Stakeholder Information

November 7-9 - "Sustainable Watersheds Bring Sustainable Communities"

Basin-wide watershed conferences have been held in the Klamath River Watershed for nearly ten years. In 2001 and 2004, large-scale Watershed Conferences were successfully held in Arcata, CA and Klamath Falls, OR respectively to increase basin-wide collaboration by bringing together the different entities to discuss unresolved questions about what the problems and solutions are in the Klamath Basin. These conferences brought diverse communities together, focusing on what we know while encouraging change where possible. In addition, these conferences acknowledged existing accomplishments and built upon them by encouraging broader awareness and participation from stakeholders throughout the basin.

Since the Klamath Basin Water Crisis of 2001, there have been a series of discussion-based meetings throughout the watershed from the headwaters of the Williamson and Sprague Rivers in Oregon to the mouth of the Klamath River in Klamath, California. These stakeholder meetings have brought together a diverse group of people including farmers and ranchers, tribal members, commercial fishermen, environmental groups, government employees, county commissioners and congressional representatives. Working together on issues surrounding water rights, watershed restoration, water quality, tribal rights, commercial fishing regulations, fish habitat, and water allocation and flows, participants have expressed the crucial need to reach consensus.

Recent decisions surrounding the selective closure of commercial salmon fisheries off the Klamath coast and total in-river sport fish closure will have widespread impacts on economics throughout the basin that will, again, induce social complications amongst stakeholders. The key to aiding this long-term problem is to solve the water management conflicts in the Klamath River basin. The solutions are multi-faceted and long term and include numerous state and federal agencies, complicated economic interests, twelve sub-watershed, ten counties, four tribes, two states and tens of thousands of vested stakeholders.

The event at the Holiday Inn (Hilltop DR) Redding, open to all stakeholders, and will integrate what we know about our unique watershed and what we know about communication, conflict and communities with past knowledge presented at other conferences (2001 and 2004). Tribal and sub-basin committees will be invited to report and display needs, successes and creative approaches to restoration in their regions with the intent to collaborate with others in the watershed. Ultimately, participants will be coming together to create visions for resolving water issues that would facilitate restoration and sustainability of the river and all the communities involved. The existence of a movement to sustainability would allow for external funding to penetrate the basin to help us work towards solutions.

The conference will consist of three themed sessions. These sessions will be: 1.) We Are One Basin, 2.) Progress in the Basin, and 3.) Moving Towards Sustainability.

The anticipated 250 attendees will participate in group sessions, panel discussions and interactive activities led by a facilitator/moderator. Cultural and science displays with an integrated vision will be also exhibited.

Info regarding 2006 Klamath Basin Watershed Conference can be found at this webpage: extension.oregonstate.edu/klamath/watershedconference06/