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 This Website is Dedicated to

 Alvin Alexander Cheyne

January 10, 1921 - June 17, 2005

 

 

 

      

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Our Mission Statement:   Promote individual and property rights that are vital to the safety, social and economic well-being of the United States.  

 

What's In The News:  

 

October 11, 2008 - "Oregon's review of its land-use planning system must move quickly if it is to produce a package of meaningful recommendations for the Legislature that convenes in January. We wish the 10 task force members well as they sort through responses from their first round of regional meetings that concluded in early October.  The job is even more daunting should the task force take to heart the message Southern Oregon orchardist Dave Lowry delivered two weeks ago. Lowry urged that, rather than stick with policy that "protects" farmland, Oregon ought to adopt policies that promote high-value farming."  Read more from Thursday's Capital Press Editorial Prosperity before protection. 

 

Articles Posted Today:

 

Klamath River Basin Issues:

Michael Pollan, New York Times:  The Food Issue: An open letter to the next Farmer in Chief  Oct 8, 2008 

Capital Press Editorial:  Prosperity before protection  Oct 9, 2008 

ESA News:

Kierán Suckling, Executive Director, Center for Biological Diversity:  Stop Dirk Kempthorn from gutting the endangered species act!  Oct 10, 2008 

 

Water in the West: 

New West:  Guzzling the West’s Water  Oct 9, 2008

Voice of San Diego:  What Water Rationing Will Look Like  Oct 9, 2008

National Examiner:  (Colorado) Conference on Managing Drought and Climate Risk   Oct 9, 2008

National Examiner:  (Colorado) Governor's Conference on Managing Drought and Climate Risk: Day 2  Oct 10, 2008

Pueblo Chieftain:  State refines its drought response plan  Oct 10, 2008

National Examiner:  (Colorado) Governor's Conference on Managing Drought and Climate Risk: Day 3  Oct 11, 2008

 

Important Reading:

 

October 9, 2008 - Purple-skinned potatoes?  To create a new variety of potato, Oregon State University Extension Service researchers select plants that have desirable qualities such as pigmentation, smooth skin and known pest resistance. The plants are crossbred to encourage new genetic make-ups in seeds.  Potatoes with a purple pigment may have high levels of antioxidants but will it make a good potato chip?  Read more from today's Klamath Falls Herald and News article Potatoes show different colors - OSU researchers experiment with ways to improve potato crops.

 

Articles Posted Today:

 

Klamath River Basin Issues:

Current Movie Reviews:  Upstream Battle (Hoopa, Yurok, Karuk and Klamath)  Oct 9, 2008

 

Important Reading:

Pacific Legal Foundation Press Release:  PLF challenges unwarranted polar bear listing -California Cattlemen's Association et al. v. Kempthorne  Oct 3, 2008

Pacific Legal Foundation Press Release:  Ninth Circuit rules on conservation groups' standing  Oct 8, 2008

Seattle Post-Intelligencer:   Salmon Case Can Move Forward in Federal Court  Oct 9, 2008

Washington Post:  NOAA, Court Focus On Marine Mammals  Oct 9, 2008

 

October 8, 2008 - Back on September 20th, Oregon Senator Doug Whitsett, during his "On the Floor" commentary on Klamath Falls radio station KFLS discussed the placement of the 2001 Bucket in front of the Klamath County Government Building on Main Street.  Senator Whitsett stated, "That bucket is a symbol that we remember the government oppression that directly caused the economic and ecological devastation of our community by denying the Klamath Project water for irrigation in 2001. 

 

That bucket is a monument to those who lost their businesses, their livelihoods, and a few their lives from the stress of that government assault on private property.  That bucket is a sign that all our communities joined together in peaceful civil disobedience in response to that tyranny."  Read more from The Rhetoric of the Bucket. 

 

Note from Webmaster:  The Klamath Bucket Brigade gave this bucket to all of the people of Klamath County in August of 2001.

