Jamie Holt is the Yurok Tribe's lead fisheries technician. She maneuvers a boat close to a fish trap in lower Klamath River, Tuesday, June 8, 2021 in Weitchpec. Low water levels and a historic drought are threatening the survival of many fish species along the river's 257-mile length. She said that the salmon was not a topic of conversation when she first began her job 23 years ago. "If we have another year of the same kind as we are now, extinction will be what we're talking." Credit: AP Photo/Nathan HowardBen DuVal stood in a barren field close to the California-Oregon border, scooping up some of the soil. Dust devils swirled around him while birds flew between empty irrigation pipes.DuVal's family has been farming the land for three generations. This summer, DuVal and hundreds of others who depend on irrigation from a federally managed, depleted lake for their water supply aren't receiving any water at all.Native American tribes along the river from Lake to Pacific, which runs 257 miles (407 kilometers) long, watch in horror as fish that are not adapted to their diet or culture die in large numbers or do not spawn in shallow waters.A historic drought is tearing apart communities in this basin, just a few weeks after the start of summer.The competition for water from the river has been fierce. This summer, however, there is not enough water. Farmers, tribes, and wildlife refuges have been competing for every drop of this water. Now, their futures are uncertain."Everyone depends on the Klamath River water for their livelihood. It's our blood that binds us all. ... They want their children to learn how to fish for salmon, just as I want my kids to learn how to farm," DuVal stated about the Karuk and Yurok tribes. "Nobody is winning this year. Nobody is winning."Ben DuVal stands in a field filled with triticale on Wednesday, June 9, 20,21 in Tulelake. This is one of the few crops that his family was able plant this year because of the water shortage. DuVal and hundreds of others who depend on irrigation from the federally managed, depleted lake for their livelihood are now without water. The Klamath Basin water supply has been a source of intense competition for years. However, this year, due to a drought, there isn't enough water for farmers, Native American tribes, and wildlife refuges. Credit: AP Photo/Nathan HowardThe decades-old conflict over water rights has reached boiling point. Those living in the nightmare worry that the Klamath Basin’s unprecedented drought could be a sign of global warming.Frankie Myers (vice chairman of Yurok Tribe), said that "for me, and for my family," this is a direct result from climate change. They are monitoring a huge fish kill at the point where the river enters into the ocean. "The system is collapsing, not only for Yurok people... but also for people up and downstream from the Klamath Basin. It's heartbreaking."ROOTS OF A CRISISTwenty years ago, water supplies to farms were severely reduced by another drought. This crisis became a rallying cry for the political left. Some protesters broke a fence and opened main irrigation canal, in violation of federal laws.On Monday, June 7, 2021 the Klamath River runs along Highway 96 near Happy Camp, Calif. Although competition for water has been fierce, this summer's shortage of water is affecting all users. The river runs 257 miles and Native American tribes are seeing fish species that they have fished for generations become more endangered as the water flows decrease. Credit: AP Photo/Nathan HowardToday, reality is sinking in and many irrigators are refusing to accept the presence of antigovernment activists who have set up camp once more. Irrigators who have lost their farms in the wake of the Jan. 6 rebellion at the U.S. Capitol fear that any links to far-right activism will ruin their image.Some farmers get groundwater from wells to offset their losses. A small number of farmers who receive flows from other rivers will have drastically reduced water supply for part of the summer. Everyone shares what water they have.DuVal, president and CEO of the Klamath Water Users Association, stated that "it's going be people on ground, working together, which's going to solve the issue." "What can we do to live with these train wrecks, and what can the parties do to prevent them from happening again?"A tractor is seen tearing up dirt from land in Tulelake, Calif., that was not planted this year because of the drought on Wednesday, June 9, 2021. For the first time in history, hundreds of California-Oregon farmers who depend on water from a federally managed, depleted lake for irrigation aren't receiving any water this summer. The competition for water in the Klamath Basin is intense. However, this summer there has been a drought that has caused a shortage of water. Credit: AP Photo/Nathan HowardThe toxic algae blooming in the basin's main habitat for endangered suckerfish a month earlier than usual, and the two national wildlife refuges that serve as a vital link for the Pacific Flyway's migratory birds are drying out. To prevent another outbreak, environmentalists and farmers use pumps to mix water from two stagnant areas into one more.This activity exposed vast swathes of deserted, cracked terrain that has likely not been seen above water in thousands of years."Water is being allocated to water that doesn't exist." This is unprecedented. What next? What is the best time to start having the bigger conversation about complete sustainability? Jamie Holt is the Yurok Tribe's lead fisheries technician, and counts the dead juvenile