For Immediate Release:
July 21, 2006
For
more information:
Taylor
David, Klamath Tribes Public Information/News Dept. - 541-783-2219 x
147
Craig Tucker, Ph.D.- Klamath Campaign Coordinator, Karuk Tribe -
530-627-3446 x 3027
Patrick Shannon, Portland Contact, (503) 284-1996, pwshannon@yahoo.com
Save the Salmon
Rally for the Upper
Klamath and Lower River Salmon!
Wednesday, August 2, 2006 in Portland, Oregon
This event will begin at 11AM at Holladay Park (NE Multnomah & NE 13th), where everyone will march to the Portland Convention Center (Lloyd & Martin Luther King) for a rally at 12:30pm where International hydropower corporations are holding their bi-annual HydroVision Conference.
Klamath River Tribes, fishermen, and citizens are still fighting to remove PacifiCorp's Klamath dams (now owned by Billionaire investor Warren Buffet) and BRING THE SALMON HOME! The fate of the dams is still undetermined and PacifiCorp and others (who will be at the conference) need to hear from the people of the Klamath river and those who are supportive "in person".
We urge all supporters, tribes, and Klamath Tribal members to attend this rally!
(What to bring: Save the Salmon signs, water, snacks, a good attitude, and friends!)
To survive, Klamath cultures and communities rely on salmon and a healthy Klamath River Basin. As long as the dams stand, serious environmental and cultural in-justices continue including loss of the thriving Klamath salmon fishery, negative health effects due to loss of salmon, and degraded water quality. Salmon need cold, clean, and adequate amounts of water, and so do people!
Today, the salmon are suffering and there are NO SALMON in the Upper Klamath Basin (home of the Klamath Tribes), due to several dams being built on the Klamath River, in Southern Oregon. The first dam was built in 1917, violating the Klamath Tribes Treaty of 1864. There are six dams currently located on the Klamath River, they include: Iron Gate, Copco I, Copco II, J.C. Boyle, Keno, and the Link River.
Currently, four of the six dams are up for relicensing in the F.E.R.C. -
(Federal Energy Regulator Commission)
process. The dams are:
*Iron Gate Dam (built with no fish passage) *Copco II (built with no fish
passage)
*Copco I (built in 1917 with no fish passage) *J.C. Boyle Dam (passage)
Today, the Klamath Tribes along with the Lower Klamath River Tribes, the Federal Government, the states of California and Oregon, environmentalists, commercial fisherman, and even the agricultural community are joined together in one accord to bring about removal of the dams on the Klamath River, so these fish can once again return home. Such a monumental and historical task has never been sought before. But we believe it can be done with your help and prayers, as we know it is our duty to bring the c'iyaals (salmon) home... hope to see Salmon Supporters at the Rally!
BILLIONAIRE BUFFET GIVES TO CHARITY WHILE HIS DAMS KILL & STOP SALMON
Karuk Tribe appeals to Buffet: Remove your dams, save our salmon :Orleans, CA – According to an Associated Press report, Billionaire investor Warren Buffet intends to work with the Gates Foundation to donate billions of dollars to charity. Meanwhile, on the Klamath River, dams that are owned by a subsidiary of Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. continues to kill salmon, host toxic algae blooms, and put Tribal and non-native fishermen out of work. According to the AP, the Gates Foundation stated that "Warren [Buffet] has not only an amazing intellect but also a strong sense of justice.” The Karuk Tribe remains unconvinced. “Until Mr. Buffet removes his dams which are driving our fish into extinction, I will be forced to question his sense of justice,” commented Leaf Hillman, Vice Chairman of the Karuk Tribe.
Before dam construction, the Klamath River was the 3rd most productive salmon and steelhead river in the United States, hosting the return of 1.1 million adult fish annually. Current runs of Klamath River fall chinook salmon are less than 8 percent of pre-dam populations. For coho salmon, the numbers are less than 1 percent. Coho salmon are now listed as Threatened Species under the U.S.Endangered Species Act.
In 1916, when COPCO Dam was first under construction, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, acting on behalf of local tribes, asked the dam builder, California-Oregon Power Company (COPCO), how they would accommodate the needs of migrating salmon. The company replied in writing:
“…Ample provision has been made in the plans for the dam for a fish ladder which will permit unobstructed passage of fish up the Klamath River…When the tunnel and flumes through the dam which now permit the run of fish to pass are closed up, the fish ladder will be in operation.”
Despite the promise, fish ladders were never installed.
Although Buffet himself did not build the Klamath river dams, according to Allen Foreman, Chairman of Klamath Tribes, “his subsidiary company inherited the responsibility to provide fish passage when they acquired PacifiCorp.” PacifiCorp had previously acquired California Oregon Power Company. At times, we feel like everyone is passing the buck. We just want them to do the right thing."