No
one has mentioned any of the residents of this area, asked what their opinions
are, how it's going to affect them? How about the entire county of
Siskiyou? This action is not only going to affect our lives, our
property values, businesses, the economic growth of our county and
surrounding counties, but it will devastate an entire eco-system that has
been established and flourishing for nearly 100 years. Copco dam
was built in 1917, the fish haven't been home in 89 years, and according to
records they were never past Copco Marsh before the dams. But
regardless, the damage was done when the dams were put in, we can't change
that fact, but how can the environmentalists and the Indians justify the
killing of an eco-system here now, and the destruction of their own county.
Sorry, we all live here, it's not always about you!!!
The blue green algae issue was thrown around so much in the
press this summer that some of us thought we were turning
green. This was purely a political attack to try and weaken the powers
above. It's no wonder PacifiCorp is so tired fighting the battle with
these people; they certainly get annoying. But this is what they want
to do.
The residents of the Klamath Basin and of Iron Gate, Copco
Lake, and on up the river are tired of other people telling us what to do.
We like our power rates as they are. The California grid is strained
enough. We want to keep our homes, property, businesses, and lakes and
river the way they are today. Without these lakes we have no fire
control at all in Northern California. These lakes have saved many
families and their homes from great losses. You know the river floods
every winter and trickles in the summer, it is written. You know the
fish aren't going to go home unless you plant them. Why keep doing
this?
There is proof that the river is not killing the fish.
Rather bacteria and disease are. There are fixes to every thing that
is broken but why don't we hear about them? It's all about the money
and what they have to gain.
It boils down to: They used bad science with the
Spotted Owl and who took care of al the hundreds of people affected by that?
The businesses lost? The towns that closed? We did, the tax
payers. So this time, use good science and look forward not back.
Who's going to compensate the entire county and it's residents and
businesses when we lose all the tourism that helps this community flourish?
When we lose property and home values? Our tax dollars?
To all the environmentalists and Indians and any other guy
who wants to join in on the Battle of the Dams, come on over. There
are 44,000 people in Siskiyou County and 26,000 in the surrounding areas all
sharing the power we have from PacifiCorp and these dams. How many of
them are you? The residents of Iron Gate Copco Lake and the Klamath
River all plan on staying on for the long haul. We won't give up the
fight.
You know what our committee has said more than once? We
wish the press and the reporters would print less off the Associated Press
and maybe do some homework to check the validity of the stories they are
printing. The bad press that the Klamath has taken has been extremely
one sided and full of untruths.
The environmentalists and the Indians say send a letter?
OK! How about one to save the dams!!!!!!!!!
K. Walden
Iron Gate Lake
Hornbrook, CA
