In an effort to generate informed comments on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s proposal to trap Klamath River fish and drive them around the dams upstream, the Northcoast Environmental Center will present speakers, a film, a question-and-answer session and a letter-writing session at NEC headquarters, 575 H St., Arcata, on Friday at 6 p.m.

Featured speakers at the teach-in include Craig Tucker from the Karuk Tribe, local fisheries biologist Pat Higgins and river restoration advocate Petey Brucker. The new film “Solving the Klamath Crisis,” produced by the Klamath Salmon Media Collaborative, will also be shown.

FERC’s trap-and-haul proposal was part of the recommended alternative in a Draft Environmental Impact Statement released in late September, an NEC news release stated. Klamath tribes, fishermen and environmental groups such as the NEC have criticized that document as legally inadequate and biologically insupportable.

“FERC’s DEIS fails to analyze removal of four dams, fails to acknowledge the importance of salmon as a cultural resource and fails to put forward any meaningful changes that would bring about real river restoration,” NEC acting Director Susan Penn said.

This year, dangerous levels of toxic algae bloomed above the dams, which block more than 100 miles of spawning habitat for salmon, degrade water quality and don’t allow high waters to scour the lower reaches of the river, she said. If re-licensed, Iron Gate, Copco I, Copco II and J.C. Boyle dams will stand for another 50 years, further damaging the already weakened river system.

FERC has scheduled a public hearing for Nov. 16 at the Eureka Red Lion Hotel at 7 p.m. The NEC and other groups will be across the hall from the hearing, starting at 5 p.m., with information on the Klamath River, the dams and FERC’s DEIS.

Written comments on the DEIS will be received until Dec. 1. A final EIS on new licenses for the Klamath dams is expected in January. For more information, visit www.yournec.org.