Klamath River eNews - June 6th, 2008

News:

* THINKING LONG TERM ON SALMON RECOVERY
* JUDGE RULES AGAINST TRI-MET IN FREE SPEECH CASE OVER KLAMATH DAMS AD
* KLAMATH RIVER TRIBES HOST SALMON BAKE AT SALMON AID FESTIVAL
* DAMS ISSUE JAMS SETTLEMENT
* SETTLEMENT REACHED TO REMOVE DAM ON MONTANA'S BLACKFOOT RIVER
* AS ROSLYN LAKE DRAINS, FOND TIMES EBB AND THE SANDY RIVER RENEWS

Action Alerts:

* HELP UN-DAM THE KLAMATH: WRITE A LETTER TO YOUR EDITOR!
* SUPPORT NOR CAL WATER BOARD'S SEDIMENT CONTROL PLAN

Announcements:

* UN-DAM THE KLAMATH REPORT BACK FROM OMAHA - ARCATA, CA - JUNE 17th
* 2009 RESTORE THE KLAMATH CALENDAR - SUBMIT OR SPONSOR BY JUNE 15th

_____________________________________________________

News:

THINKING LONG TERM ON SALMON RECOVERY
Oregonian - Opinion - 6/6/08
http://www.oregonlive.com/commentary/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1212708373276230.xml&coll=7
Removing old dams from the Klamath and other rivers in the region is probably the single most important thing we could do to recover our salmon. In the upper Klamath Basin, ranchers, irrigators, tribes and conservationists are working out how to manage water differently and restore spawning habitat...

JUDGE RULES AGAINST TRI-MET IN FREE SPEECH CASE OVER KLAMATH DAMS AD
Oregonian - 6/3/08
http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2008/06/trimet_loses_free_speech_case.html
An Oregon judge has ruled that TriMet's refusal to allow a bus ad criticizing dams on the Klamath River violated constitutional free speech protections. Judge Henry C. Breithaupt ruled that TriMet doesn't have to accept ads on buses. But if it does so, it cannot refuse some ads based on their content.

Karuk Tribe Press Release - 6/3/08
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/06/03/18504203.php

Suit filed over Klamath dam removal ad rejected by TriMet
KATU.com - 2/21/08
http://www.katu.com/news/local/15816662.html

KLAMATH RIVER TRIBES HOST SALMON BAKE AT SALMON AID FESTIVAL
Independent Media - 5/30/08
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/05/30/18503063.php
Members of three Klamath River Indian Tribes - the Yurok, Karuk and Hoopa Valley - are hosting a traditional salmon bake tonight at Ocean Beach in San Francisco to show support for the two day Salmon Aid Festival slated for this weekend at Jack London Square in Oakland. The event seeks to draw attention to the ongoing salmon fisheries disaster on the Klamath, Sacramento, Columbia and other West Coast rivers.

The Eureka Reporter - 5/30/08
http://eurekareporter.com/article/080528-klamath-tribes-bake-salmon-to-kick-off-salmon-aid

KCBS - 6/2/08
http://www.kcbs.com/pages/2287852.php?

DAM ISSUE JAMS KLAMATH SETTLEMENT
Capital Press - 5/30/08
http://www.capitalpress.info/main.asp?SectionID=67&SubSectionID=619&ArticleID=41951&TM=3644.022
The fate of a settlement agreement between irrigators and tribes in the Klamath basin is up in the air as the prospect of dam removal, seen as key to the deal, remains foggy. Five months after irrigators and tribes struck an agreement that would end legal disputes over water rights between the groups, the deal hasn't moved forward, largely because four hydroelectric dams along the Klamath river appear likely to remain intact for the foreseeable future.

SETTLEMENT REACHED TO REMOVE DAM ON MONTANA'S BLACKFOOT RIVER
Great Falls Tribune - 4/25/08
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080425/NEWS01/804250322
A proposed settlement between state and federal governments and the owner of the polluted Mike Horse Dam area near Lincoln sets aside $37 million to remove the dam and hundreds of tons of mine waste threatening the headwaters of the famed Blackfoot River. Under the terms of the deal, the 60-foot-high dam and the pollution behind it will be removed. The dam is located in a floodplain at the headwaters of the Blackfoot River, 16 miles east of Lincoln, below the Continental Divide.

