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<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:
13.5pt;font-family:Tahoma'>KLAMATH BASIN FISHERIES </span></font></b></strong><font
size=4><span style='font-size:13.5pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:
13.5pt;font-family:Tahoma'>Comment: President Bush should keep the promise to
the Trinity River </span></font></b></strong><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'><br>
<st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><strong><b><font face=Tahoma><span
style='font-family:Tahoma'>Eureka</span></font></b></strong></st1:place></st1:City><strong><b><font
face=Tahoma><span style='font-family:Tahoma'> Times-Standard - 12/12/04</span></font></b></strong></span></font></b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:13.5pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:
13.5pt;font-family:Tahoma'>By State Sen. Wesley Chesbro</span></font></b></strong><span
class=articlebody><font size=4><span style='font-size:13.5pt'> </span></font><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>The
effort to restore the Trinity River took a long step backwards last week when
the Bush administration declared war on the salmon of the <st1:place w:st="on">Pacific
Northwest</st1:place>. The administration published a proposal in the Dec. 1,
2004, Federal Register calling for an "80 percent reduction in designated
habitat for endangered Pacific salmon and steelhead," according to news
reports. It is especially bad news for Northern California because it may mean
restoration of the <st1:place w:st="on">Trinity River</st1:place> will be
shortchanged. </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>The
federal agencies are justifying less protection for salmon by saying fish runs
"have experienced significant improved numbers." This politically
motivated assertion flies in the face of the reality of the 68,000 Klamath and <st1:place
w:st="on">Trinity river</st1:place> fish that died in 2002. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Since
1955, the <st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region> has
broken promises to protect and restore the <st1:place w:st="on">Trinity River</st1:place>'s
fish habitat. That is when Congress authorized taking <st1:place w:st="on">Trinity
River</st1:place> water for the Central Valley Project. California Congressman
Clair Engle promised, "not one bucketful of water which is necessary to
this (<st1:place w:st="on">Trinity River</st1:place>) watershed" would be
diverted until the needs of the river's fishery were satisfied. Despite these
assurances the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) has taken up to 90 percent of the
river's water in some of the years since diversions began in l964. In 2000 Department
of Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt promised to restore the river in a Record
of Decision (ROD) after 20 years of cooperative studies with the Hoopa Valley
Tribe. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Before
the ink had dried on the ROD, Westlands Water District and the Northern
California Power Agency filed a lawsuit stopping restoration of the river. But
this summer the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region>
9th Circuit Court ruled in favor of the ROD. That means the tribe has the water
for the river. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>But the
water is only part of the restoration equation. Non-flow measures like riverbed
gravel repair, riparian foliage and bridge improvements are also needed to make
the river a healthy fish habitat. The courts have given the tribe and the <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">North</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Coast</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>
the water, but now they must battle a fiscally stalled BOR for non-flow improvements.
By not providing enough money for the river's restoration, the Bush
administration is continuing the flow of broken promises on the <st1:place
w:st="on">Trinity River</st1:place>. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-weight:bold'>President Bush must not renege on the Trinity River ROD. The
time is right for the restoration of the river and its fishery. We have won the
water in court, now the president should give the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> Bureau of Reclamation enough
money to finish restoration work before the river's natural fishery dies. </span></font></b><b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:PersonName w:st="on"><em><i><font size=3 color=gray
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Byron
Leydecker</span></font></i></em></st1:PersonName><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Chair, Friends of <st1:place w:st="on">Trinity
River</st1:place></span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Consultant, California Trout, Inc.</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:address w:st="on"><st1:Street w:st="on"><em><i><font
size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
color:gray'>PO Box</span></font></i></em></st1:Street><em><i><font
color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='color:gray'> 2327</span></font></i></em></st1:address><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><em><i><font
size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
color:gray'>Mill Valley</span></font></i></em></st1:City><em><i><font
color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='color:gray'>, <st1:State w:st="on">CA</st1:State>
<st1:PostalCode w:st="on">94942-2327</st1:PostalCode></span></font></i></em></st1:place><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 383 4810 ph</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 519 4810 ce</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 383 9562 fx</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'><a href="mailto:bwl3@comcast.net">bwl3@comcast.net</a></span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><a href="mailto:bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org"><em><i><font
face="Times New Roman"><span style='text-decoration:none'>bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org</span></font></i></em></a><em><i><font
face="Times New Roman"> (secondary)</font></i></em><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><a href="http://www.fotr.org">http://www.fotr.org</a></span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-style:italic'><a href="http://www.caltrout.org">http://www.caltrout.org</a></span><o:p></o:p></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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