, where water was held back from more than 1,400 farmers and ranchers in 2001, made national news. The water had been shut off when a court ruling based on the Endangered Species Act (ESA) forced farmers and ranchers to do without their irrigation water to protect sucker fish and threatened coho salmon. The water was eventually restored in 2002 after it was determined that the shutoff was unnecessary due to "insufficient scientific data as determined by the National Academy of Science." This region was left in economic chaos...

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. GRANTS PASS (AP) - The snowpack for the Klamath Basin is extremely sparse this winter, prompting water managers to prepare to ration water for farmers as well as fish, though not so much that it would require repeating the irrigation shutoffs of 2001. However, the Yurok Tribe warned that unless the federal irrigation system known as the Klamath Reclamation Project allows more water to flow down the Klamath River, there could be a repeat of last summer's fish kill that left 33,000 chinook salmon rotting on the banks. "If they implement...

<p>Like every politician in California, Gary Podesto knows water is a hot- button issue. So, as mayor of Stockton, he wants to make one thing very clear: He is not privatizing the city's water supply. Sure, the 60-year-old Republican believes in private enterprise; before entering politics six years ago, he grew rich operating a chain of discount grocery stores. But he also knows how amoral the marketplace can be.</p>

On May 19, 2002, Bush appointee Steve Williams, Director of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, ruled that there was no reason to reconsider the "endangered" listing for Klamath Basin suckers. He rejected the Congressional testimony of biologist David Vogel (hired by the Klamath Water Users Association) that either the listing was a fraud to begin with, or there had been a remarkable recovery. Government biologists couldn't find suckers in 1988, when they listed them, and yet in the 1990s, they counted hundreds of thousands of them. Six Klamath Basin residents challenged the Bush Administration's denial of their petition in...

COALITION OF AZ/NM COUNTIES ACTION ALERT PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS REQUEST TO SEND LETTERS TO MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WHICH IS DIFFERENT THAN THE PREVIOUS REQUEST THIS ACTION WILL TAKE YOU LESS THAN 5 MINUTES. PLEASE RESPOND!!!! Support the President's Healthy Forests Initiative by contacting your Congressional representatives. January 26, 2003 Advocates for President Bush' healthy forest reforms have indicated that additional support would be helpful from Congressional representatives. To assist in sending letters urging your own Congressional delegation to support these important initiatives, a simple click & send email letter is available at LandSense. All you need to do...

Clinton talks on the global economy at N.Y.U. Former President Bill Clinton called on an audience of students to prepare for a future when America will no longer be "the biggest dog on the street" at the keynote address Tuesday of a New York University forum on globalization. The current globalized world is not sustainable economically, politically or from a security vantage point, Clinton said at the second annual conference co-sponsored by New York University and the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation. Clinton spoke to an audience of about 450 students and guests. "On Sept. 11, 2001, members of...

<p>Apple growers along the Walla Walla in eastern Oregon and Washington have agreed to restore flows to that river, small farmers along the Rogue River in southern Oregon have agreed to take out a dam, and rice farmers have dug deep in their pockets to install fish screens on the South Yuba River in Northern California -- all in the interest of restoring stocks of wild fish.</p>

Bush administration ready to approve drilling inside national park... Developing...

San Francisco - On Friday, a report by the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) on the September Klamath River fish die-off was released to agencies. The CDFG report aims to assess why 33,000 Chinook salmon and other fish died of two diseases early this fall. Both sides are expected in an Oakland, California court Thursday, setting the stage for yet another battle of water rights for the Klamath Basin Farmers against the environmentalists. The CDFG report found that restricted fish passage and increased fish density are the likely triggers for the demise of part of this year's...

