Yurok Tribe ‘Strongly Opposes’ New Draft Legislation to Deal With Klamath

Press release from the Yurok tribe:

YurokThe long-awaited draft legislation from U.S. Representative Greg Walden of Oregon to address Klamath water issues was finally revealed yesterday. Despite extensive cooperation and collaboration by Klamath basin communities to address Klamath water issues, the draft bill fails to incorporate the principles that formed the basis of the Klamath River negotiations. Most notably, the legislation does not provide for dam removal, which is the key component of a long-term fisheries restoration strategy. In addition, it includes a transfer of significant land acreage from federal to county control that would harm fisheries resources in the Klamath Basin.

The Yurok Tribe strongly opposes this draft legislation.

“The Yurok Tribe cannot support any legislation that does not improve conditions on the Klamath River,” said James Dunlap, Chairman of the Yurok Tribe. “This bill distorts and guts the original intentions of the Klamath Basin communities when we sat down to try to find common ground. The proposed legislation bears little resemblance to the principles worked on by the parties during the years-long negotiations. It would result in irreparable harm to the fisheries resources and does not honor the hardworking families whose lives are inextricably connected toe Klamath River. This legislation would return the Klamath back to the days of continual strife between Upper and Lower basin interests.”

The Yurok Tribe vigorously opposes this new legislation, as should anyone interested in the long-term health of the Klamath River. The Yurok Tribe is committed to restoring the river and determined to do whatever it takes to achieve dam removal by 2020. If Congress can’t do it, the fiercely independent and forward-thinking communities of the Klamath Basin will move forward to restore the Klamath River.

About the Yurok Tribe

The Yurok Tribe, the largest tribe in California, has more than 6,000 members. The Tribe’s ancestral territory runs eighty-three miles along the California coastline from the Little River to Damnation Creek. To the east the Tribe’s ancestral lands reach above the Klamath River’s confluence with the Trinity River. For more information about the Yurok Tribe, please visit www.yuroktribe.org.

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8 Comments
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Liz
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Liz
8 years ago

Who do I write or call to cancel this draft? The damn needs to go.

H2O
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H2O
8 years ago

…Asku from the goals that were set from years of negotiations on a level platform. Some parties must were there to only to hear them speak without hearing others…

monte powers
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8 years ago
Reply to  H2O

It’s called greed, and it has the Klamath tribes’ council members, ripping off its tribal peoples. It’s called lets screw the people and make our tribe a corporation?
You want to squeeze in the real facts about where we are allowed to exercise our treaty rights. This NEW draft of the proposed deal of a lifetime for the Klamath tribes. [edit] Greg Walden is not being straight up at the table. Alot of the blanks are missing, does that mean they can fiill in the blanks with what the fuk ever. Don gentry tribal chairman for the Klamath tribes , selling out your peoples……..we can get a deal that gives our peoples something. As it is we get nothing, the land is not for living , just sell, sell, sell, it never ends until someone breaks the patterns of corporate greed.

Barry Wallowberg
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Barry Wallowberg
8 years ago

More dams would equal more water storage that could generate power and higher flows during the dry season.
Tearing down dams has wrecked the river. Mining gravel at the mouth would help fish return.

Eco Nazis are to blame for the river’s issues.

More dams on the klam!

Rain On
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Rain On
8 years ago

Return to what, no water?

Shak
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Shak
8 years ago

I agree with you. More storage from winter downpours, would allow for a steadier as needed release flow in the summer. A delicate balance could be reached. The all or nothing doesn’t work, except in the memory’s imagination.

Barry Wallowberg
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Barry Wallowberg
8 years ago
Reply to  Shak

That’s right, hydro power is a great source of power.

It’s more like an enron scam to tear down the dams at the expense of Pacific power customers, only to make them rebuild at 9x the cost.

Who benefits?

Damon
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Damon
8 years ago

I never really understood the Dam fight until I made myself listen, study and learn. I always thought, so what… let get more water to store. So what, we move a few animals and people to create a lake they can live around. So what this is a good thing, these were my thoughts.

Then I learned about ecology, climates, and temperature. When water sits in a dam or a lake it heats up. This heated water then sets off a chain reaction down the river. The water becomes unsuitable for the animals that live in it. This changes the who ecosystem of a stream. Then fish can’t use the river like they could, this kills the fish. River fish and organisms like the salmon, can be a huge food source for other fish, this hurts the ocean fish. It is all connected, you can’t just change one piece in the environment.

These dams have cost local tribes millions of dollars. The dams stop the fish, there used to 200,000 salmon running up these streams, at 10,20,30 lbs plus. That is a lot of market value meat that is being robed from these streams. There are people that have been using these for their lively hood and just as a business has protections not to be destroyed, so do people. Please listen and learn and dive into the knowledge of the world. It is not ours to use, it is ours to nourish so that our children can live and nourish it too.

Bless