AS ROSLYN LAKE DRAINS, FOND TIMES EBB AND THE SANDY RIVER RENEWS
Oregonian - 5/9/08
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1210314311314810.xml&coll=7
Last year, PGE destroyed the 47-foot Marmot Dam on the Sandy, and this summer PGE will remove the smaller dam on the Little Sandy, giving fish unobstructed access to both streams. The project was negotiated between PGE and 22 government agencies and nonprofit groups, and it governs everything from the timing of the removal to the creation of conservation corridors along both rivers. So far, the plan is working, river advocates say. "The Sandy is most definitely a river again," said Gordon Grant, a research hydrologist with the Pacific Northwest Research Station of the U.S. Forest Service.

_____________________________________________________


Action Alerts:

HELP UN-DAM THE KLAMATH: WRITE A LETTER TO YOUR EDITOR!
Thousands of people - including top scientists and economists - support dam removal as an essential cornerstone of Klamath River restoration. Still, misinformation and fear-mongering on this issue regularly wind their way into newspaper Opinion pages. It's up to us to make sure the public has access to factual information - please get involved!
Take a few minutes to check out our talking points and links to studies on Klamath dam removal, and submit a letter to your editor using our newspaper contact list.
Talking points on Klamath dam removal - http://www.klamathriver.org/Dam-Removal-TalkingPoints.html
Contact your newspaper - http://www.klamathriver.org/LettersToTheEditor.html

SUPPORT THE NORTH COAST WATER BOARD'S PLAN TO CONTROL EXCESS SEDIMENT
The North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board has been working on a plan to control excess sediment in North Coast rivers. Sediment is one of biggest river pollution issues in our region, but it often comes from non-point sources, making it difficult to address through the Clean Water Act and California state law. The lower Klamath River and the Scott River (a major Klamath tributary) are included in this sediment planning. Let's support the Regional Water Board in the monumental effort to clean up sediment in our watersheds. More info: http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/northcoast/water_issues/programs/basin_plan/sediment_workplan.shtml
Show your support for the workplan at a meeting at the Regional Water Board's office in Santa Rose on June 11th. Or, send a thank you note to the Regional Water Board supporting the plan.
Contact:
Rebecca Fitzgerald, North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board
5550 Skylane Boulevard, Suite A
Santa Rosa, California 95403
Ph: 707-576-2650, Email: rfitzgerald [at] waterboards.ca.gov

_____________________________________________________


Announcements:

UN-DAM THE KLAMATH REPORT BACK FROM OMAHA - ARCATA, CA - JUNE 17th
Speaking Truth to Power at Buffet's "Woodstock of Capitalism" 7pm, D St. Community Center @ 14th and D in Arcata, CA .
Join the Klamath Justice Coalition, Karuk Tribe and Klamath Riverkeeper at a community presentation and discussion on Klamath River Tribal members' and fishermens' recent trip to Omaha, NE to confront the richest man in the world, Warren Buffett about the Klamath dams. The group traveled to Omaha, NE in early May to share stories about why the Klamath dams must be removed to restore the West Coast Salmon industry, clean water on the Klamath RIver, and for the Klamath River Tribes' way of life. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. Contact regina [at] klamathriver.org or 530-469-3313 for more info.

2009 RESTORE THE KLAMATH CALENDAR - SUBMIT OR SPONSOR BY JUNE 15th
Many outstanding photographers and generous businesses have already stepped forward to support this project. Don't miss this annual opportunity to get your art and/or business to thousands of Klamath River enthusiasts. More info at:
http://www.klamathriver.org/Calendar.html

______________________
Malena Marvin
Outreach and Science Director
Klamath Riverkeeper
PO Box 897, Ashland, OR 97520
cell: 541-821-7260 ph/fax: 541-488-3553
malena [at] klamathriver.org
http://www.klamathriver.org