June 19, 2018
Liz Writes Life
Suckers
There is more on the hypocrisy and fraudulent science
regarding the sucker fish. This fish is being used by government agencies and
the Klamath Tribe to destroy the growing of food and the science being used has
been proven a flat-out lie. This is dire, folks. It is immediate and in our
face.
The Siskiyou Co. Supervisors will hear from Siskiyou Co. Ag.
Commissioner, Jim Smith, this morning at the supervisors’ board meeting. Jim
will explain the potential impact to agriculture in both the Klamath Basin and
Siskiyou Co. (mostly Tulelake area) if the Klamath Tribe’s injunction to stop
irrigation water to farmers happens during a hearing on July 11, 2018. The
judge will decide if irrigation water will be shut-off completely to hundreds
of farmers – for the single reason of preserving extremely high lake levels for
sucker fish as petitioned by the Klamath Tribes’ complaint filed on May 23,
2018.
There are several aspects playing out to achieve this
devestation. One is the Klamath Tribes and their control of water rights; the
other is the “political” science on the sucker fish, which claims the suckers
need more water in lakes and reservoirs to survive.
Years ago, before Jim Smith was our Ag. Commissioner, he worked
on a science project that proved the sucker fish populations improved when the
fish were in low-level water areas. This science is not being utilized by gov.
agencies or the Klamath Tribes.
Also, our county was hoping to use the fact that suckers are
swimming in the Copco and Irongate reservoirs and as such must be protected, so
if the Klamath dams were removed it would destroy the suckers’ habitat. Now a
CA. Santa Rosa Democrat Assemblyman has launched Assembly Bill 2640 that will
allow the “take” by CA. Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, which is the killing of the
sucker fish and contrary to ESA laws.
Last week, Ray Haupt, who is chairman of the board, signed a
letter of opposition to Assemblyman Wood. I want to quote this letter, because
this will explain the frustration by the county regarding suckers, agriculture
and the Klamath dam destruction.
“The Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors is writing this
letter to express our opposition of AB
2640 Protected species: Lost River sucker and shortnose sucker limited take
authorization; which would permit the California Department of Fish and
Wildlife to authorize the take or possession of suckers resulting from impacts
associated with the removal of the four Lower Klamath River dams.
“In late May 2018, the Klamath Tries filed a lawsuit in the
United States District Court for the Northern District of California seeking to
shut down the Bureau of Reclamation’s Klamath Project, which supplies water to
over 200,000 agriculture acres and hundreds of family farms in northern
California and southern Oregon. The substance of the Tribes’ complaint is that
the Lost River and shortnose suckers are in great peril and at extreme threat
of extinction by diversion of water from Upper Klamath Lake to support farming.
As part of this lawsuit, the Tribe is requesting the assigned Judge to order an
injunction on lake elevation levels, above the Biological Opinion thresholds
which are currently being met while irrigation is occurring; which would
completely shut down Klamath Project irrigation if ordered.
“The Lost River sucker and shortnose sucker are listed as
endangered species under the federal and California Endangered Species Act.
They are also a fully protected species under California law, which means that
their take is prohibited by law with narrow exceptions for scientific research,
efforts to recover the species, and where conservation and management of the
species is provided for in a natural community conservation plan, approved by
the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
“At the same time that the Tribe is seeking an injunction
which would shut down farming and ranching in the Klamath Project to
purportedly save fully protected suckers, AB 2640 is positioned to grant a
legislative waiver of these protections, for a project that would permanently
eliminate reservoir habitat above the dams currently occupied by both sucker
species, and would result in the extirpation of the species in that portion of
their range. In light of the precarious status of the species and a dearth of
information regarding its contemporary distribution and abundance, as well as
the prominent role of the State of California as an advocate for dam removal,
those concerned about the fate of the suckers should question if the State has
a greater interest in dam removal than the survival of the endangered suckers;
by attempting to side-step law rather than abiding by it, as every other,
entity, landowner, or project proponent is required to do.
“Due to the issues outlined above, we urge you to reconsider
AB 2640 by not allowing its passage, and rather require that State law is met
and abided by.”
This is an important challenge against the CA. Dept. of Fish
and Wildlife’s authority to “take” a federally ESA-listed specie. Our
supervisor board is ferreting out points of law to stop these overwhelming hypocrisies.
I pray that right will prevail and farmers will obtain their legal irrigation
water in July.
Garden
I transplanted several amaranth, cosmos and a five-leafed
cucumber last week, when it was cooler. The amaranth should make it, which is a
surprise as they do not like to be transplanted. The cosmos look great, but the
cuc is pretty sad. I pinched off the wilted leaves, hoping it will put its
energy into growing new ones.
Last week, someone asked me about the variety of plants that she
noticed are doing well in the dirt-between-rocks of my wild garden. The yellow
coreopsis are blooming and nearly four-feet tall. So pretty! I did add some
manure, when I planted them last summer. But, I think the most important thing
is to give them lots of water throughout the summer -- almost every day or
every other day. Other plants that seem to do well in this poor soil are: Two
varieties of Shasta daisy, tansy, comfrey, feverfew, sage, perennial asters, echinacea
purpurea (coneflower), day lilies, tiger lilies, yellow moonshine yarrow, lemon
balm, mints, hollyhock, four o’clocks, columbine, iris, lupine, CA. poppies and
lambs ears. Also ornamental oregano spreads like wildfire and the bees love it.
There are several other plants, but I can’t remember what they are. I am
surprised that I remembered these!
POW
Scott Valley Protect Our Water will meet on Thursday, June
28, 2018 at the Fort Jones Community Center. Time is 7 p.m. Will have updates
on sucker and water issues.
Liz Bowen began writing ranch and farm news, published in
newspapers, in 1976. She is a native of Siskiyou County and lives near
Callahan. Call her at 530-467-3515. Check out her blog at:
LizWritesLife.blogspot.com
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