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<P><SPAN class=headlinedetail>Let's unite the basins, based on the
benefits of a restored river</SPAN></P><SPAN class=bylinedetail></SPAN>
<P><SPAN class=storydetail>Published March 22, 2004</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=storydetail>By Jim and Stephanie Carpenter</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=storydetail>Guest columnists</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=storydetail>"Brand Oregon" is all the buzz upstate with the
rollout of Gov. Ted Kulongoski state marketing campaign. Designed by the
Portland advertising firm Wieden + Kennedy, the theme is quality, centered
on Oregon's high-toned but casual lifestyle, and its agricultural
products, wild salmon and wine. The idea is to promote Oregon for tourists
and businesses looking to relocate, and the state's agricultural and fish
commodities to the upmarket consumer.</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=storydetail>The effort builds on the state's new slogan,
"Oregon, We Love Dreamers." More than just a feel-good campaign, this new
initiative will present a cohesive and coordinated view of the state for
visitors with a bottom line to improve the state's economy.</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=storydetail>We agree that a makeover was needed. "Oregon,
things look different here" is no longer seen as a particularly positive
statement. Something dramatic is needed to leverage Oregon out of the
economic doldrums, and envisioning a new dream is a good
beginning.</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=storydetail>The South Portal is a project we have been
working on with a similar vision. The downtown redevelopment of the Lake
Ewauna waterfront, designed to improve the first impression as travelers
arrive from the south, and to provide a range of services for visitors and
locals alike. Key to the project is expanded public access to the lake and
Link River corridor and siting a visitor-interpretive center near the
downtown exit of Highway 97.</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=storydetail>Developing a local brand would enhance our
marketing of Klamath Falls as the portal to the Basin - something along
the lines of "It's The Water" that sold so many six- packs over the years.
The Klamath Basin is the poster child for water. Our opportunity is to
"brand" it and use it as a positive statement about our water, our
stewardship, and the lifestyle our water resources nourish in this
incredibly diverse and naturally blessed watershed.</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=storydetail>It is our story. We own it, and yet we are
mostly playing defense in reaction to outside assaults by carpetbaggers
from the left and right who think they know the Basin and what we locals
need to be doing with our resource issues.</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=storydetail><B>Could be a focus</B></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=storydetail>We propose that a Klamath Basin, branded and
bonded by our water, would mesh well with the experiential lifestyle brand
being promoted by the state. But even more important, it serves as a focus
for developing a shared vision of community with its roots sustained by
our river.</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=storydetail>Klamath Falls is headwaters and hub of a region
that has for too long been languishing for lack of common purpose and
collective sense of place. The last time we recall the community coming
together in this way was a result of the drought more than a decade ago,
and it produced the Vision 2002 document. It is still a viable planning
tool and example of what a community can pull together, given the
challenge. Perhaps we, as a community, should re-engage in an update. Even
though the drought does not seem so severe this year, the challenges of
allocating our water resources are even more daunting.</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=storydetail>The good news is that more and more people are
taking up the task. Conferences, seminars, groups, agencies, councils,
clubs and committees meet more or less constantly in search of
solutions.</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=storydetail>Most recently, Oregon State University and
others convened a gathering, the fifth in an ongoing series of biennual
watershed conferences, to share data and describe conditions across the
watershed. What stood out for us at this year's conference was the
Basinwide pur-view of the discussions - ridgetop to river mouth.
Increasingly, the conferences are taking on a watershedwide scope,
recognizing that the old paradigm of upper and lower Basin planning does
not fit the natural model of interdependent river basin.</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=storydetail>For us, the most encouraging development of the
conferences has been the inclusion of an interactive element in the
agenda. We are recognizing that solutions will not be just data-driven,
even if wrapped in the best science, but will need to engage the community
as well in the planning process.</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=storydetail>The facilitator was Bob Chadwick, a former
Winema Forest supervisor, now running consensus seminars for conflict
resolution. Chadwick has a format that engages everyone in the dialogue.
Sitting in small circles, everyone gets a chance to talk and everyone
listens with no interruptions. The conversations start with brief
self-introductions. Participant then write down short statements of the
worst and the best possible outcomes they imagine for the Basin. The group
then explores the common themes. The results demonstrate a vision for the
Basin beyond conflict. The exercise shows how much more we have that
unites us than divides us. The process is based on values. The common
thread is quality of life.</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=storydetail>What worked so well for the conference
attendees could be expanded to a Basinwide dialogue to establish the
shared vision for this sense of place, the brand of quality lifestyle and
values organized around a river.</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=storydetail><B>Use license process</B></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=storydetail>We think our best opportunity for achieving
this is through the relicensing process PacifiCorp is undertaking for its
hydro facilities along the Klamath River. Here is how: Expand the scope of
the stakeholder meetings that have been going on for a couple of
years.</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=storydetail>The fruit of the meetings, PacifiCorp's draft
application for relicensing, has been submitted. It is pretty much status
quo from what we have seen, although the Link River Dam will no longer be
used for power production, as the cost-benefit for fish screens just did
not pencil out. So, too, for fish passage for salmon at the other dams.
Cost for the perceived benefit was not there.</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=storydetail>We think the analysis was too narrowly focused.
PacifiCorp looked only at the stretch of the Klamath River within its
project, and did not factor in at all the value of "ecosystem services"
that a fully functional river provides for free: water quality, species
habitat and the economic and cultural value of a restored salmon run -
once the third largest on the West Coast.</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=storydetail>If PacifiCorp expanded its vision to include
the entire Basin and relicensed the project with the goal of modifying the
dams to provide fish passage and low-head hydroelectric production and a
free-flowing river at the same time, the benefits would surely exceed the
value of the electricity when applied to the entire Klamath
watershed.</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=storydetail>The dams could become the rallying point for
restoration rather than the bottleneck and barrier they represent between
the upper and lower basin. Restoration of the river would become the
"brand" under which our communities could be brought together in real
"eco"nomic sustainability.</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=storydetail>
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<TD vAlign=top><IMG
src="http://www.heraldandnews.com/content/articles/2004/03/22/viewpoints/op_ed/9948.jpg"
border=0><SPAN class=cutline><BR>Jim and Stephanie Carpenter own
Carpenter Design, Inc., a consulting and contracting firm in Klamath
Falls that networks people and resources. They work with a variety
of groups locally on building
community.</SPAN></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></SPAN></P>
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<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">Consulting & Construction</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">CCB# 93939</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">ph. 541 885 5450</FONT></DIV>
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