Aug 30th Klamath Forum w/ Congressman Thompson & Canyon Creek Comment Deadline

Klamath-Trinity Salmon Forum with Congressman Mike Thompson

Monday, August 30th, 1:30pm, Eureka City Council Chambers, 531 K st, Eureka.

Congressman Mike Thompson is holding an important briefing meeting on the current health and conditions facing the Klamath's anadromous fish on August 30, 2004 at 1:30 p.m. in Eureka, at the City of Eureka Council Chambers.

The forum will focus on the current threats to recovery of salmon in the Klamath and Trinity river systems. Along with dams and diversions, these include the impacts of planned national forest logging in critical watersheds such as the Salmon River and it's inevitable effects downstream.

It is important to have a strong showing of the public to let Congressman Thompson know that we care about stopping these destructive logging plans as well as getting more water in the Klamath to help these threatened Salmon runs.

There will be a carpool meeting at 1pm, Monday afternoon in Arcata at the Co-op Kiosk, 9th and I st.

Below is a media advisory with more information.

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Congressman Mike Thompson hosts briefing on current state of Klamath fisheries


(Eureka, CA) Congressman Mike Thompson (D-Napa) has announced an update on the status of the Klamath-Trinity basin's anadromous fisheries, the current state of commercial and recreational fishing seasons, and conservation programs aimed to restore the river's important fish stocks. The briefing will be held on August 30, at 1:30 p.m. in Eureka at the City of Eureka Council Chambers, 531 K street.

The environment for salmon and trout in the Klamath River is worse today than in 2002, according to United States Geological Service (USGS) monitoring stations, when as many as 68,000 almon and steelhead, including threatened coho, died from diseases caused primarily by poor water quality resulting from low water flows and high water temperatures. These fish kills threaten a coastal fishery worth $1.25 billion annually, and have made the Klamath fishery one of the most threatened in the U.S..

While increased flows this year from the Trinity Dam are expected to provide some respite for fish journeying up the Klamath below its confluence with the Trinity, river conditions upstream in the mainstem Klamath threaten to be even worse than in 2002.

"Just because the Trinity has increased flows, doesn't mean the Klamath River above Weitchpec is any better off," said Tim McKay, Director of the Northcoast Environmental Center, based in Arcata, California. "Our coastal fisheries are still very much at risk. To avoid a repeat of the unprecidented fish kill we must address the threats to recovery throughout the basin," McKay added.

A 2003 National Academy of Sciences Report, Endangered and threatened fishes in the Klamath Basin: causes of decline and strategies for recovery, attributed damage to the Klamath-Trinity fisheries to degraded water quality and increased water temperatures caused by dams, water diversions, and poor land use practices, including
agriculture and logging. Logging and roadbuilding in the Salmon River watershed were singled out as threats to the wild spring chinook population, which could be key to restoring the rest of the basin's runs.

While the report helped identify the threats and strategies for recovery, conditions have not improved for salmon and trout in the Klamath Basin, and may have actually gotten worse. The dams are still in place, agricultural diversions have increased, and Bush administration roll backs to National Forest fish protections threatens what progress has been made in restoring the Klamath~Trinity fisheries.

Come learn more about the current state of the Klamath River fisheries from state, federal agencies, and the Hoopa and Yurok Tribes on August 30.

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Canyon Creek Open Pit Gold Mine Comment Deadline

Deadline is tomorrow (August 26th) for comments and letters to the Shasta-Trinity National Forest regarding the Proposed Canyon Creek Open Pit Gold Mine.

This destructive proposal would allow Master Petroleum, a Texas based mining company, to conduct massive open pit mining at the popular gateway to the Trinity Alps Wilderness. To extract gold deposits, 1 1/2 million cubic yards of soil on 22 acres of public land would be bulldozed and up to 300,000 gallons of water a day would be taken
from the East Fork of Canyon Creek. Acres of mature second growth and old forest forest would be logged. This sensitive area is a recovery fishery, eligible for wild and scenic river designation and needs to be protected. This potential travesty is sadly legal under the 1872 mining law that allows corporations to pay only thousands of dollars to extract tens of millions worth of minerals off public lands.

For more information on the proposed Canyon Creek Mine and on how to comment please go to <http://www.pelicannetwork.net/canyoncreek.htm>.

Letters need to be postmarked no later than August 26th.

Comment letters should be sent to:
Michael Mitchell
Shasta-Trinity National Forest
P.O. Box 1190
Weaverville, CA 96093