[env-trinity] Eureka Times Herald Klamath Editorial March 16

[Byron]

KLAMATH:

Editorial: Fix the damage before it is too late

Eureka Times-Standard - 3/16/06

 

Lawmakers are working on an infrastructure bond that contains money aimed at
buying and removing dams on the Klamath River. 

 

The Klamath provision is an unspecified amount of money in a $700 million
article that includes money to restore the San Joaquin River, the Sacramento
River delta and Lake Tahoe. 

 

In 2001, there was an uproar when the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation cut off
water to some farms in the upper basin. The next year, the policy was
reversed, and up to 68,000 fish died in a warm, shallow river. Diseases have
been killing young fish and reservoirs have seen spikes in toxic algae. 

 

Fish runs have been small the past three years, and this year federal
fisheries managers may close all salmon fishing from Northern Oregon to Big
Sur. 

 

It is hoped that the money involved will help facilitate a settlement of
this issue. It is important that the removal of the dams be a part of the
restoration of the Klamath. 

 

There is more at stake than fish. While every measure must be taken to
guarantee the survival of our once-rich fisheries, fish kills and toxic
algae are signs that we are killing the river and our resources. The quality
of the river is in serious decline and if something is not done to reverse
the damage we may reach the point where we won't be able to. 

 

 

Byron Leydecker

Chair, Friends of Trinity River

Advisor, California Trout, Inc

PO Box 2327

Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327

415 383 4810 ph

415 383 9562 fx

bwl3 at comcast.net

bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org

http://www.fotr.org

http:www.caltrout.org 

 

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20060317/d6ce1501/attachment.html>