Thompson to use study to fight Klamath policy Farmers challenge state report that would restrict agriculture water access January 7, 2003 By SPENCER SOPER, THE PRESS DEMOCRAT A state study that says more than 30,000 fish died last fall in the Klamath River largely because too much water was diverted to farms upstream is being used by Rep. Mike Thompson to push legislation that would restrict the amount of river water used for agriculture. But farmers in Northern California, Oregon and the federal agency that manages Klamath water have challenged the report, which was done by the California Department of...

TimesUnion.com NY Klamath River Recreation Use Studied By JOHN HEILPRIN, Associated Press Last updated: 7:56 p.m., Friday, November 1, 2002 WASHINGTON -- Returning water to the Klamath River for recreational users would reap more economic benefits than diverting it for farmers, loggers and hydropower producers, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Earlier this year Interior Secretary Gale Norton ordered the diversion of water from the river straddling the California-Oregon state line. The USGS report puts the economic value of outdoor pursuits such as fishing and boating along the Klamath and its major tributaries at $4.3 billion annually. However, $4 billion...

From: Kehn Gibson (Reporter with Klamath Falls Herald and News) Sent: Friday, October 25, 2002 9:26 PM Subject: North from New Mexico (On the Sawgrass Caravan) Hey Folks, A crisp sunlight greeted us this morning as we pulled out of a small motel about 10 miles north of Albuquerque. We will head northwest on a small highway recommended by a local truck driver that will take us into the southeast corner of Utah. Highway 550 winds up through a valley connected to the Rio Grande River. Ancient pueblos squat on rimrock mesas high above the valley floor, where cattle graze...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sawgrass Rebellion protesters arrive in state capital Thursday, October 17, 2002 By MICHAEL PELTIER, mpeltier1234@comcast.net TALLAHASSEE — Property rights advocates brought their "Bucket Brigade" to the state capitol Wednesday, the latest stop in a cross-country protest that travels to Naples today or Friday. Two weeks after leaving their homes in Klamath Falls, Ore, road-weary members of the Sawgrass Rebellion brought their message and symbols to Tallahassee to protest state and federal efforts to restore portions of the Florida Everglades by flooding lands now containing homes or used for agriculture. They were joined by an Ohio farmer who likewise traveled...

Just talkied to the convoy via land line. The energy level is vary high. They are on the way to Fort Meyers and have recieved word that the Lt. Governer is going to make a speech. Their may be a surprise in store. Roll on - roll on. God speed!!!

On Oct. 17, 18 and 19, South Florida residents and their allies will get their turn to speak out against extremist environmentalism and runaway bureaucracy -- and here's your chance to help! "Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated" .We are solid, and as of today,Oct. 3 , after a Property Rights Action Committee (PRAC) meeting with several Collier County FL officials we finally PERMITTED ! The caravans are rolling and we are ready. ~ Jay Walley The Sawgrass Rebellion, Florida's version of the Sagebrush Rebellion of the late 1970s, is coming. At this time, two multi-state convoys, one...

Grange A Major Player In The Sawgrass RebellionThe California State Grange is positioning itself as a major participant in the Property Rights war between preservationists and conservationists. State President Leo Bergeron has stated that the Grange must be true to its roots, and to do that, it must once again be ready to fight the forces that would curtail the rights of the individual to own and to utilize their property as guaranteed by the U. S. Constitution. "The Grange was formed 135 years ago to preserve agriculture in this country," he said.. "Today, the Grange is taking steps to...

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Quenching the planet's growing thirst will be a gigantic task, with some experts warning that whole regions are in danger of drying up with catastrophic consequences for their impoverished populations. Water was the focus of the Earth Summit on Wednesday, with developing countries pushing for a global target on sanitation to complement the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of halving the proportion of people without access to clean drinking water by 2015. South Africa is leading the charge to have a similar target hammered out for sanitation, but there is opposition on this score, notably from the United...

JOHNSONS -- The Klamath River here is much as it has been for decades. And that's the problem. Thrust into the limelight last year, the river enjoyed a glimpse of attention from the federal government. That is, according to some, the federal government recognized that there is in fact a lower river, and that farming around the river's headwaters, Upper Klamath Lake, isn't the whole equation. But once those farmers had their water cut off last year to ensure some for fish, protests and their savvy New York public relations firm quickly stole back the limelight. A Senate bill that...

