** Behind the Klamath Basin water crisis
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Friday, July 16, 2021
The Klamath Water Basin, NOAA ([link removed])

The Klamath Basin, located along the California-Oregon border, is mired in extreme drought. In May, the federal government announced that it would cut irrigation water in the basin ([link removed]) , igniting tensions between farmers and Indigenous tribes in the region. The situation is the result of a long and complex story ([link removed]) born from Indigenous rights issues, mutual struggle, and failed agreements.

Water cuts were made to preserve species ([link removed]) of suckerfish—which are sacred to local tribes—along with coho and chinook salmon that travel the Klamath river to spawn. Studies show ([link removed]) that low lake levels in the region, when combined with other factors, can lead to high mortality of the species that Tribes have relied on for millennia and which form the foundation of their livelihood. The crisis has brought hostility towards Tribes to the fore ([link removed]) ; this summer, tribal members have removed feathers from rearview mirrors to try and prevent vandalism of cars.

Earlier this summer, frustrated locals whose own livelihoods are at stake threatened to ignore the government's decision and forcibly open canal gates ([link removed]) to commandeer irrigation water. The aggressive tactic has been used once before in the region with only minimal success, but proponents are hoping for support from public-lands extremist Ammon Bundy.

The entire situation demonstrates the need for water-sharing agreements ([link removed]) in any drought-prone area. In 2010, a historic agreement was hammered out to resolve water sharing and seemed ready to move forward. “It was a work of art. It was incredible,” said Ben DuVal ([link removed]) , president of the Klamath Water Users Association and a third-generation farmer.

Components woven into the agreement and companion agreements included ([link removed]) a return of tribal land and investment in tribal communities, wetland habitat restoration and improved irrigation infrastructure, and the removal of four privately-owned hydroelectric dams in the region. All agreements in the deal were signed by both the Oregon and California governors ([link removed]) . However, Congress failed to pass necessary legislation ([link removed]) for the plan to go into effect, primarily due to concerns about dam removal.

Although tensions are running high, some in the region hope for another water agreement ([link removed]) . To succeed, everyone involved may need to take a step back, take a breath, and remember that everyone else is struggling too.
Quick hits


** Wildfire smoke blankets the country: it may raise risk of catching COVID-19, and contains many dangerous components
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E&E News ([link removed]) [Covid] | The Conversation ([link removed]) [Toxicology] | CNN ([link removed]) [Smoke blankets the country]


** Trans-Alaska pipeline under threat from thawing permafrost
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Inside Climate News ([link removed])


** Sabinoso Wilderness to expand by nearly 10,000 acres
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Santa Fe New Mexican ([link removed])


** Fires threaten Indigenous lands in desiccated Northwest
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Associated Press ([link removed])


** New book combines visual design with ridiculous visitor reviews of national parks
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Smithsonian ([link removed]) | Roll Call ([link removed])


** Opinion: America's West is drying out. Here's what we can do about it
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CNN ([link removed])


** Half of Americans say climate change has become a bigger threat; a third say it's influencing decisions on where to live
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National Geographic ([link removed])


** Hawaii to hold goat lottery to save a national park
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USA Today ([link removed]) | The Hill ([link removed])
Quote of the day
This is the summer of climate change... This is not political hyperbole. It is a scientific consensus that is jarring the life of every Washingtonian in some way.”

—Washington Governor Jay Inslee, I ([link removed]) ndependent ([link removed])
Picture this


** @USFWSMtnPrairie ([link removed])
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Who doesn't love a dabbling duck? The cinnamon teal dabbles to find food. It rapidly opens and closes its mouth to capture seeds, aquatic insects, and more. Where have you seen dabbling ducks? Photo:
@USFWS ([link removed])

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