<html xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:st1="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 11 (filtered medium)">
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="country-region"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="PostalCode"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="State"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="City"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="Street"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="address"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="PlaceType"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="PlaceName"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="place"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="PersonName"/>
<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }
</style>
<![endif]-->
<style>
<!--
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
tt
{font-family:"Courier New";}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:windowtext;
font-weight:normal;
font-style:normal;
text-decoration:none none;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
</head>
<body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple>
<div class=Section1>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";font-weight:bold'><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">Hoopa Valley Tribe Protests Westlands Water
District Grab on <st1:place w:st="on">Trinity <br>
River</st1:place></font></tt><br>
<br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">May. 17, 2006 at 9:27 AM</font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</font></tt><br>
<br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">Media Contact: Clifford Lyle Marshall (530)
625-4211</font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">Mike Orcutt (530) 625-4267 ext. 13</font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">Tod Bedrosian (916) 421-5121</font></tt><br>
<br>
<st1:City w:st="on"><tt><font face="Courier New">Hoopa</font></tt></st1:City><tt><font
face="Courier New">, <st1:State w:st="on">Calif.</st1:State> - The <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Hoopa</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Valley</st1:PlaceType>
Tribe has asked the Bureau of </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">Reclamation (BOR) to not renew the long-term
contracts with the </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">largest consumers of irrigation water in the
Central Valley until </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">those contracts are revised to protect the <st1:place
w:st="on">Trinity River</st1:place>. The tribe </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">also has called on the contractors to stop trying
to take water and </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">money from the restoration of the <st1:place
w:st="on">Trinity River</st1:place>.</font></tt><br>
<br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">The Westlands Water District and San Luis &
Delta Water Authority in </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">the Central Valley have shown a "persistent
antagonism," towards </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">plans for restoration of the river, which bisects
the reservation, </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">according to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Hoopa</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Valley</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>
Tribal Chairman Clifford Lyle Marshall.</font></tt><br>
<br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">In an April 24 letter to the U.S. Department of
Interior Marshall </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">asserted the proposed water contract language
contradicts laws and </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">court decisions guaranteeing enough water be left
in the Trinity </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">River to support the river's fishery.</font></tt><br>
<br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">"For decades the BOR has allowed these water
districts to pillage and </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">ruin the natural fishery of the <st1:place w:st="on">Trinity
River</st1:place>. Now, after </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">Congressional action and litigation ordering the
restoration of the </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">river these contractors are trying to drill a
water line in the back </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">door of the bureaucracy to circumvent the
law," said <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Marshall</st1:City></st1:place>.</font></tt><br>
<br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">"The fish populations in the Trinity and
Klamath rivers are at such a </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">crisis low level this year's commercial fishing
season had been </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">almost been eliminated. This year's small salmon
run is because of </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">the devastating after effects of the 2002 fish
kill," said <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Marshall</st1:City></st1:place>.
