There's a new post at KlamBlog!

[Felice Pace]

The new post is titled:

Coordination, Consultation and Co-management: Behind the scenes
maneuvering in the Klamath River Basin

This post explores behind the scenes efforts by Siskiyou County, the
Yurok Tribe and others to gain veto power over federal government
decisions that impact Klamath River Basin Public Land and Public Trust
resources. It asks the question: How is the public interest served by
dealing with PUBLIC lands and PUBLIC Trust resources behind closed
doors? Here are a few excerpts:


.....There were signs at the January 18th Siskiyou County
Board of Supervisors meeting that the powerful Tulelake irrigators
have the ear of most supervisors. As reported in the Siskiyou Daily
News, county counsel Thomas Guarino told the supervisors that the
SCWUA lawsuit “may not fit into the county’s overall litigation
strategy with respect to the Klamath agreements and county finances.”
Putting two and two together, KlamBlog suspects that the county’s
“strategy” is to allow the KBRA to move forward - on behalf of the
Irrigation Elite - while attempting to scuttle removal of the four
PacifiCorp dams......


......It has been clear to Klamath River Basin irrigation
interests for decades that they will eventually be forced to allow
more water to flow in the Shasta, Scott and Klamath Rivers. These
water users have been manuvering to delay that eventuality while
jockeying for the eventual advantage, that is, control of water at the
expense of some other users. The Irrigation Elite appear to have the
upper hand in this game not only with federal and state agencies but
with the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors as well. This is the
local subtext to the Klamath Water Deal......


......The Eureka Times Standard pointed out that the
proposed Thompson legislation is part of a larger vision which the
Yurok Tribe seeks to implement. As part of that vision, the Tribe has
been using public funds to purchase land within the boundaries of the
Yurok Reservation which is controlled by Green Diamond (formerly
Simpson) Timber Company . A copy of the Yurok Tribe's 2005 Tribal Park
Concept Plan is available on line......


......Whether we consider the Siskiyou Supervisors or the
Yurok Tribe, the motivating impulse appears to be a desire to control
federal bureaucrats and their actions. As KlamBlog has pointed out in
the past, this is nothing new. Federal government bureaucrats and
local interests have been vying for control of western river basins –
and their resources – since whites first conquered the American West.
Tribes came late to this game but they are working hard to catch
up.......


......The fact that maneuvering for control of public
resources is a western tradition, however, begs the question of
whether secret deals disposing of public resources – whether labeled
as coordination, consultation or co-management - are appropriate.
KlamBlog can see no justification for holding coordination,
consultation and co-management meetings behind closed doors when the
topic is PUBLIC resources. And we challenge officials from Siskiyou
County, Klamath River Basin federal tribes and federal agencies to
explain and justify here on KlamBlog their desire for secrecy when
dealing with PUBLIC lands and resources.......


You can read the full post at www.KlamBlog.blogspot.com