 

Recommended reading today is Bob St. Louis' History of the Jarbidge, Nevada, Area where he chronicles the history of the South Canyon of the Jarbidge River, from the perspective of the on and off relationship between the federal government and the local residents.  It is not intended to be a thorough study of the history of this part of Nevada, but rather a detailed introduction into how the role of the federal government has been transformed from the “government of the people, by the people” to a self-serving entity that disregards the interests, and laws, of the local citizenry.

 

Articles Posted Today:

 

Klamath River Basin Issues:

Oregon Senator Doug Whitsett:  The Rhetoric of the Bucket  Sept 20, 2008

Siskiyou Daily News:  (Klamath) Salmon Season  Oct 7, 2008

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Press Release:  Anglers reminded to know their salmon species  Oct 7, 2008

Oregon State University:  You say potato, I say potato tour  Oct 8, 2008

 

ESA News:

Reuters:  One in four mammals risks extinction  Oct 6, 2008

Center for Biological Diversity Press Release:  Polar Bear Critical Habitat to be Designated  Oct 6, 2008

 

Climate Change - Global Warming:

Denver Rocky Mountain News:  Report chronicles effect of climate change on Colorado  Oct 7, 2008 

 

Important Reading:

Vancouver,BC The Province:  Pacific salmon a threatened species, scientists say  Oct 6, 2008

Bob St. Louis:  History of the Jarbidge, Nevada, Area  Oct 7, 2008

Forecast Earth:  Cutting junipers can bring back water supply  Oct 7, 2008

 

October 6, 2008 - Today's Klamath Falls Herald and News covers the economy and how it has affected farmers and ranchers in the Upper Klamath Basin.

 

Check out the past week's Klamath River Basin USGS Flow Graphs.  Fall rain has increased all the flows to either normal or above normal for this time of year.

 

Articles Posted Today:

 

Klamath River Basin Issues: 

Herald and News:  Cutting costs comes in variety of changes  Oct 6, 2008

Herald and News:  Farmers express uncertainty about the future  Oct 6, 2008

Times-Standard:  Crucial Klamath hearings set  Oct 6, 2008

 

Water in the West:

Denver Post:  Current affairs on state water  Oct 5, 2008 

AP:  Rancher protects watershed  Oct 5, 2008

 

Important Reading:

Nevada Appeal:  Cheney touts administration record on conservation  Oct 4, 2008 

Michael Shaw:  Liberty or Sustainable Development - Part 8  Oct 5, 2008

Joan Veon:  World Government is Not Coming, It's Here!  Oct 6, 2008 

Denver Rocky Mountain News:  International panel says a quarter of all mammals face extinction  Oct 6, 2008

Reason Online:  The Rational Environmentalist: Bjorn Lomborg on the priorities that should come before global warming  Oct 2008

 

October 5, 2008 - Breaking News:

Public Notice
 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Sucker Recovery Public Meeting
Wednesday, October 15
5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
 
Shilo Inn, Klamath Lake Room
2500 Almond Street
Klamath Falls
 
   In June 2008, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it would begin revising the recovery plan for Lost River And Shortnosed Suckers.  These fish, which are native to the Upper Klamath Basin, are endangered species.  The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the federal agency that is responsible for recovering these species.  The goal of a recovery plan is to outline the steps and conditions that need to be met in order for these fish to be recovered to the point where they can be Removed from the Endangered Species List.
 
  Experts familiar with these fish and the Klamath Falls community are working with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service to develop this recovery plan over the next several months.  The purpose of this meeting is to update the public on the work of the recovery team to date, and receive comments from the community about the recovery process.
 
  The public is invited to attend an open house beginning at 5:30, which will feature the latest research and information pertaining  to the endangered fish.  A presentation on the recovery process, followed by a public Q&A, will begin at 7:00 p.m.
 
