Klamath Water Users Association 2455 Patterson Street, Suite 3 Klamath Falls, Oregon 97603 Phone (541) 883-6100 FAX   (541) 883-8893   kwua@cvcwireless.net  Weekly Update September 29, 2004 www.kwua.org Refuge Report the First in a Planned Series by Defenders of Wildlife A recent report released by Defenders of Wildlife (see related story, Page 1) that includes the Klamath Basin refuges on its "most endangered" list is the first of its kind published by the Washington, D.C. –based group. However, Klamath Basin agricultural producers and resource managers adjacent to refuges nationwide can look forward to more of the same in the future. Now, in addition to competing for American Rivers’ coveted "Endangered River" designation, the Klamath Basin can also expect to vie for future "Endangered Refuge" awards. "For this report (the first in a planned annual series), we have examined refuges across the country and chosen 10 based on the following criteria: the magnitude and timeliness of the threat(s); the significance of the refuge to our natural wildlife heritage; the opportunity for action to address the problem; and the refuge’s representation of overall threats to the system," wrote Rodger Schlickeisen President, Defenders of Wildlife, in the report’s introduction. Although the actual scoring that justified inclusion of the Klamath refuge system on this list was not provided in the report, the dark presence of the Klamath Project appears to be the primary reason why the "natural balance of the ecosystem" has been upset, according to Defenders of Wildlife. The one-page assessment claims "unsustainable farming" in the Klamath Project is "depleting water" and threatening the refuges. "Without these refuges we could literally lose the birds of the West Coast," the report grimly predicts. Defenders of Wildlife is an environmental organization that uses education, litigation, research Refuge Report the First in a Series by Defenders of Wildlife (Continued) and promotion of conservation policies to protect wild animals and plants in their natural communities. Founded in 1947, Defenders of Wildlife is a 501(c)(3) membership organization with 480,000 members nationwide. Last year, Defenders of Wildlife moved into its newly refurbished, nine-story headquarters building in Washington, D.C. In the year ended September 30, 2003, Defenders spent over $29 million on "wildlife action", media and education, fundraising, management and membership development. "Wildlife action" includes species, habitat, legal, government relations and grassroots work. Activists List Klamath Refuges as "Endangered" (Cont’d from Pg 1) "Given that we have been working under a "dry water year scenario" as defined by the Bureau of Reclamation, we believe the refuges are looking very good at this point," Cole told CWA. "In fact, members of my staff and neighbors in the area who lived through the dismal and uncertain water conditions over the past few years have said that the refuges have not looked this good in four to five years." Cole also focused on the positive partnership relationships that have developed between Klamath Project farmers and their refuge neighbors. "All in all, it was a team effort.  We had many water users offering to donate water to the refuges this fall in case we were short, but because of the great cooperation earlier this year, we hope that won't be necessary," said Cole. "It helps to have such good friends."     Continued on page 3   Klamath Water Users Association 2455 Patterson Street, Suite 3 Klamath Falls, Oregon 97603 Phone (541) 883-6100 FAX   (541) 883-8893   kwua@cvcwireless.net  Weekly Update September 29, 2004 www.kwua.org Defenders of Wildlife Klamath Refuge Assessment Laced with Inaccuracies A first glance at the sleek publication released today by Defenders of Wildlife, entitled "Refuges at Risk – America’s 10 Most Endangered Wildlife Refuges", suggests that emotion, and not the facts, is the glue holding it together. On the cover of the publication – which includes Klamath refuges as one of the ten "most endangered" in America – is a shot of dead fish in the Klamath River, 200 miles from the nearest Klamath Basin refuge. While the blurred outline of a solitary bird gliding over a wetland can be discerned in the background of the cover picture, the focus of the reader is drawn first to the image of salmon that died in 2002. "The picture on the cover of this report isn’t the only thing that’s fishy about this document," said Dan Keppen, Executive Director of the Klamath Water Users. "Although the report only devotes one page to Klamath refuges, it is surprisingly full of factual inaccuracies." Some of the more obvious errors in the Defenders of Wildlife Report are summarized below. "Defenders" View: "Farming has introduced carcinogenic pesticides that have poisoned birds and other wildlife in the Klamath refuges."   REALITY: After years of study, there has not been one shred of evidence to suggest pesticide use on the lease lands is detrimental to wildlife. California has the strictest pesticide regulations in the nation. And 90% of the pesticides registered for use in California, are disallowed on the lease lands. In fact, the previous Klamath Refuge Manager once stated, "we have done all sorts of monitoring . . . we have not found a smoking gun."   