This story was originally published by The Counter
, a nonprofit newsroom covering the forces shaping how and what we eat. It is republished here by permission.
The federal government is strictly curtailing irrigation this year in an attempt to protect endangered fish important to Indigenous tribes. Farmers say this will make it all but impossible to farm, while tribal nations say the plan doesn’t go far enough to save their fisheries.
In mid-April, a farming region in southern Oregon began to release water from the Klamath River into its irrigation canals. According to the local water authority, this was a standard move to jumpstart the farming season during one of the driest seasons in recent memory. But according to the federal government, it was an illegal maneuver that could further jeopardize the survival of multiple endangered species and food sources important to Indigenous tribes and fisheries in the region.
Klamath Basin Tribes, Conservationists and Fishermen Ask Biden Administration for $250M in Drought Relief
The Klamath River Estuary. | Photo: Pauk, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license, via Wikimedia Commons.
Press release:
On Friday, April 16, a coalition of three Klamath Basin Tribes joined with groups that represent conservationists and commercial fishermen to urge the Biden administration to grant significant financial relief to all Klamath Basin communities in response to what is predicted to be the driest year on record for the region.
In this joint letter to President Biden, the groups urgently called for federal help to blunt the immediate disastrous economic consequences from impacts of the drought for farmers and ranchers as well as commercial and subsistence fishermen and Tribes. The letter requested investment in short-term measures to assist native species, including fish and birds, as well as longer-term infrastructure improvements designed to preven
Posted By Iridian Casarez on Wed, Apr 21, 2021 at 11:21 AM Submitted The Klamath River at Hopkins Creek, close to Weitchpec. The Yurok and Karuk Tribes, along with the Klamath Tribes of Oregon, have united with Klamath Basin conservationists and commercial fishermen to jointly sign a letter asking the Biden administration for significant financial relief to all Klamath Basin communities in response to extreme drought predictions. The Karuk Tribe, the Yurok Tribe, the Klamath Tribes of Oregon, American Rivers, California Waterfowl, California Trout, Fly Fishers International Northern California Council, the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA), Sustainable Northwest, and Trout Unlimited sent the letter calling for $250 million in federal funding to invest in both short-term and lo
WESTERN WATER: Drought turns Klamath Basin into a political tinderbox eenews.net - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eenews.net Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.