<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML xmlns:o = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"><HEAD>
<META content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv=Content-Type>
<META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 8.00.6001.18882">
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY background="" bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT><BR></DIV>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=Default><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><SPAN
style="mso-tab-count: 1">
</SPAN><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN><IMG
src="file://C:\Users\HOMEUS~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image002.gif"
width=198 height=57 v:shapes="_x0000_i1025"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><SPAN
style="mso-tab-count: 2">
</SPAN></SPAN><IMG
src="file://C:\Users\HOMEUS~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image004.gif"
width=86 height=83 v:shapes="_x0000_i1026"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><SPAN
style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>WINNEMEM<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 4in" class=Default><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">WINTU TRIBE<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><IMG hspace=12 align=left
src="file://C:\Users\HOMEUS~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image006.gif"
width=122 height=38 v:shapes="_x0000_s1026"><IMG
src="file://C:\Users\HOMEUS~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image008.jpg"
width=102 height=113 v:shapes="_x0000_i1027"><IMG
src="file://C:\Users\HOMEUS~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image010.jpg"
width=76 height=123 v:shapes="_x0000_i1028"><FONT face=Calibri><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d"><IMG
src="file://C:\Users\HOMEUS~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image012.gif"
width=90 height=133 v:shapes="_x0000_i1029"></SPAN></B><SPAN
style="COLOR: #1f497d"><IMG
src="file://C:\Users\HOMEUS~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image014.gif"
width=89 height=148 v:shapes="_x0000_i1030"></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=Default><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></B><IMG
alt=Final-4Color
src="file://C:\Users\HOMEUS~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image016.jpg"
width=182 height=55 v:shapes="Picture_x0020_3"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></B></SPAN><IMG
src="file://C:\Users\HOMEUS~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image018.jpg"
width=177 height=49 v:shapes="_x0000_i1032"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN></B><SPAN
style="COLOR: #1f497d"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN><IMG
src="file://C:\Users\HOMEUS~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image020.gif"
width=113 height=104 v:shapes="_x0000_i1033"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><IMG
src="file://C:\Users\HOMEUS~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image022.gif"
width=133 height=113 v:shapes="_x0000_i1034"></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #538dd3; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P><BR><BR><BR><FONT
face=Arial>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNoSpacing
align=center><FONT face=Calibri><B><SPAN
style="COLOR: #538dd3; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN></B><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Westlands Water District Grabs More Water in the Middle
of a Drought—<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNoSpacing
align=center><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><FONT face=Calibri>Sweetheart
Government Contract<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNoSpacing><o:p><FONT
face=Calibri> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: right; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 4.5in"
class=MsoNoSpacing align=right><FONT face=Calibri>February 19, 2010</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><FONT face=Calibri>For Immediate
Release:<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNoSpacing><o:p><FONT
face=Calibri> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNoSpacing><o:p><FONT
face=Calibri> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNoSpacing><FONT
face=Calibri>Contact:<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Bill Jennings
[209] 464 5067</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in" class=MsoNoSpacing><FONT face=Calibri><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Steve Evans
[916] 442-3155</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in" class=MsoNoSpacing><FONT face=Calibri><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Jonas Minton
[916] 313-4518</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in" class=MsoNoSpacing><FONT face=Calibri><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Tom Stokely
[530]524-0315</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNoSpacing><o:p><FONT
face=Calibri> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNoSpacing><o:p><FONT
face=Calibri> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT face=Calibri>The U.S. government appears poised to
give billions of gallons of water to a politically connected group of farmers in
California, where most people are being asked to
conserve.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p><FONT face=Calibri> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT face=Calibri>Three hundred and fifty farming
operations in Westlands Waters District are asking the federal government to
roll over their water contracts, helping them to get a lock on enough water
supplies to serve the equivalent of 18 million people in Southern
California.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p><FONT face=Calibri> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT face=Calibri>The public has until 5:00 Friday
February 19, 2010, to protest these contract
renewals.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p><FONT face=Calibri> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style="COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><FONT
face=Calibri>“The law and common sense are being discarded in a Mad Hatter’s
rush to give away vast quantities of taxpayer subsidized water to special
interests that will hasten the environmental collapse of one of the great
estuaries of the world” said Bill Jennings, Executive Director of the California
Sportfishing Protection Alliance<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style="COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'"><o:p><FONT
face=Calibri> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style="COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'"><FONT
face=Calibri><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>“These 350 corporate
irrigators are ready to take big drink while cities, salmon and farmers in the
rest of the state are being asked to conserve, said Steve Evans, Conservation
Director for Friends of the River.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style="COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'"><o:p><FONT
face=Calibri> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style="COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'"><FONT
face=Calibri>“Based on an outdated and exaggerated Water Needs Analysis by the
Bureau of Reclamation, Westlands is trying to lock up an amount of water that
far exceeds recent<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>water
deliveries“, stated Carolee Krieger with the California Water Impact
Network.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style="COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'"><o:p><FONT
face=Calibri> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style="COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'"><FONT
face=Calibri>Citing changes on the ground, in law and a failure to adequately
address long term toxins coming from these fields along with the failure of the
Bureau of Reclamation to reckon with the reality of scarce water supplies, the
groups filed comments today asking the contracts be tossed out and the process
started over.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style="COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'"><o:p><FONT
face=Calibri> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style="COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'"><FONT
face=Calibri>“These contracts are suppose to take a back seat to the needs of
Native American Tribes, the salmon fishery, our natural ecological health, and
people,” declared Mark Franco, Headman Winnemem Tribe.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>“But instead these 350 operations are
locking up more than their fair share and we pay for
it.”<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style="COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'"><o:p><FONT
face=Calibri> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style="COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'"><FONT
face=Calibri>“Public trust assets have been trashed, salmon have been lost,
fishermen are out of work and the taxpayers are paying for the water delivered
to these land barons whose irrigation is sending toxic selenium into our rivers
and streams,” explained Felix Smith, Save the American Rivers
Association.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style="COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'"><o:p><FONT
face=Calibri> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style="COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'"><FONT
face=Calibri>Many of the groups signing this letter have already filed a lawsuit
against Westlands in Fresno County Superior Court.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>They are challenging the Westlands’
contention that the contracts are exempt from review under the California
Environmental Quality Act.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style="COLOR: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'"><o:p><FONT
face=Calibri> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none"
class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="COLOR: #538dd3; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri"><o:p><FONT
face=Calibri> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P></FONT></BODY></HTML>