Defenders of Wildlife Refuge Assessment Laced with Inaccuracies (Continued) "Defenders" View: "A massive, century-old federal irrigation project has fostered unsustainable farming in the area, depleting water from the region’s lakes, rivers and wetlands". REALITY: The Klamath Irrigation Project serves approximately 220,000 acres of small family farms and ranches in the Upper Klamath Basin. While this may seem like a large area to someone from Washington, D.C., it actually represents less than 2 percent of the land area of the 10.5 million acre Klamath River watershed. The Project – including the Lower Klamath and Tule Lake national wildlife refuges – deplete only 3 to 4 percent of total average annual Klamath River flows. "Defenders": Sugar beets are grown on the leases. REALITY: Actually, because the local processing plant shut down several years ago, sugar beets are no longer grown in this area. "Defenders" View: "Marshes, wetlands, and other resources are dying of thirst." REALITY: While water was a fairly scarce commodity in the Klamath Basin this year, the Tule Lake and Lower Klamath national wildlife refuges are wetter than they have been for years, federal officials told the Klamath Falls Herald and News just two days ago. Further, in the past two years, nearly 90,000 acre-feet of water each year were reallocated away from the Klamath Project and towards environmental needs because farmers idled land and pumped their own groundwater, and because of proactive wildlife refuge management. The Project, including the refuges, consumptively uses 350,000 acre-feet of water in an average water year. This year, irrigators took actions that provided environmental water exceeding 25 percent of that value. Continued on page 4   Klamath Water Users Association 2455 Patterson Street, Suite 3 Klamath Falls, Oregon 97603 Phone (541) 883-6100 FAX   (541) 883-8893   kwua@cvcwireless.net  Weekly Update September 29, 2004 www.kwua.org KWUA Addresses Upper Lost River and Clear Lake Reservoir TMDL Assessment The Klamath Water Users Association (KWUA) on September 29th transmitted documents to the California North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Board) to comment on the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) analysis for, and the proposed removal or delisting of, the Upper Lost River from California’s 303(d) list. KWUA generally supported the Regional Board’s proposal to delist the watershed for nutrients and temperature. However, the association prepared comments to focus on three additional, general areas: 1) Assess the report’s characterization of Klamath Project operations and the two sucker species protected under the Endangered Species Act that affect those operations; 2) Identify, where possible, other sources of data that might firm up the report’s conclusions; and 3) Identify actions not discussed in the report that demonstrate progress made relative to conditions on important tributaries to Clear Lake Reservoir. The Upper Lost River watershed includes Clear Lake Reservoir, the streams draining to Clear Lake Reservoir and the Upper Lost River between the Clear Lake Reservoir dam and the Oregon border. Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) requires states to identify water bodies that do not meet water quality standards and then to establish a TMDL for each water body at a level necessary for attainment of water quality standards. The Upper Lost River is on the State of California’s Section 303(d) list because of nutrient and temperature impairments on beneficial uses, primarily those related to the warm water fishery. Local Filmmaker Develops Television Series to Celebrate Rural America Tulelake filmmaker Anders Tomlinson has developed an eight-part made for television series that chronicles the role of farmland in the Klamath Basin, from the post-world war veterans who homesteaded near Tulelake, California, to the modern regulatory struggle faced by Klamath Project irrigators. "Farmlands – Commemorating Rural America" is an ambitious, multi-year production proposal that would begin with eight initial installments filmed in the Klamath Basin. In the past four years, Tomlinson has filmed, edited and distributed a steady stream of Klamath Basin videos to concerned groups around America. In October 2001, he moved to a Tulelake farm and began documenting farmland and refuge along the California-Oregon border. He continues to capture on slides, digital stills and miniDV a year in the life of the Tule Lake Basin. For a complete summary of the "Farmlands" effort, go to www.tule-lake.com. CALENDAR OF EVENTS Tuesday, October 12, 2004. Klamath Soil and Water Conservation District Annual Dinner Meeting. 7:00 p.m. Midland Community Park Hall, Midland, Oregon. Please call 883-6932 extension 101 for reservations. Wednesday, October 13, 2004 – KWUA Executive Committee Meeting. 7:00 p.m. KWUA Office. 2455 Patterson Street, Suite 3, KFO. Wednesday, October 13 – Thursday, October 14, 2004 – Klamath River Basin Fisheries Task Force Meeting. Siskiyou Golden Fairgrounds, Winema Hall, 1712 Fairlane Road, Yreka, California. Call (530)-842-5763 for details.

Content and Logo: Copyright © Klamath Water Users Association, 2002 All Rights Reserved