  For more information, please contact the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Klamath Falls office at (541) 885-8481.  You can also find more information about the recovery process at the Service’s website:  http://www.fws.gov/klamathfallsfwo/
 
 
Published October 5th in the Klamath Falls Herald and News
 
 

Lost River and Shortnose Sucker
Recovery Plan

The US Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has initiated a process to revise the Lost River and Shortnose Sucker Recovery Plan that was completed in 1993. A recovery team has been selected and the Desert Research Institute contracted to prepare a draft plan over the next year with assistance from the recovery team, stakeholders and the public.  The Service will use its Klamath Falls Fish and Wildlife Office website to post information on the process including: calendar of meeting dates, recovery team meeting notes, public meeting notes, stakeholder meeting notes, contact information, press releases, relevant technical documents and other related information.

Visit the Revised Sucker Recovery Plan page.

2008 Biological Opinion
  Final-2008 Klamath Project Biological Opinion (5689kb-pdf)
 
 LOST RIVER SUCKER

 

 

 

 

 

Lost River Sucker - Deltistes luxatus   

Revising
the
Sucker Recovery Plan

The US Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has initiated a process to revise the Lost River and Shortnose Sucker Recovery Plan that was completed in 1993. A recovery team has been selected and the Desert Research Institute contracted to prepare a draft plan over the next year with assistance from the recovery team, stakeholders and the public.  The Service will use its Klamath Falls Fish and Wildlife Office website to post information on the process including: calendar of meeting dates, recovery team meeting notes, public meeting notes, stakeholder meeting notes, contact information, press releases, relevant technical documents and other related information.

 

 
 

Articles Posted Today:

 

Klamath River Basin Issues:

Klamath Riverkeeper Press Release:  California Clean Water Hearings Begin on Warren Buffett's Pacificorp Dams  Oct 3, 2008  

San Francisco Chronicle:  A move to secede on California-Oregon border  Oct 5, 2008

 

Important Reading:

Henry Lamb:  Soviet-style collapse in America's future?  Sept 27, 2008

Environment News Service:  Bush Administration Peppered With Endangered Species Lawsuits  Oct 2, 2008

Santa Rosa Press Democrat:  Salmon fishermen apply for disaster relief aid  Oct 3, 2008

 
October 3, 2008 - The North Coast Environmental Center sent out a press release yesterday about the California State Clean Water Hearings on Klamath Dams Oct. 20, 21, 29 and Nov. 3 and states, "If PacifiCorp is unable to secure the clean water permit then its dams will stand in violation of state law. What then? According to the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) notice, if the state chooses this "no project" alternative it would basically mandate "the removal of Iron Gate, Copco No. 1 and Copco No. 2" dams. J.C. Boyle dam, which is in Oregon, may only be regulated by California with regard to its impacts on water that flows into California."  The press release gives the locations and times for the hearings.

 
Yesterday's Klamath Falls Herald and News article Farm prices not small potatoes - Fewer potatoes mean profits as other crops lure farmers says it's potato harvest time in the Upper Klamath Basin and prices for potatoes have risen because fewer farmers planted them this year, choosing instead to plant other cash crops.  Potato farmers in the Klamath Basin are feeling the same pinch as those who plant other cash crops. Inputs have risen, and fuel and fertilizer costs have increased dramatically.  It isn’t every year that potato farmers come out ahead. Depending on the number of potatoes harvested, the going price is sometimes less than what it costs to plant them, farmers say.   “Over the last four years we’ve seen at least break-even prices to the grower,” said Dan Chin of Wong’s Potatoes. “That’s kind of unheard of.” 
 
Articles Posted Today: 
 
Klamath River Basin Issues:
North Coast Environmental Center Press Release:  State Clean Water Hearings on Klamath Dams Oct. 20, 21, 29 and Nov. 3  Oct 1, 2008
Capital Press:  (Tulelake) Farmer takes on rodent pests with automated invention  Oct 3, 3008
 
Water in the West:
 
Important Reading:

 

October 1, 2008 - California Water Resources Control Board yesterday released a Notice of Preparation of an Environmental Impact Report on Oregon based PacifiCorp’s proposed relicencing of Klamath River dams. The Water Board will not evaluate PacifiCorp’s own proposal for a status quo dam license which they describe as “not legally feasible” due to federal agencies’ mandatory prescriptions for fish ladders and other mitigation measures according to a joint news release from the Karuk Tribe, Klamath Riverkeeper and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fisherman's Associations.  Read the press release CA Water Board Slams Klamath Dam owner’s Application for Clean Water Permit.

