Author: Ken Smith

The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest issued a temporary area closure on Huckleberry Mountain, including Huckleberry Campground and the surrounding area, for tribal ceremonial purposes. The Klamath Tribes, with support from the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians, requested the closure for traditional and cultural use.

The temporary closure will be implemented once per year for approximately ten days within a six-week period spanning between Aug. 1 and Sept. 15.  The closure period will vary from year to year. This year, the closure began on Aug. 16 and ended on Aug. 26.

The Forest Service issued the following statement regarding the closure, “Under the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Leadership, the intention of this closure order is to uphold and honor the request from our tribal counterparts as Trustees and acknowledging the government-to-government relationship. This event allows allocated space to honor ceremony that celebrates the relationship tribal peoples have with their ancestral lands in time-immemorial and first foods. The Forest, Region and Agency actively practice their support by celebrating this relationship along-side the sovereign nation of The Klamath Tribes and show reciprocity through the organization and planning of this closure.”

“It’s been a long time in making this happen through good coordination efforts between the Klamath Tribe and the Forest Service,” said Tribal Council Member-at-Large Les Anderson. “It’s great that we’re now able to put something together to bloom. We hope this to be a successful event and look forward to working together in future years.”

The closure exempts those with a specific authorizing permit, any organized rescue or fire fighting force performing official duty, and any member of the Klamath Tribes or those invited by the Klamath Tribes to participate in ceremonial activities.

Closure notices and road closure signs will be posted in the affected areas. A map provided identifies nearby alternative huckleberry picking and dispersed camping areas. 

“By implementing this closure, we are recognizing and celebrating tribal ceremony for our local indigenous tribes,” said Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Supervisor Molly Juillerat.

Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that Oregon, as well as the Klamath Basin, is receiving $35,148,287 from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF), a federal grant program to help restore Pacific salmon and steelhead.

“Oregon’s salmon population is critical in sustaining our commercial and recreational fisheries and empowering the well-being and cultural heritage of Tribes who have been here since time immemorial,” Merkley said. “This federal funding will support the restoration of Oregon’s vibrant salmon runs by repairing and reviving their water habitat. This critical investment moves us one step closer to a healthier ecological future for the region, and I will continue fighting to protect our waterways and fish populations, including our beloved coho salmon.”

“Salmon are synonymous with Oregon, and that historic connection to jobs, recreation and natural treasures deserves protecting and enhancing for generations to come,” Wyden said. “This major federal investment in habitat restoration helps to rebuild robust salmon runs for Tribes and Oregon communities, and I’ll keep battling for similar resources to achieve that objective throughout our state.”

Crucially, over $3 million in federal funds are heading directly to the Klamath Basin to support recovery and restoration efforts for salmon and ongoing Klamath Dam removal efforts. This funding will be distributed between two grant recipients: the Klamath River Inter-Tribal Fish and Water Commission ($2,427,664) and the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board ($640,000).

Merkley, as a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, secured language in fiscal year 2024 government funding legislation directing NOAA to provide an update on recovery and restoration efforts for coho salmon and related salmonids in the Klamath Basin, as well as an investment strategy. He has also used his role on the powerful committee to secure robust funding for the protection, conservation, and restoration of salmon and steelhead species for Western states and Tribes via federal programs such as the PCSRF.

Created in 2000, the PCSRF is designed to address declining Pacific salmon and steelhead populations by supporting conservation efforts in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Alaska. The program is essential to preventing the extinction of the 28 listed salmon and steelhead species on the West Coast.

This latest PCSRF funding for Oregon was also supported by the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. A full list of the PCSRF grants heading to Oregon—as well as the Klamath Basin include the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board: $22,250,000; Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission: $6,862,160; Coquille Indian Tribe: $3,608,463, and the Klamath River Inter-Tribal Fish and Water Commission: $2,427,664.

A public meeting initially scheduled for Aug. 27 concerning a proposed regional landfill near the northwest end of the Klamath Rash has been indefinitely postponed. Jeremy Morris, the Klamath County Public Works/Planning Director, stated in an email to the Klamath Tribes News that a phone conference in early August was conducted with the applicant, Don Jensen, and additional information was requested. Four items were requested.

First, a railroad crossing permit. As stated in the email, the existing crossing appeared to be a private crossing, and a new landfill may not fall within the current railroad crossing permit. Second, Lenz Road, a private road that would access the landfill, requires proof of legal access rights for the existing private road for commercial use.  “Not to mention ODOT (Oregon Department of Transportation) may require major improvements such as turn lanes on Highway 97 to make sure the motoring public is safe at the proposed intersection,” cited Morris.

The location of the landfill in a wetland also requires delineations and plans specific to how state-mapped wetlands will not be impacted (most of the proposed site is covered by wetlands). Furthermore, Klamath Tribal Water Rights must be considered. “Tribal Water Rights; proof that Tribal Water Rights are not being negatively impacted” was a concern cited. “This will be difficult since the project will undoubtedly impact surface water and groundwater,” Morris stated.

Morris said that the Planning Department had not received any of the requested information as of this writing, “so we have indefinitely postponed the Planning Commission Planning Hearing. We will most likely have another phone conference with the applicant in the upcoming weeks.”

The Klamath Tribes Natural Resources Department has also been actively involved in the process. Don Gentry, the Natural Resources Specialist, stated, “We in the Klamath Tribes Natural Resources Department are thankful that Klamath County has informed the proponent of additional requirements that must be addressed if the development of a landfill proposed in this sensitive wetland area in the Klamath Marsh is to move forward. It is our position that there are additional risks and impacts that cannot be mitigated that render this proposed location infeasible.”