January 1, 2006
Klamath Falls Herald and News Editorial
In the end, it's always all about water hereabouts.
At 4,100 feet above sea level and in the shadow of the Cascade Range, the Klamath Basin has long been defined by its geography, the high desert at the northwest corner of the Basin and Range province that spreads over much of the interior West.
Struggle over Basin water that made national news in 2001 continues.
Part of that geography is the moisture pattern. Most of the water that eventually goes through the Basin comes in the winter, as the ocean currents feed warm tropical air from the south. As that air collides with colder, northern air, it condenses and drops moisture.
In the summer and shoulder seasons, of course, the weather patterns revert to the norm in the Basin, which means nearly endless stretches of sunny days.
It appears that for a spell, though, the Basin is in for it, along with much of the rest of the West Coast. The current storms are as bad as anything we've seen in recent years, and everybody should take precautions. Don't risk driving through flooded roads and streets. Check the Web cams if you're thinking of taking a mountain pass. Monitor the basement and the drainpipes as best you can.
Know, though, that the storms are bringing moisture to the mountains. Already, at year's end, the snowpack in the Klamath and Lake county region is above average. This is an encouraging sign - although much the same thing happened last year, and then the snowpack melted too early.
This is not academic in the Basin, and never will be, even in a Basin that begins to look more like the retirement havens north and west of us. Our geography defines our agriculture - a brief growing seasons that limits agriculture mostly to staples such as beef, hay, potatoes and onions, with some small grains on the side and, for garnish, some horseradish and a bit of spearmint. And it is that geography that gave rise in recent years to a struggle over water that continues with no less force even though the region is well past the crisis year of 2001.
In the beginning, then, of a new year, let us endure the rains and hope that they pile the mountains thick with snow, to melt gently and bless the place in the spring. At the least, it's one thought to get us through a rough patch at mid-winter.
Tim Fought wrote today's editorial, which represents the view of the Herald and News editorial board.