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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:-1.0in;text-autospace:
none'><font size=1 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><font size=3 color=black
face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'><a
href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/home/"><font color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black;
text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=135 height=45 id="_x0000_i1025"
src="cid:image001.gif@01C68730.D80F0200"></span></font></a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:
5.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-autospace:none'><font size=3 face="Book Antiqua"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua"'>Thursday, June 1, 2006 -
12:00 AM</span></font><b><font color=gray face=Arial><span style='font-family:
Arial;color:gray;font-weight:bold'><br>
</span></font></b><b><font size=5 color=black face=Arial><span
style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;font-weight:bold'>Longtime
salmon spokesman silenced</span></font></b><font color=black face=Arial><span
style='font-family:Arial;color:black'> </span></font><font face="Book Antiqua"><span
style='font-family:"Book Antiqua"'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:
5.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-autospace:none'><b><font size=3 face="Book Antiqua"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua";font-weight:bold'>By Craig
Welch</span></font></b><font face="Book Antiqua"><span style='font-family:"Book Antiqua"'><br>
<st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><i><span style='font-style:italic'>Seattle</span></i></st1:place></st1:City><i><span
style='font-style:italic'> Times staff reporter</span></i><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:
5.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-autospace:none'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>For more than a decade, Brian Gorman has been the
government's voice on salmon in <st1:City w:st="on">Seattle</st1:City>, doling
out news releases and explaining policies on everything from threatened Puget
Sound chinook to <st1:City w:st="on">Columbia</st1:City> and <st1:place w:st="on">Snake
river</st1:place> dams.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:
5.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-autospace:none'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>But as of this spring, Bush administration officials
have directed that all questions about salmon policy in Washington state be
handled by political appointees, often as far away as Washington, D.C.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:
5.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-autospace:none'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>"I essentially have been told that I can't speak
about salmon issues to reporters," said Gorman, chief spokesman in <st1:City
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Seattle</st1:place></st1:City> for the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which oversees Northwest salmon
policy.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:
5.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-autospace:none'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>NOAA officials say the change is merely a way to
better coordinate public information. But it's only the latest example of the
Bush administration tightening how employees of federal natural-resource agencies
handle politically charged topics.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:
5.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-autospace:none'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>This winter, NASA's top climate scientist told The New
York Times that the administration was censoring him on global warming. In
April, scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey and NOAA told the Washington
Post that public-affairs officials were limiting their openness with the press.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:
5.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-autospace:none'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>As for Gorman, a public-affairs officer who has worked
at NOAA for 30 years, explanations vary for his sudden change of roles.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:
5.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-autospace:none'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>The Washington Post on Wednesday noted that the change
in Gorman's ability to talk about salmon came a day after Gorman was quoted
suggesting that a judge's ruling and a new report, both rebutting
administration positions on water policy in <st1:State w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State>'s
troubled <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Klamath</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Basin</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, might be looked back upon as
moments when "things really turned around for fish."<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:
5.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-autospace:none'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>Gorman referred questions Wednesday to his boss,
Jordan St. John, the NOAA public-affairs director in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">Washington</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">D.C.</st1:State></st1:place><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:
5.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-autospace:none'><st1:City w:st="on"><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>St. John</span></font></st1:City>
at first disputed there had been a specific change at all, saying he had merely
reminded Gorman sometime in April that press inquiries should be referred to
NOAA's regional director, Bob Lohn, who mostly works in <st1:City w:st="on">Portland</st1:City>,
or to policy experts in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Washington</st1:City>,
<st1:State w:st="on">D.C.</st1:State></st1:place><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:
5.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-autospace:none'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>"My philosophy is that it should be my boss who
is quoted," <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">St. John</st1:place></st1:City>
said. "I was reminding Brian that this was our normal procedure."<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:
5.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-autospace:none'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>But Lohn said Wednesday that the decision was made in
direct response to the ongoing controversy over the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Klamath</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Basin</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>.
The battle involves several federal agencies, and "there was a desire to have
a single point of contact," Lohn said. It was a "coordination issue,
not a gag order," he added.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:
5.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-autospace:none'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>Lohn denied Gorman's quote had played a role.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:
5.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-autospace:none'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>Scott Rayder, the chief of staff for NOAA,
acknowledged he spoke to <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">St. John</st1:place></st1:City>
about having Lohn take over for Gorman as the spokesman on salmon policy.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:
5.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-autospace:none'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>"Bob Lohn is the lead public spokesman,"
Rayder said. "He's got the big regional picture."<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:
5.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-autospace:none'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>Even so, on Wednesday Lohn said that NOAA will
reconsider Gorman's role, because he "has more experience and remains more
experienced and has a greater knowledge base" on local salmon issues than
people in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Washington</st1:City>, <st1:State
w:st="on">D.C.</st1:State></st1:place><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>"As the Klamath issue has largely become more settled, we'll
probably return to more normal ways," Lohn said.</span><o:p></o:p></font></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'>Advisor, 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'>415 383 9562 fx</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><a href="mailto:bwl3@comcast.net">bwl3@comcast.net</a></span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><a href="mailto:bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org">bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org</a></span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></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><em><i><u><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue'>http:www.caltrout.org</span></font></u><font
color=lime><span style='color:lime'> </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'> </span><o:p></o:p></font></p>
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12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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