Originally, we had planned a trip to a big dam project - The Dalles, but we knew that we couldn't go there and make it to our gig in time. This was a bummer for me because we have been focusing so much on the salmon issue and I would love to see one of these controversial dams for myself.

Bend is situated in a magnificent part of Oregon. We stayed right by a river - I think the Little Deschutes. I went jogging on a great mountain trail that overlooked the river valley.

At sound check, we met Don Gentry, from the Klamath tribe, and Bud Ullman, the lawyer for the tribe. The Klamath are dealing with a few issues including water rights and the dams. The tribe was terminated along with all other Oregon tribes (except for the Warm Springs tribe) in 1954. The reason for this termination was simply because our government wanted the land. The Klamath lost their land and status by 1961. They regained their tribal status in 1986 but were not given their land base back. So they went from living on 1.1 million acres to 350 acres. As the original inhabitants of the land, they should have first rights to the water in their area but instead are considered last, if at all. The water supports the fish that are so important to them culturally and as a food source. The suckerfish or C'Wam is almost gone from Klamath Lake. They used to harvest 100,000 pounds a year but are now limited to 2 fish per year. These two fish are used in ceremony. Water is over allocated to the farms and there is not enough to go around. This affects the whole water ecosystem over allocation. The dams in the region also impact the fish populations where the Klamath live. The fish and the water rights issues are the result of a larger problem. Tribes are at the whim of political and corporate powers and are constantly pitted against the farmer, the rancher, or the miner. In the Klamath tribe's case, they have no land base and are treated like 2nd class citizens.

Action Cards
Senator Smith Action Card (Microsoft Word Format)
Senator Wyden Action Card (Microsoft Word Format)

Amy Ray's Tour Diary Continues:
April 17th, Elko, Nevada