|
Become a friend of the Klamath Bucket Brigade All donations are tax deductible |
|
This Website is Dedicated to Alvin Alexander Cheyne January 10, 1921 - June 17, 2005 |
Plan sets course for fish
 |
|
Photo courtesy U.S. Geological Survey A trio of Lost River suckers photographed underwater at Sucker Springs, along the southeast side of Upper Klamath Lake. |
Effort aims to rebuild endangered sucker population
By LEE JUILLERAT
H&N Regional Editor
One, allowing the two fish species to completely die
off, is unacceptable.
That’s why Sada is heading up a team of researchers to focus on the second, trying to rebuild fish populations that were once a major food source for Klamath Tribes members.
“The agencies want to know what we need to do to get them off the list,” Sada explained during an open house meeting on a sucker recovery plan started earlier this year.
That’s why Sada is heading up a team of researchers to focus on the second, trying to rebuild fish populations that were once a major food source for Klamath Tribes members.
“The agencies want to know what we need to do to get them off the list,” Sada explained during an open house meeting on a sucker recovery plan started earlier this year.
 |
| Sada |
Recovery team members were stationed
around a conference room of the Shilo Inn last week to
provide updates on findings they and others have
gathered since a previous recovery plan was written in
1993. The timetable calls for having a revised plan
written, reviewed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
and released late next year for public review.
“This will be a guidance document. It is not something set in stone,” explained Sada, an aquatic biologist with the Desert Research Institute.
Sada was hired as the recovery plan project manager because of his 30-plus years of work on fisheries and other recovery plans.
“It’s a lot of fun to teach people about what’s going on,” he said. He’s optimistic because of successes he’s seen with other sucker species, including Pyramid Lake in Nevada.
“We haven’t figured out what we need to do here. That’s part of the process,” he said emphasizing the collected information goes to stakeholders groups as diverse as private landowners, tribes, state and federal agencies, water users and environmentalists.
“Having a recovery plan is a good thing. The devil is in the details,” said Dave Solem, Klamath Irrigation District manager, representing water users and irrigators on the stakeholders group.
Solem, who was involved with the original 1993 recovery plan, said the stakeholders are scheduled to meet four times before a proposed plan is released in about a year.
“This will be a guidance document. It is not something set in stone,” explained Sada, an aquatic biologist with the Desert Research Institute.
Sada was hired as the recovery plan project manager because of his 30-plus years of work on fisheries and other recovery plans.
“It’s a lot of fun to teach people about what’s going on,” he said. He’s optimistic because of successes he’s seen with other sucker species, including Pyramid Lake in Nevada.
“We haven’t figured out what we need to do here. That’s part of the process,” he said emphasizing the collected information goes to stakeholders groups as diverse as private landowners, tribes, state and federal agencies, water users and environmentalists.
“Having a recovery plan is a good thing. The devil is in the details,” said Dave Solem, Klamath Irrigation District manager, representing water users and irrigators on the stakeholders group.
Solem, who was involved with the original 1993 recovery plan, said the stakeholders are scheduled to meet four times before a proposed plan is released in about a year.
 |
| Dunsmoor |
Larry Dunsmoor, a senior aquatics biologist for Klamath
Tribes and recovery team member, said the sucker program
is connected to the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement.
“This is one part of the agreement,” he said, noting open-ended relationships between different user groups are critical in solving sucker and other water-related issues. “I can see an enormous amount of progress in the key ingredient, that’s the relationship involving the groups of people involved in the efforts.”
“One of the foundational causes of all the disagreement is the condition of the ecosystem,” Dunsmoor said. “Because we’ve been fighting each other, we don’t get around to fixing things. This is one little step along the way. Just think what could happen if people would work together.”
“This is one part of the agreement,” he said, noting open-ended relationships between different user groups are critical in solving sucker and other water-related issues. “I can see an enormous amount of progress in the key ingredient, that’s the relationship involving the groups of people involved in the efforts.”
“One of the foundational causes of all the disagreement is the condition of the ecosystem,” Dunsmoor said. “Because we’ve been fighting each other, we don’t get around to fixing things. This is one little step along the way. Just think what could happen if people would work together.”
Side Bar
Habitat
changes
Major habitat changes in Upper Klamath Lake since 1900 include:
The draining of near-shore wetlands, habitat used for larval and juvenile rearing, feeding and protection. Although the average lake depth is still 8 feet, there has been a loss of extensive shorelines and upstream wetlands.
Water quality degradation that adversely affects all life stages of suckers.
Lake elevation fluctuations that limit access to lake spawning areas and rearing habitat. Until construction of the Link River Dam, the seasonal fluctuation was 2-1/2 feet; it is now 5 feet.
Upstream watershed changes — such as the recently removed Chiloquin Dam, stream channel degradation, and nutrient runoff from grazing, timber and farming.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted
material herein is distributed without profit or payment to those who have
expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit
research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml