Rebuttal to “Fish vs. Farms”

by Bob Gasser

Dear Editor:

Don Roberts, author of the recent article “Fish vs. Farms” should consider a new title. For instance:  “How to Write An Article Without Facts”, or  “What do Facts Have to do with a Fishing Article?” or maybe, “Here is What Lazy Journalism Will Get You”.

Don could not even get the basic facts right. The water cutoff to the farms was in 2001, not 2000.

Don said the farmers had a fit of civil disobedience, and were ruthless in their efforts. Desperate, yes…ruthless? That is ridiculous. The farm communities lost a way of life and a way to put food on the table for their kids in one day—no way to make house payments, pay food bills, school bills, etc.—everything lost in one day.

The farm communities did put on many rallies and participated in some mild civil disobedience, which amounted to opening up one headgate for part of a day. No one was hurt and no property was destroyed. The sheriff’s department noted that after every rally the street was cleaner after the gathering than it was prior to the event.

Investigative reporting is obviously not Don’s strong suit.  He said we were irrigating a desert. If he would have called anyone in the Basin, he would have found out that we farm two former shallow lakes.  Two thirds of those lakes were drained and that water was stored in Upper Klamath Lake or sent down Klamath River in the form of higher flows.  He would have also found out that there is an extra 200,000-400,000 acre foot of water in the water shed to be used for higher lake levels or river flows because these two lakes had no outlet.  The water just evaporated, so now farming uses less water than standing water that evaporated.

Don said we live off of subsidies…subsidies…subsidies. The facts: (scary word for Don) there is only one subsidy in the Klamath Basin and that is for grain and applies only when the farmer gets less than the price of production.  That way the general public can buy bread cheaper.

Don said that there is not enough water to sustain farms.  Fact:  With wise use, there is plenty of water for suckers, salmon, wildlife refuges and farms. However, government regulations are negatively affecting wise use policy. For instance, the current biological opinion as required by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) calls for static, high flows down Klamath River year around. 

A healthy river needs low flows at times and high flushing flows at times just as Mother Nature intended.  But the NOAA flows chart is turning the Klamath River into a canal with very little variation.  Even during rain events, we still are required to ship the flows that were set 1-11 months ago. It would be much wiser to store that water for a better use later.

Don said the fish die off of 33,000 fish in 2002 was unconscionable and preventable.  For once he was right. But he blamed the farmers when the blame should have gone to NOAA.  Don should know this if he did any research at all about salmon.  The water temperature in Klamath Lake at the time of the fish die off was around 75-80 degrees.  Temperatures above 62 degrees are harmful to salmon.  Don said if we ship more lethal hot water down the river that it would help the salmon.  Perhaps he would like them to have a quicker death.

Klamath Lake is a shallow lake.  It always gets hot and stagnant in the late summer.  This has been going on well before the farmers showed up.  It is documented that when the US Cavalry arrived in the mid 1800’s that they would not let their horses drink out of Klamath Lake because the water was so stagnant.

Don’s theory is: more water…better conditions for fish. This is not always true.  In mid to late summer the temperature in Klamath Lake is above 62 degrees.  At that time NOAA should cut back the water releases from Klamath Lake and let the majority of the water in Klamath River come from the springs and natural seepage into the river. That water is cold and clean, in total contrast to the high temperature water from Klamath Lake . 

Don forgot to mention that the fish die off occurred 200 miles downstream from Klamath Lake and less than 20 miles from the ocean.  How can the farmer get 100% of the blame?

People like Don seem to forget that the only reason there is extra water in Klamath Lake for higher river flows is because of the Klamath Project’s ability to store water. Prior to the dam being built for the Klamath Project, after the spring run off, only very low flows came out of Klamath Lake into Klamath River . Mother Nature was not very generous.

Don claims that the farming community made no attempts to rectify the problems, seek solutions or compromise. Does Don know that over the last twelve years over 22,000 acres have been taken out of agricultural production to be converted to wetlands?  Does he know that the Klamath Water Users Association (KWUA) had the first sucker recovery plan created over twelve years ago?  KWUA has long recommended the removal of Chiloquin Dam to improve sucker habitat and has completed many restoration projects.  Does Don know that in 1994 and 2001 (the year that farms got no water) that the farm communities made sure that the Tulelake Fish and Wildlife refuge system got water in the fall?  Of course Don does not know these things. Remember that he has not been to Klamath Basin and has not asked anyone personally involved.

Don said that a sixth grader could tell you that increased flows reduce temperature while also diluting the pesticides, fertilizer and animal waste.  My sixth grader tells me that sending more hot water from Klamath Lake will make the river hotter not colder.  Unless Don can make water into wine or magically change hot water to cold water…adding more hot water from Klamath Lake is not the solution.

My sixth grader also tells me that since 99% of the farming is done below Klamath Lake that pesticides and fertilizer can not get into Klamath River unless water can run uphill.  By the way, after the water flows through the agricultural lands and before the return water gets to Tulelake Wildlife Refuge, the water is cleaner and colder than water directly from Klamath Lake .  This water has been tested many times with the same result. What did we learn here?  My sixth grader is way smarter than Don’s sixth grader…or perhaps my sixth grader actually did his own home work.

Don’s next myth: Farmers got $129 per acre in 2001 in the form of a disaster payment when normally a farmer only makes $35 per acre—a real windfall for the farmer, right?? Wrong. In the first place, normal land rent is $150-$300 per acre, then one must consider fixed payments on equipment, house, land and water. Tell me again, Don-- how many farmers made money that year?

Don said the farmers get tax breaks in maintenance, operation costs, petroleum, chemicals, and fertilizers so they can inundate the landscape. To respond to these ludicrous fabrications would take too much time. Where are his facts?? He has none.

Don said that the Klamath Basin is made up of corporately owned industrial style ag operations. In truth, the Basin farm community consists of small independent agri-businessmen.  I know of only one corporately owned farm in the Klamath Basin .

Tulelake , California was settled by WWII veterans who won their farm parcels in a government lottery by having their names pulled out of a pickle jar.  Many of their descendants still farm those parcels.  Another Klamath Basin community, Malin , Oregon , was settled by a Czechoslovakian group of immigrants and many of their children still farm in the area. By the way, my great grandfather was one of the original Czech scouts that picked the area around Malin to settle because of the water supply.  Merrill , Oregon began as an Irish community. Many of us are 4^th and 5^th generation descendants of those early pioneers. Maybe Don should come and meet some of these great Americans who work hard to help feed the world.

Don said that the Klamath Marsh and the complex of wildlife refuges and federal lands belong to all of us.  In that statement, he is absolutely right.

We all need to work together to make this world a better place to live. The only way to do this is to base solutions on good science, common sense and truth. Just imagine how much we could accomplish if money was spent on restoration projects instead of frivolous lawsuits and if time could be spent productively instead of responding to ridiculous articles without an ounce of truth.

A final personal invitation to Don—

The next time you write an article about my community, come and visit us personally. I’ll give you a tour of this great project and introduce you to some wonderful people.

Sincerely,

Bob Gasser

PO Box 452

Merrill , OR   97633