Water Users Fight Back in Klamath Project Shut-Off Litigation

Water Users Fight Back in Klamath Project Shut-Off Litigation

Klamath Falls, OR – Klamath Water Users Association (KWUA) yesterday filed its objections to the Klamath Tribes’ request for a court order that would immediately shut off Klamath Project irrigation water in order to maintain higher Upper Klamath Lake elevations for endangered suckers.

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Tribes Hold Root Digging at Willow Valley Reservoir. Public Root Digging Event Set for June 21

Tribes Hold Root Digging at Willow Valley Reservoir. Public Root Digging Event Set for June 21

Every year the Klamath Tribes hold an annual Ipos root digging adventure. This year included Tribal Elders and Tribal Youth. The Klamath County Museum is offering a public root digging event on June 21st.

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Merkley Announces Infrastructure Funding in Interior Appropriations Bill, Includes Elements for Klamath Basin

Merkley Announces Infrastructure Funding in Interior Appropriations Bill, Includes Elements for Klamath Basin

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley today announced that key provisions that will help Oregon’s rural communities are included in the U.S. Department of Interior Appropriations bill.

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Klamath Tribes File Lawsuit to Keep Endangered Fish From Extinction

Klamath Tribes File Lawsuit to Keep Endangered Fish From Extinction

Chiloquin, OR – The Klamath Tribes today filed a lawsuit under the federal Endangered Species Act to protect endangered C’waam and Koptu (Lost River and Shortnose suckers, respectively) through better management of water levels, water quality and habitat protection in Upper Klamath Lake.

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Tupper, First Native Woman Nominated for State Office

Tupper, First Native Woman Nominated for State Office

Taylor Tupper, a member of the Klamath Tribes of Oregon, will be the Democratic Party’s candidate for Oregon House District 56, comprising the southern portion of Klamath and Lake Counties--including Klamath Falls, Merrill, Malin, Keno, and Lakeview, Oregon.

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Merkley, Wyden, Walden, DeFazio Announces Congressional Passage of Legislation to Return Tribal Control Over Their Private Lands

Merkley, Wyden, Walden, DeFazio Announces Congressional Passage of Legislation to Return Tribal Control Over Their Private Lands

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, with Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR 2) and Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR 4) today announced that Congress has passed the Oregon Tribal Economic Development Act, which allows certain tribes in Oregon to lease and sell property that they own.

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First Round of Captive Reared Sucker Fish Released into Upper Klamath Lake

First Round of Captive Reared Sucker Fish Released into Upper Klamath Lake

Along the shore line of Upper Klamath Lake at the Eagle Ridge County Park a small number of reared Lost River and Shortnose Sucker fish have been released. These fish are the first of thousands to be raised in captivity and released into Upper Klamath Lake.

Alan Mikkelsen, Senior Advisor to the Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke was in attendance to help release the fish into the wild and answer questions about the program.

“This is the first cohort of what we expect to be many more releases in the coming years,” says Mikkelsen. “What is going on here is an attempt to stabilize and ultimately increase the population of suckers in the lake.”

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Tribes Appreciate USFWS Efforts But Says Efforts Fall Short

Tribes Appreciate USFWS Efforts But Says Efforts Fall Short

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is planning on the initial release of a portion of 2,500 Lost River and Shortnose suckers for 2018 on March 20th in the Shoalwater Bay area.  Although, the Klamath Tribes appreciate this effort, we feel strongly that in order to be effective this needs to be accomplished on a much larger scale.  We also are saddened that we are at the point where artificial propagation is now a necessary step in attempt to save these species from extinction.

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Tupper Running for Oregon House District 56 Democratic Ticket

Tupper Running for Oregon House District 56 Democratic Ticket

On Monday, March 5, Taylor Tupper, a member of the Klamath Tribes, filed to run for the Oregon Legislature in Oregon House District 56, comprising the southern portion of Klamath and Lake Counties--including Klamath Falls, Merrill, Malin, and Lakeview.

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Issuance of Draft 60-Day Notice to Protect C’waam and Koptu

Issuance of Draft 60-Day Notice to Protect C’waam and Koptu

On Friday, February 9, 2018, attorneys for the Klamath Tribes sent a letter to representatives of three federal agencies requesting that Upper Klamath Lake be managed at higher levels throughout the upcoming irrigation season to protect the endangered C’waam and Koptu (Lost River and Shortnose suckers, respectively).

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Annual Return of C'waam Ceremony

Annual Return of C'waam Ceremony

Along the banks of the Sprague River, in Chiloquin, Ore. the C'waam Ceremony is held each year after the first big Fish-Blanket snow in March when c’waam (also known as the Lost River Sucker) swim up the Sprague River to spawn.  This years event will be held March 24th.

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Klamath Tribes Hotel Development Update

Klamath Tribes Hotel Development Update

The hotel ground breaking ceremony was held August 15, 2017, adjacent to Kla-Mo-Ya Casino, along Hwy 97 in Chiloquin, Oregon. The ceremony solidified a partnership for a 76-room hotel between the Klamath Tribes and Choice Hotel to build a Sleep Inn Suites complete with indoor pool, conference room, workout facility, guest laundry and breakfast space for hotel visitors. The new hotel will be located directly off Highway 97 connected to the primary parking lot of  Kla-Mo-Ya Casino.

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Upper Klamath Basin Comprehensive Agreement Terminates

Upper Klamath Basin Comprehensive Agreement Terminates

On Thursday, December 21, Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke called Klamath Tribal Chairman Don Gentry to notify him directly of his intention to issue a Negative Notice to terminate the Upper Klamath Basin Comprehensive Agreement (UKBCA). Upon publication in the Federal Register on December 28, the Comprehensive Agreement was effectively terminated. The Negative Notice, issued in accordance with the Tribe’s request, is the Secretary’s determination affirming that one or more of the conditions of the UKBCA could not be satisfied and was the final step, unless challenged, to terminate the UKBCA.

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