ASK YOURSELF: What Would George Washington Do?: Klamath

Showing posts with label Klamath. Show all posts

Klamath River Un-Dammed - 2002 Fish Kill Disaster... Trinity River Memories... NorCal & Oregon

The Klamath River Basin in California and Oregon has been obstructed by different dams for over 100 years. The first dam was constructed in 1908, and the last was erected in 1962. In 2002, a catastrophic fish kill resulted in over 70 thousand salmon deaths, and this kicked off the fight to restore the Klamath River Watershed to its original glory. 4 of 6 dams are slated to be removed over the next few years.

https://a-z-animals.com/blog/california-klamath-river-why-are-the-dams-being-removed/

Golden Bear at the Klamath River Bridge

on Highway 101, Northern California...

I have a Personal Feeling about the Klamath River... My Brother in Law Came all the way from Maryland to Fly Fish that River... It's a Classic Trip involving Hiring a Local Guide, Renting a Room and Eating at Restaurants...

However, in 2002, George (American Idiot) Bush the Son DIVERTED the Water to Potato Farmers in Oregon. More Water, More Potatoes, More Profit... What He Didn't Realize was that the Lack of water would KILL the Salmon... How would he know? He's just a BOUGHT Politician and the Potato Farmers Bribed Him...

anyway... The Oregon Tourist Business Lost a Fortune because... without FISH... NO Fishermen come to Visit... No Rooms Rented, No Guides Hired... and No Restaurants Selling Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner... The Bottom Line was that the Tourist Money LOST was MUCH GREATER than the Increased Profit from selling Potatoes...

I learned that the Salmon have a Five Year Cycle... They get Born, Swim to the Ocean... spend Five years out there and Then Swim Back to the Same Place that they were born... So the Fish Kill of 2002 did NOT effect the 2003, 2004, 2005, or 2006 Salmon Runs... but 2007 was a bad year to be a fish... and 2012... 2017...

I have swum in the Trinity River... it flows into the Klamath... On a drive along Highway 299 coming home I got stuck in a construction zone traffic Jam... and it was over a Hundred Degrees... NO Air Conditioning in the Car... so as soon as we were free to proceed... I drove to the First Place to Jump in the River... and BLISS!

Jerry Garcia's Father Drowned in the Trinity...

My Father, Uncle and Grandmother Camped by the Trinity When They Wanted to Save Money instead of Paying Rent... and they ate Trout FISH that They Caught in the River...

When I was a Student at Humboldt State University we had a Guest Lecturer... Derrick Jensen... Who OFTEN Spoke of Un-Damming the Klamath. He is a co-author of Deep Green Resistance, and the author of Endgame, The Culture of Make Believe, A Language Older than Words, Bright Green Lies, and many other books.

He was named one of Utne Reader’s “50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World” and won the Eric Hoffer Award in 2008.

All Species Parade in Arcata, CA
"Un Dam the Klamath Protest"

Headline: The world’s largest dam demolition has begun. Can the dammed Klamath River finally find salvation?

https://calmatters.org/environment/2023/08/klamath-river-dams-demolition/

I met a Lot of Yurok Tribe People when I worked in the Welfare Office in Eureka.

They Fish the Klamath for Salmon but Do Not Catch ALL The Fish because the Hoopa People Upstream also need to Eat... Somehow they managed to Cooperate for Thousands of Years... WISDOM...

Photos of the Yurok Loop Trail - Wetland near the Klamath River in Northern California - and Photos of the Golden Bear on the Klamath River Bridge on Highway 101

Formerly a Lumber Mill storage pond.

After they closed the lumber mill in the 1940's,
the park service let this pond return to nature.

Klamath River Bridge and Highway 101 in Northern California... YUROK Nation on the North Side of this Bridge... Cheaper Gas Since They Don't Pay State of California Taxes... They are NOT a part of the State of California... They are their own Country.

Klamath River Bridge - Golden Bear Sculpture - Highway 101 Northern California

Klamath River Bridge - Looking South on Highway 101 Northern California

Klamath River Bridge - Looking Over the Actual Bridge on Highway 101 Northern California

It seems to me that driving can be a meditation awareness tool. Today I was really focused on the sound of the engine, alignment of the wheels and gear changing. Before I left I checked the oil and added a quart. So I was listening for the valve chirping I heard last week. I also put air in all 4 tires so I was paying attention to the steering and if the van tended to drive to the right... or the left...
AND I was staying on the road, avoiding head on collisions with the logging trucks and watching for unexpected slowdowns. Three times there were One Lane Roads with a flagman and a lead car... Not only do I have to stop in time but all those people behind me had to also.

So, I believe that driving can be used as an Idea Factory.

I'm not alone in this belief. Robert Pirsig wrote
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_and_the_Art_of_Motorcycle_Maintenance about this.

and Bob Seger sang "your mind goes wandering when you're riding sixteen hours and there's nothing else to do" in the song "Turn the Page"...

Links to National Park Service Trail Guides for Northern California Coastal Trails... http://www.nps.gov/redw/planyourvisit/hiking-trails-north.htm

http://www.nps.gov/redw/planyourvisit/coastal-trail-sections.htm

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Yurok+Loop+Trail/@41.594556,-124.0997769,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x54d059faa3875011:0x350778962b0a9c06?hl=en