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) recently released its draft policy on how to treat hatchery fish when administering the Endangered Species Act.  Hatchery fish are a problem for the agency, because if one takes account of hatchery fish in assessing extinction risk, there are no endangered salmon in the Pacific Northwest.  Hatchery populations aren't about to go extinct, even with the bad management that prevails.   Many Northwesterners suffering under the dead hand of federal land management took heart almost a year ago when U.S. District Judge Hogan told NMFS its anti-hatchery discrimination was unlawful.  But the Regional Administrator of NMFS,...

Bush administration releases rules for Everglades restoration Wednesday, July 24, 2002 By JILL BARTON, Associated Press WEST PALM BEACH — The Bush administration released federal regulations Tuesday governing the 25-year Everglades restoration project, setting out how the natural flow of water will be restored after being drained and rechanneled for decades. The regulations call for creating reservoirs for drinking water, removing canals and levees to restore the water's natural flow and creating wells to capture the huge amounts of groundwater seeping away into the Atlantic Ocean. Thousands of acres of wetlands also will be established around rivers and estuaries for...

Sawgrass Rebellion Launched... The Transformation of Florida The Wildlands Project targeted Florida as a priority state to transform into its vision of wilderness, more than ten years ago. The three maps show Florida in 1992 as 90-percent privately owned, and only 10-percent owned by government (represented in green). When the transformation is complete, 90-percent will be owned by the government, with only 10-percent remaining in private hands. The center map shows what the Wildlands Project expected the government/private land distribution to be in 2002. They were pretty accurate in their projections. If the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan is imposed,...

Kitzhaber Tours Fire Scenes, Guardsmen Arrive 07/22/2002 By kgw.com and AP Staff updated @ 3:20 p.m. Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, conducting an aerial tour of Oregon's wildfires Monday afternoon, praised a group of property owners for taking steps to keep their homes from burning in the midst of the devastating Squire Peak Fire. Not one home around the community of Ruch was lost in the fire, although four outbuildings were destroyed. That fire was now 95 percent contained. Gov. Kitzhaber talks with folks in Ruch about fire conditions. (KGW Photo) Kitzhaber also said this year's early and devastating fires show...

Jarbidge Shovel Brigade members are planning a cross-country convoy to southern Florida this fall to support agricultural producers who say they are being swamped out by the federal government. The local brigade will team up with Klamath Bucket Brigade and volunteers from Ohio to lead a fund-raising auction similar to one that helped raise money for farmers in Oregon's Klamath Basin last year. Brigade members say the problem in Dade County is similar to those in Elko and Klamath because it involves placing the needs of endangered species above man's property rights. But Shovel Brigade attorney Grant Gerber said farmers...

Big-city politician takes aim at leases 7/16/02 By RYAN HARPER Klamath Falls Herald and News A Democratic congressman from Portland planned to introduce legislation today that would limit agriculture on a portion of the lease lands in the Tule Lake and Lower Klamath national wildlife refuges. Some local interests say the measure could do more harm than good. Earl Blumenauer, who represents Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District, is offering an amendment to the Interior appropriations bill that would prevent alfalfa and row crops from being grown on lands whose leases expire this year. It would also prevent chemical use on those...

GRANTS PASS, Ore. -- Less water than predicted is flowing into the main reservoir of the Klamath Reclamation Project, leading the government yesterday to begin cutting back flows for salmon in the Klamath River and warn farmers they could be next.The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation called on the 1,400 farms on the 230,000 acres served by the federal irrigation project straddling the Oregon-California border to begin conserving water, warning that they could face cutbacks if it gets worse.Farmers said they expected to be able to conserve enough to get through the year, but conservationists and Indian tribes said the tight...