</font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">"Now we have enough water in an obviously
extremely wet year and </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">these water contractors want to take water away
from the fish that </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">survived. "</font></tt><br>
<br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">In an April 19 letter Westlands attorneys ask the
BOR to classify </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">this year's water forecast as a "wet
year," not an "extremely wet </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">year," thus creating a formula reducing the <st1:place
w:st="on">Trinity River</st1:place> water some </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">80,000 to 100,000 acre feet this year. The same
letter ends with a </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">threat of litigation. "We would prefer that
this matter be addressed </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">without renewed litigation," writes Westlands
attorney Dan O'Hanlon. </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">"However, we reserve the right to seek
injunctive relief against the </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">proposed unlawful released if there is no prompt
corrective action." </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">Westlands is also disputing their obligation to
pay for environmental </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">restoration under the <st1:place w:st="on">Central
Valley</st1:place> Project Improvement Act (CVPIA).</font></tt><br>
<br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">Marshall said Westlands litigious strategy,
"unreasonably consumes </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">time and resources of both the Tribe and the <st1:country-region
w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region>, and </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">threatens the fishery resources that the <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region></st1:place>
holds in trust </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">for our Tribe." He said the water contractors
should accept the will </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">of Congress and the courts and stop trying to
intimidate the BOR with </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">threats of litigation.</font></tt><br>
<br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">The degradation of the Trinity River fishery began
in 1955 when </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">Congress authorized diversions of the river's
water to the <st1:place w:st="on">Central <br>
Valley</st1:place>. The act said enough water would be left in the river to </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">support the fishery, but spawning runs have
diminished since the </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">diversions began. The BOR began diversion in l964,
taking up to 90 </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">percent of the river's water in some years. In the
l992 Congress </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">passed the CVPIA, which included cooperative
restoration studies by </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">the tribe and the Department of Interior. The
studies culminated in a </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">Record of Decision (ROD) signed by Department of
Interior Secretary </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">Bruce Babbitt in 2000 agreeing to a river
restoration plan. Westlands </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">and <st1:place w:st="on">Central Valley</st1:place>
hydropower users sued to stop the river </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">restoration work.</font></tt><br>
<br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">Conditions worsened until 2002 when some 68,000
fish died in the </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">linked Trinity and Klamath rivers. In 2004 the <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place>
Court of Appeals </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">ruled in favor of the Department of Interior and
the tribe to allow </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">the implementation of the ROD.</font></tt><br>
<br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">"The <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Hoopa</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Valley</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>
Tribe will not stop fighting those who are trying </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">to destroy this river and the fish. We have no
choice. We do not have </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">another river that flows though our ancestral land
and blood. The </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">fish do not have another river to spawn in,"
said <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Marshall</st1:City></st1:place>.
"If the </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">BOR approves these water contracts they will be
ignoring the will of </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">Congress and the rulings of courts calling for the
restoration of the </font></tt><br>
<st1:place w:st="on"><tt><font face="Courier New">Trinity River</font></tt></st1:place><tt><font
face="Courier New">."</font></tt></span></font><o:p></o:p></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><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=2 color=gray
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:gray'>Byron
Leydecker</span></font></i></em></st1:PersonName><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=2 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:gray'>Friends of <st1:place w:st="on">Trinity
River</st1:place>, Chair</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=2 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:gray'>California Trout,Inc., Advisor</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:address
style="BACKGROUND-POSITION: left bottom; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(res://ietag.dll/#34/#1001); BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat-x"
tabIndex="0" w:st="on"><st1:Street w:st="on"><em><i><font size=2 color=gray
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:gray'>PO Box</span></font></i></em></st1:Street><em><i><font
size=2 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
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=2 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
color:gray'>Mill Valley</span></font></i></em></st1:City><em><i><font size=2
color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;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=2 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:gray'>415 383 4810 ph</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=2 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:gray'>415 383 9562 fx</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=2 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:blue;font-style:italic'><a
href="mailto:bwl3@comcast.net"><em><i><font face="Times New Roman">bwl3@comcast.net</font></i></em></a><o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=2 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:blue;font-style:italic'><a
href="mailto:bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org"><em><i><font face="Times New Roman">bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org</font></i></em></a></span></font></i><em><i><font
size=2 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
color:blue'> </span></font></i></em><em><i><font size=2 color=gray
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:gray'>(secondary)</span></font></i></em><i><font
size=2 color=blue><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:blue;font-style:italic'><o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><u><font size=2 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:blue'>http://</span></font></u></i></em><i><font
size=2 color=blue><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:blue;font-style:italic'><a
href="http://www.fotr.org"><em><i><font face="Times New Roman">www.fotr.org</font></i></em></a><o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><u><font size=2 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:blue'>http://</span></font></u></i></em><i><font
size=2 color=blue><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:blue;font-style:italic'><a
href="http://www.caltrout.org"><em><i><font face="Times New Roman">www.caltrout.org</font></i></em></a></span></font></i><i><font
size=2 color=blue face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:blue;font-style:italic'> </span></font></i><i><font size=2 color=blue><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:blue;font-style:italic'><o:p></o:p></span></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>
</div>
</body>
</html>