The Underground’s never really surprised when the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors drags the rest of the county into the mud alongside them – and normally I don’t bother the Undergrounders with something this local – but this one might affect you (at least a few years down the road).

Right now, the Klamath River is sick as hell. Every summer, the river below two of its reservoirs runs bright green with toxic algae, and while I could write a good fifteen paragraphs of text outlining the latest move on the part of the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors  to keep it that way (Measure G), but rather than bore the Undergrounders as a whole (99% of whom won’t get to vote on this subject), let me just say this to my Siskiyou County readers:

Vote “Yes” on Measure G

Below is a letter to the editor I wrote (the local paper didn’t publish it). Just to be clear, a “No” vote means you don’t support dam removal, and the Supes are hoping to use an overwhelmingly “No” vote to springboard a later (and expensive) lawsuit.

Yes Vote on Measure G Means Jobs

With Siskiyou County’s economy faltering and unemployment near 20%, it’s hard to understand why the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors are so rabidly opposed to the recovery of Klamath River salmon and steelhead – especially given the huge economic stimulus that dam removal and the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA) would bring.

Independent economic analysis says dam removal and habitat improvement projects would lower unemployment, provide sustainable tourism-related jobs, and result in lower power rates (compared to retrofitting the dams to current standards).

Also, the KBRA’s adaptable flow regimes offer us water for salmon and water for farmers, who need some idea what they’re getting so they can plan ahead (many are also getting way-below-market-price power too).

Tellingly, the Board of Supervisors have repeatedly called for in-depth studies of the effects of dam removal, yet they’re now asking citizens to make up their mind before the asked-for studies have been completed.

Simply put, they’re hoping to use an overwhelming “No” vote to springboard this county into an expensive lawsuit which we can’t afford – and will delay the jobs this county so desperately needs.

Returning the Klamath to a healthy state delivers many economic benefits to Siskiyou County – including to our vital (and wholly sustainable) tourism industries. After all, once they stopped shipping all of Northern California’s water south out of the Trinity River, the steelhead and salmon runs came back strong, and on some weekends, you can’t find a place to park along the river.

Those who want you to vote “No” on Measure G will tell you the dams provide irrigation water and flood control, yet they don’t.

Instead, they offer us terrible water quality (the Klamath runs pea green with toxic algae every summer), and because they’d cost us power users $500 Million to retrofit yet only $200 Million to remove, we’re simply better off without them, and in almost every way possible.

Please vote “Yes” on Measure G. Our local economy will thank you for it.

Note to the Board Of Supervisors

Turns out salmon restoration – and a healthy river – actually creates jobs. To see how, watch the video below from Chelan County, WA.

And – Siskiyou County’s Board of Supervisors take note – the restoration actually helps the local economy.

Located in Central Washington State, Chelan County residents have long enjoyed the bounty of their regions natural resources. But since the late 1950′s, they have seen their salmon populations all but disappear. Rallying around this urgent cause, communities throughout Central Washington are now setting an example for the world on how to work collaboratively in addressing salmon recovery.

WINNER: First Place – Stories From Our Watersheds film contest. Hosted by the Whole Watershed Restoration Initiative. ecotrust.org/​wwri

PRESS: “Stories from the North Cascades: Flying for Fish” Published by experiencewilderness.org (experiencewilderness.org/​my-north-cascades-story/​flying-fish)

Posted in Klamath River, Opinion and tagged , , .