 

Articles Posted Today:

 

Klamath River Basin Issues:

Herald and News Letter:  Look at the facts of Klamath dams  Sept 28, 2008

UC Davis Press Release:  New Sustainable Ag Classes Begin, With New Major on the Way  Sept 30, 2008

Times-Standard:  Dam owner takes hit from regulators  Oct 1, 2008

Herald and News Letter:  Family farms mean much to America  Oct 1, 2008

 

ESA News:

High Country News:  Views: One Species Versus 1.8 Million Others  Sept 29, 2008

 

Important Reading:

Coos Bay World Link:  Salmon aid in the mail this week - for some  Sept 30, 2008

Capital Press Bill would provide water rights to help trout  Sept 30, 2008

USA Today:  Food Now Gets Label of Origin  Oct 1, 2008

 

September 30, 2008 - In the October issue of Smithsonian Magazine is published

a comprehensive article On California's Coast, Farewell to the King Salmon that states, "Thirty years ago there were several thousand salmon boats in California. More recently, as the fish became scarce, only a few hundred worked the coast. Then salmon populations crashed, and this year for the first time U.S. officials canceled all ocean salmon fishing off California and most of Oregon, and curtailed it off Washington, a $300 million loss.  The sudden decline of California's chinooks, most of which originate in the Sacramento River, has shaken scientists as well as fishermen. Typically several hundred thousand adult fish return from the sea to the river in the fall. Last autumn, only about 90,000 made it back, and fewer than 60,000 are expected this year, which would be the lowest number on record. "Usually when something like that happens, you can point to something dramatic, an oil spill, closing of hatcheries, an earthquake," said Donald McIsaac, executive director of the Pacific Fishery Management Council, the regulatory group that advised U.S. officials to halt this year's salmon fishing. But no such catastrophe has been definitively linked to the shortage."

 

Articles Posted Today:

 

Klamath River Basin Issues:

Felice Pace:  Secrecy continues to poison Klamath Politics  Sept 29. 2008

 

Water in the West:

 

PNW Salmon News:

Smithsonian Magazine:  On California's Coast, Farewell to the King Salmon  Oct 2008

 

Important Reading:

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center:  Arctic Saw Fastest August Sea Ice Retreat On Record  Sept 29, 2008

 

September 29. 2008 The California Nevada Fish Health Center has released a final report on disease incidence rates in juvenile salmonids in the main stem Klamath River for the 2007 out-migrant season.  The report can be downloaded as a pdf file from the Cal/Nev Fish Heath Center HERE. 

 

We also wish to acknowledge the collaborative spirit that has gone into this annual monitoring program, which is being jointly funded by Reclamation's Klamath Basin Area Office, the Trinity River Restoration Program, and the CA/NEV Fish Heath Center, Arcata and Yreka offices of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, with valuable field support provided by the Hoopa Valley, Karuk, and Yurok tribes, the Salmon River Restoration Program, and California Department of Fish & Game.  Thanks again to all that have contributed to this important effort. From:  Nicholas J. Hetrick, Fisheries Program Leader, Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office, USFWS.

 

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is considering enlarging Shasta Dam as a way to boost California’s water supply. If allowed to go forward, the project would flood what little remaining land once belonged to the Winnemen Wintu tribe, whose name translates as “middle water.”   Lake Shasta, behind the Shasta Dam; is the starting point for the federally run Central Valley Project, a system of 21 reservoirs, canals and aqueducts that funnels water to some 3.2 million acres of farmland and supplies water to about 2 million people.  Read more from yesterday's Associated Press article Proposal pits tribe against farmers - Raising of Shasta Dam would flood sacred spots.

