Over 70 Years of Representing Farmers and Ranchers of the Klamath Project

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3:18 pm, Nov 6, 2024
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Karuk Tribe • Klamath Tribes • Yurok Tribe • Klamath Water Users Association

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TRIBES AND FARMERS ALIGN ON KLAMATH RESTORATION
PROJECTS


Tribes and Farmers Agree on a series of Projects that will improve fisheries and water security for Klamath Basin Communities.

Klamath Basin, CA and OR – Today, an unlikely coalition of Tribes and agricultural representatives
announced mutual support for 19 restoration and water efficiency projects to address water and
environmental problems in the Klamath Basin.

“Drought has hit our communities hard over the past ten years,” said Russell ‘Buster’ Attebery, Chairman
of the Karuk Tribe. “We must work together to make our communities more drought resilient, or else
these rural communities will become ghost towns.”

The 15,000-square-mile Klamath River Basin spans the Oregon/California border. It remains the third
most productive salmon fishery on the West Coast, yet poor returns of salmon have led to coast-wide
fishing closures for the past two years. Irrigators in the basin’s upper reaches have not seen a full water
delivery in years. The catastrophe affects agricultural and tribal communities dependent on the watershed
for subsistence, culture, and economic opportunity.

“Water in the Klamath is complicated,” explains Yurok Vice Chairman Frankie Myers. “We need water
in the river for ESA-listed salmon, water in the upper lakes for ESA-listed sucker fish, water on the
irrigation project for farmers, and water the refuges for waterfowl. It’s impossible to give everyone what
they want.”

“Decades of water quality degradation and now the drastic climate changes have caused the entire
Klamath Watershed to be in serious peril. In order to adequately support ESA species of c’waam and
koptu and plants and also the return of salmon, there will need to be a concerted effort to restore the upper
watershed. This degradation has harmed Klamath Cultures and time immemorial rights,” states Klamath
Tribal Chairman William Ray Jr.

Precipitation patterns have changed dramatically over the years. The average annual rainfall has
decreased 30 percent since the 1980s. Fish kills, and agricultural water curtailments have become the
norm. Tempers and temperatures run high.

“We are all trying to protect our jobs, our families, and our way of life. That’s the thing farmers and
fishermen, ranchers and tribal members, all have in common,” commented Tracey Liskey, president of
the Klamath Water Users Association.

“We decided to put our heads together and come up with projects that help us all,” said Liskey. “If we
work together, we might just figure out a way for all our communities to not only survive but to thrive.”
Chairman Ray further states, “We hope that this funding will be the beginning for decades to come for
Wetlands and Watershed Restoration to the Upper Klamath Watershed.”

The group has proposed 19 restoration projects, including irrigation infrastructure improvements, wetland
restoration to improve water quality and quantity, fish habitat restoration on key Klamath tributaries, and
more. The total estimated cost of these projects is $105.5 million, but these projects may be a down
payment on salvaging a fishery and agricultural economy valued at over a billion dollars.

This effort seeks to build upon efforts already underway in the Klamath. Four dams that were not used to
provide agricultural water diversions are currently being removed to improve the salmon habitat. Funding
from the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are already hitting the ground,
funding water efficiency projects, new fish hatcheries for suckers, and habitat improvements for salmon.

Much of the additional funding will likely come from the United States Department of Interior’s Klamath
Basin Drought Resilience Keystone Initiative
. This initiative is a new effort to steward investments from
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act and support a wide range of
restoration activities that will help recover listed species, create new habitat for fish and birds, and rethink
the way water moves across the Klamath Basin to better align agriculture with ecosystem function.


For more information: Craig Tucker, (916) 207-8294, craig@suitsandsigns.com; G. Moss Driscoll,
(541) 891-8836, moss@kwua.org

 

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