Dam Water Issues

About a 100 people turned out in Medford last night for a discussion of the Klamath Basin water situation. Dr. Lenny has placed some thought onto the depths of this topic - he is interested in what other voices in the community are saying.

The issue on the table is the water that is currently being diverted from the Klamath basin to the Rogue basin - which is mitigated for California by the storage behind these dams. There are a lot of acre-feet of water that just will not be available if the dams go away. Since the public comment period has been extended, there was an immediate need to know about this situation. As a past board member of the PUR watershed council in the Umpqua, i know exactly how many stakeholders there are, and their standing at the table.

Plus, there are some serious issues with jurisdiction - at all levels. Oregon Water law is very specific in how it issue and deals with water rights. California is downstream, so their regulations should be moot here, but the dams are all in California. The Kurok Tribe of Indians seem to have accelerated standing here. The USFS, BLM, NMFS, NOAA, (Interior and commerce) acronyms are setting rules by fiat that have never been blessed by congress into law. Siskiyou County Sheriff Jon Lopey and Josephine County Sheriff Gil Gilbertson each spoke to the 'coordination' not accorded the local law enforcement officials. These gentlemen have sworn to uphold the constitution against all foreign and domestic trials. We need to have the sheriffs' backs when they stand up to the feds and states on these matters - if we believe in this document, the constitution.

There is much going on - more than i wish to address on the fly in a blog. The game of life is throwing a curveball, but we just wrapped a single into right field. Help us get organized by choosing an issue and paying attention to that topic. We need to educate each other efficiently and quietly, so that people here know the scoop from all perspectives. Both the rednecks and the hippies are threatened - it is no longer a we/they situation. We need to slow down, think strategically and understand that everything is temporary. Which inning is this game in, anyway?

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