 

This week's  Klamath River Basin USGS Flow Graphs are posted.

 

Articles Posted Today: 

 

Klamath River Basin Issues:

Siskiyou Daily News:  Fish die-off a common occurrence on Klamath  Sept 26, 2008

Times-Standard  Editorial:  Applauding the Yurok-Green Diamond land deal  Sept 27, 2008

Crescent City Triplicate Letter:  Complacency about Yurok Tribal Council helps no one  Sept 27, 2008

 

Water in the West:

 

PNW Salmon News:

Times-Standard Opinion:  What do they have against us?  Sept 27, 2008

 

Important Reading:

Endangered Species Coalition Press Release:  Conservation Groups Assail Bush Endangered Species Rewrite  Sept 24, 2008

Flathead Beacon:  Taking a Human Approach to Conservation  Sept 26, 2008

Julie Kay Smithson:  The Paulson Buffet  Sept 28, 2008

Beverly Eakman:  What the US Was Like When Men Were Free  Sept 28, 2008

 

September 26, 2008 - Frank Priestley, president of the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation wrote Education efforts address misconceptions about agriculture for this week's Capital Press in which he states:  "Farmers and ranchers need consumers of all ages to understand more about modern agriculture and how the food they eat is produced. Yet with more than 100 activist groups using a combined annual budget of $500 million to constantly attack agriculture, we are often playing defense in spite of the fact that American consumers have access to the safest, most affordable and abundant food supply of anywhere on the planet.  Aside from the activists and their attempts to convince consumers the food supply is poisoned or that there is no need for animal agriculture, misconceptions originate and are perpetuated by dozens of different sources.  American Farm Bureau Federation research shows misconceptions are commonly passed along through all forms of media including textbooks and children's books, but more often through advertising, movies and the Internet." 

 

Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury, who spoke about climate change in Cave Junction, Oregon on Friday, Sept. 19 showed a slide of a 2002 Chinook salmon die-off in the Klamath River that he said was caused by overly warm water. Warmer rivers are prone to fish kills, disease and high bacteria levels. It also results in massive algae blooms, the bane of fishermen and reservoirs such as Lost Creek Reservoir. These fresh water dangers threaten livestock and humans who rely on the water for drinking.  During the past 80 years, Bradbury stated, Earth’s climate has warmed, and ice caps and glaciers have retreated. They are still retreating, he said. Bradbury said that this is bad news because the ice caps and glaciers release water during summers for irrigation, drinking water, and to sustain wildlife and vegetation.  Read more from the weekly Illinois Valley News article Oregon Secretary of State espouses views on climate changes. 

 

Articles Posted Today: 

 

Klamath River Basin News:

Capital Press:  Family farmer fosters co-ops across Idaho  Sept 25, 2008

 

PNW Salmon News:

NOAA Press Release:  NOAA Administrator Announces Resignation  Sept 23, 2008

Siskiyou Daily News:  County to move forward with salmon propagation plans  Sept 23, 2008

Curry County Reporter:  Salmon fishermen offered $100 million in relief  Sept 24, 2008 

Scott's Valley Press Banner Klamath River fishing is fit for a king  Sept 25, 2008 

Columbia Basin Bulletin:  NW Senators Introduce Bill to Protect, Restore Wild Salmon Strongholds  Sept 26, 2008

 

Water in the West:

Capital Press Guest Comment:  Activist water report runs aground  Sept 18, 2008

Capital Press Guest Opinion:  Wildfires leave lasting impact on water  Sept 25, 2008 

Columbia Basin Bulletin:  State Distributing $46 Million To Develop More Water Supply For Eastern Washington  Sept 26, 2008

 

Important News:

Illinois Valley News:  Oregon Secretary of State espouses views on climate changes  Sept 24, 2008