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FERC Public Informational Meeting on Klamath Dams Relicensing & the Agreement in Principle on Dam Removal
Thursday, January 29, 2009, 1-2:30 pm & 7-8:30 pm at the Best Western Miner's Inn, 122 East Minert St., Yreka, CA (map)
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is holding two public informational meetings regarding the relicensing of PacifiCorp's Klamath Hydro Project. FERC will provide updates on the status of the relicensing process and how the recent Agreement in Principle on dam removal affects relicensing. This is a very important issue for the Klamath River as dam relicensing, the Agreement in Principle, and the possibility of dam removal are intricately related. Come learn about the current situation and tell FERC to assist in the dam removal effort.
There is an afternoon meeting at 1 pm and an evening meeting at 7 pm, both at the Best Western Miner's Inn in downtown Yreka (map). Please contact us if you need more information or for ride and carpool info.
Read FERC's complete announcement of the meeting here.
We encourage everyone to ask FERC to hold additional public meetings on this important issue in other parts of the Klamath watershed. Please contact John Mudre at FERC and request that additional meetings be held on the Coast and the Mid Klamath: john.mudre@ferc.gov or at (202) 502-8902.
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Meet Klamath Riverkeeper!
Tuesday, December 9th, 5-8 pm at the Panamnik Building in Orleans, CA
Come meet Klamath Riverkeeper's new staff and board members over wine and cheese at the Panamnik Building in Orleans. In addition to general merry-making, we will be available to talk about the new Agreement in Principle to remove the Klamath dams, our emerging Scott and Shasta River Restoration campaign, what's going on with water quality in the Upper Basin, and more.
Some things are changing at Klamath Riverkeeper, including increased staff capacity so that we can take on more of the issues that matter to the public. Many things do remain the same though, especially our commitment to bringing high-quality resources to the grassroots effort to restore the Klamath and its tributaries. As we grow and change, we are committed to seeking and incorporating feedback from the community about what matters to you. Please come down and let us know what's up!
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Karuk Tribe
P R E S S R E L E A S E
For Immediate Release: November 5 , 2008
For more information:
Craig Tucker, Spokesperson Karuk Tribe cell 916-207-8294
Stephen Most, Filmmaker & author of River of Renewal, Myth and History in the Klamath Basin, cell 510 295-3057
RIVER OF RENEWAL PREMIERS AT AMERICAN INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL
Film depicts struggle of Klamath Basin Tribes to Defend their Rights and their River
San Francisco, CA – The 33rd Annual American Indian Film Festival will open at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, November 7, at the Landmark Embarcadero Center Cinema with the premier of River of Renewal, a film describing the Klamath Basin tribes’ struggle to establish fishing rights, restore river flows, and remove dams.
River of Renewal follows Jack Kohler, a self described ‘sidewalk Indian’ who grew up in San Francisco. The audience follows Jack on a journey of self discovery in the land of his Karuk and Yurok ancestors. Jack learns not only about the ancient cultural traditions of his people, but also their modern day struggles to defend tribal rights and the Klamath River.”
“The story moves from the fish wars of the 1970s to the current fight to remove Klamath River dams,” explains Kohler. “I hope audiences learn some of what I learned on my journey. Native People are still here performing their ceremonies, speaking their languages, fighting for their rights and making progress.”
Using interviews, archival sources, and contemporary cinematography, River of Renewal documents acts of protest and civil disobedience by Klamath Basin stakeholders whose ways of life are jeopardized by the decline of the region's wild salmon.
These dramatic scenes include "protest fishing" by gillnetters in response to a federal ban on Indian fishing in 1978, the Bucket Brigade by Klamath Project farmers to protest a water cut-off complying with the Endangered Species Act in 2001, a commercial fisherman's demonstration in San Francisco in response to the curtailment of the salmon fishing season in 2006, and guerrilla theater by tribal members who protested the refusal of a Warren Buffet-owned company to agree to the removal of Klamath River dams by crashing his shareholders' party in Omaha this year.
Representing the Klamath Basin crisis in the perspective of history, River of Renewal shows that the canning industry, the Upper Basin farm economy, and tribal, sports and commercial fisheries have all paid a heavy price for the collapse of the region's wild salmon species while the dams that cut salmon off from hundreds of miles of spawning habitat continue to function. If the current effort to remove the Klamath dams owned by Warren Buffett succeeds, it would bring about the largest river restoration effort ever attempted.
As the nation's most prominent outlet for Native American films, the American Indian Film Festival will premiere over 80 new feature films, shorts, public service, music videos and documentaries from USA American Indian and Canada First Nation communities. The festival will run Nov. 7-12 at the Landmark Embarcadero Center Cinema, One Embarcadero Center, Promenade Level; and conclude Nov. 13-15 at the Palace of Fine Arts, 3301 Lyon Street @ Bay Street.
All programs are open to the general public and will require tickets for admission. Advance Tickets are available thru the American Indian Film Institute (AIFI) by calling 415-554-0525. Visa and Mastercard are accepted. Tickets will also be sold at the door. For more information, go to http://www.aifisf.com/home.php
November is National American Indian Heritage Month. "AIFI welcomes all audiences, all colors, to participate at festival screenings, seminars and awards show," according to AIFI.
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MADRONA ARTS PRESENTS
KLAMATH RIVER: FREEING THE WATERS
Benefit for Tribal Environmental and Fisheries Programs
Featuring the works of Bruce Bayard • Ann Disalvo
Dan Elster • Joan Franklin • Diana Hartel • Pat Holton
Michael John Koester • Margie Mee • Phyllis Trowbridge
John Wimberley • David Lorenz Winston • Ruthe Woudenberg
Live original music by Gene Burnett, Monte Killingsworth and others
-- THREE OPENINGS AT STUDIO 5--
First Friday, August 1 - Art Show & Klamath River Updates - 5-8PM
First Friday, September 5 - Art Show & Warren Buffett's Dam Cake - 5-8PM
Open Studio Labor Day Weekend: August 30th through September 1st
10-5 in conjunction with Southern Oregon Open Studios
DIRECTIONS
Studio 5 is located at 258 A Street above Lela's Restaurant
and across from Ace Hardware in Ashland's Railroad District
PARTICIPANTS & SPONSORS
Klamath Riverkeeper • KS Wild • Friends of The River
Klamath River Fish woman (a must) • Oregon Wild • Stephen
Most, author of River of Renewal • Inter Tribal Fish Commission -
Merv George Jr. and others • Madrona Arts • Studio 5 • Studio AB
Ashland Railroad Museum • A Street Arts Building
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Host a Klamath Riverkeeper Film Night
The Klamath Salmon Media Collaborative has produced some awesome films about dams, fish, farmers, and Tribes on the Klamath. We are pleased to show these movies, and audiences are consistently impressed with their level of well-balanced reporting and consideration of the issues. Help us out by hosting a film night in your community. Whether its your club, your college, your town or just your friends, we're relying on you to help us get the word out on the Klamath dams. Contact us and we'll work with you to plan a successful event.
Un-Dam the Klamath Featured Films:
Solving the Klamath Crisis: Keeping Fish and Farms Alive
Four hydroelectric dams built eighty years ago have degraded the health of the Klamath River, decimated local salmon populations, and imperiled three Native American tribes. A budding coalition of Native Americans, farmers, environmentalists, and fishermen may now be able to remove those dams. Film produced by the Klamath Salmon Media Collaborative
Shake Your Oncorhynchus
A short film featuring lively footage of all our favorite underwater characters on the Klamath, set to hip hop beats.