PNP comment:  County Supervisor Jim Cook claims he instigated “coordination” process. But it was Frank Tallerico and others of the now present, Siskiyou County Water Users Assoc., who brought “coordination” to the board’s attention. But it wasn’t until 2011, that the board actually tried to do it and even then, they didn’t follow the attorney Fred Kelly Grant’s advice — failing to demand “coordination” with the Forest Service. Jim Cook has yet to get the board of supervisors to do “coordination” correctly. Frank is a founding member of the Siskiyou Co. Water Users Assoc. — Editor Liz Bowen

Comments to the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors

 March 18, 2008

My Name is Frank Tallerico, Jr.  and I thank you for this opportunity to come before you this morning under the agenda item of Public Input.

We find it appalling that we have come to this, Dam Removal on the Klamath River.

In order to protect Siskiyou County and its people, we urge this Board to implement a Siskiyou County Coordinating Council to begin actively working with federal and state agencies to provide notice in advance of public notice and in advance of implementation, with the opportunity to review, provide input and make recommendations, so that planning and activities can be consistent with Siskiyou County with Siskiyou County’s Land Use Plan as far as practicable.   It is imperative that these agencies come to Siskiyou’s table instead of just doing what only they think is best for the land, the fish and, I guess, for the people of Siskiyou County.

It is your responsibility to protect the citizens of this county, its culture, the right to own property and the Aboriginal Lands of the Shasta Nation, who were here thousands of years before any of us.  We need to not allow these interlopers to dictate to us what is best for Siskiyou County.  We would also urge this Board, at the very next regularly scheduled board meeting on April 1, as going on record as opposing dam removal on the Klamath River.   By prompt and vigorous action on your part, this travesty can be derailed.  Time is of the essence to halt the processes now going on with the Klamath River Settlement Agreement.

Should this Board wait too long, say as early as April 14^th; it will be too late to have any meaningful position in any later negotiations.  As you well know, one county, Humboldt is on record to remove the dams.  Let us not follow their lead.  Let us take charge and protect Siskiyou County’s way life and be an example to our Klamath County Oregon neighbors.

Obviously there is very long list of negative impacts on Siskiyou County, the river the loss of property, regional governance and many more.  The negatives come out of the Settlement Agreement.  Should the Settlement Agreement be adopted, the Klamath River Coordinating  Council will be formed and have control of all activities for region, including ALL and emphasize, all of Siskiyou County’s waters, both surface and sub-terranean will come under the jurisdiction of this newly created regional government.  We must move rapidly if Siskiyou County is going to be a player in the largest dam removal project in the world other than war time.  I again urge the Board to just say “NO” to dam removal on the Klamath River!