Eureka Times Standard Opinion

My Word by Clifford Lyle Marshall

The Bureau of Reclamation held a press conference at Lewiston Dam on May 10, to commemorate the first day of the full flows of the Trinity River under the 2000 Record of Decision (ROD). As chairman of the Hoopa Valley Tribe, I thank the Department of Interior for honoring a promise made by Congress 50 years ago. That promise was to leave enough water in the Trinity River to provide for the fishery.

The ROD flows have not come easy. They come after 40 years of devastating water diversions, 20 years of cooperative studies for a restoration plan; and then four years of litigation to allow the full flows promised by Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt.

The tribe appreciates the Department of Interior's support for implementation of the ROD, but we also know the challenge to restore the Trinity River is not over. Water is only part of the restoration formula. We must ensure federal appropriations for restoration work are sufficient, and build a bipartisan effort to find resources to meet the long-term restoration needs of both the Trinity and Klamath Rivers.

The decline in the Trinity River's fishery has probably concerned the Hoopa Valley Tribe more than some because the river bisects the ancestral area where our people have lived for 10,000 years. The river and its fish are part of our environment, sustenance and culture. Indeed, the health of the Trinity River is directly linked to our tribe's continued survival and well being. That is why we have fought so hard to restore the Trinity River during a quarter century of bureaucracy, studies and litigation.

The sad history of the theft of Trinity River water began when California's thirsty Central Valley decided crops were more important than fish. In 1955, California Congressman Clair Engle promised, "not one bucketful of water which is necessary to this (Trinity River) watershed," would be diverted until the needs of the river's fishery were satisfied. Despite these assurances the bureau has diverted up to 90 percent of the river's water in some of the years since diversions began in l964. The river's fishery became subservient to Central Valley Project agriculture and hydro power users.

The tribe understands the demand for water in California is insatiable, so it is imperative that restoration of the Trinity River be successful. The tribe feels the best protection against water raids on the Trinity River ROD will be a strong federal commitment to flows and river restoration work. This year's flows will hopefully encourage continued bipartisan support for non-flow restoration measures like the mainstem channel restoration work.

This type of work is critical to creating and maintaining the fish habitat. For this reason the Hoopa Valley Tribe continues to advocate that Congress provide the necessary funds to implement the Trinity ROD.

In the long run the Hoopa Valley Tribe understands we are connected to, and must be part of, the efforts to restore the Klamath/Trinity river system. It does not make sense to rob water from one of these rivers to head off a fish kill in the other. The administration must move beyond this political "emergency response" methodology of water management in the Klamath/Trinity River Basin.

Long-range adaptive management practices demand a more proactive model of collaboratively addressing water needs throughout Northern California and Southern Oregon.

Clifford Lyle Marshall is chairman of the Hoopa Valley Tribe.

The opinions expressed in this My Word piece do not necessarily reflect the editorial viewpoint of the Times-Standard.