Chinook salmon each day along the Klamath River.A dead Chinook salmon is seen floating in a trap in the lower Klamath River, Weitchpec, Calif., on Tuesday, June 8, 2021. The river runs 257 miles long and is threatened by a historic drought and low water levels. Credit: AP Photo/Nathan HowardShe said that the salmon was not a topic of conversation when she first began her job 23 years ago. "If we have another year of the same kind as we are now, extinction will be what we're discussing."Extreme drought has made it worse a water conflict that dates back over a century.In 1906, the federal government began to reengineer a complex network of lakes, rivers, and wetlands in the Klamath River Basin, which covers 10 million acres (4 million hectares). This was done in order to create fertile farmland. It constructed dikes and dams that blocked and diverted rivers to redirect water away from the natural lake at the California-Oregon border.The lake was reduced to one-quarter its original size by evaporation, creating thousands of arable acres in an area which had been submerged for many millennia.The United States began to grant homesteads in 1918 on the Tule Lake's dried-up areas. The Klamath Reclamation Project became an agricultural powerhouse quickly, with World War I and World War II veterans receiving preference. Farmers there today grow everything from mint and alfalfa, to potatoes that are used in In 'N out Burger, Frito-Lay, and Kettle Foods.On Tuesday, June 8, 2021 in Weitchpec (Calif.), researchers are monitoring nearby chinook salmon population while using a Yurok Tribe field book. The Yurok Tribe's field book is visible on the Klamath River's shore. Native American tribes that run along the river's 257-mile length are seeing fish species move closer to extinction due to reduced water flows. Credit: AP Photo/Nathan HowardThe fields were drained and water flowed to national wildlife refuges, which continue to provide sanctuary for thousands of birds each year. The refuges are a beautiful wetland oasis, nicknamed the Everglades of the West, that is home to a variety of birds including grebes (white pelicans), bald eagles (blackbirds), and terns.The irrigation project provided little water to the refuges last year due to growing drought. They will not get any this summer.FISH TALKINGAlthough the project was beneficial for birds in higher water years, it didn't do much for fish or the tribes living along the river.The Upper Klamath Lake is home to suckerfish and the farmers get their water from it. It covers 96 miles (248 km). These fish have been a vital part of the Klamath Tribes creation stories and culture for millennia and are a crucial food source in harsh environments.Jamie Holt (lead fisheries technician for Yurok Tribe), right and Gilbert Myers, left, count dead Chinook salmon taken from a trap in lower Klamath River, Tuesday, June 8, 2021 in Weitchpec. This was Tuesday, June 8, 2021 in Weitchpec. Low water levels and a historic drought are both threatening the survival of the fish species along the river's 257-mile length. She said that extinction was not a topic of conversation when she first began her job 23 years ago. "If we have another year of the same kind as we are now, extinction will be what we're discussing." Credit: AP Photo/Nathan HowardTwo years after the tribe was granted federal recognition in 1988, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared two endangered species of suckerfish who spawn in the lake and its tributaries. The federal government must maintain the lake's extremely shallow depth to ensure that the fish can spawn in spring and fall, when toxic algae blooms take out oxygen.In spite of extreme drought conditions, this year there wasn't enough water to supply the required levels. Alex Gonyaw (senior fish biologist, Klamath Tribes), stated that the lake's water level fell below the required levels even with the shutoff of irrigation. This meant that some suckerfish could not reproduce.The lake's youngest suckerfish are nearly 30 years old. Tribe projections indicate that both species could disappear in the next few decades. According to the tribe, even though the fish can spawn they die from low water levels and lack of oxygen. They are being held captive by the tribe, who have pledged to speak for the fish in the face of severe water shortages.Jamie Holt is the Yurok Tribe's lead fisheries technician. She counts dead Chinook salmon that were taken from a trap in lower Klamath River. This Tuesday, June 8, 2021 in Weitchpec (Calif.). A historic drought as well as low water levels threaten the survival of many fish species along the river's 257-mile length. She said that extinction was not a topic of conversation when she first began her job 23 years ago. "If we have another year of the same kind as we are now, extinction will be what we're talking." Credit: AP Photo/Nathan Howard"I don’t believe any of our leaders thought we’d end up in a place such as this when they signed the treaties. Don Gentry, chairman of Klamath Tribes, stated that we thought we would have the fish for ever. "Agriculture should focus on what is sustainable. Too many people want too little water.The Klamath Tribes have enforced their senior water rights to suckerfish. There is therefore no additional water for downstream salmon and now, tribes from different areas of the river are jockeying for this precious resource.Last month, the Karuk Tribe declared a state emergency citing climate change as well as the most severe hydrologic conditions in the Klamath River Basin's history. Aaron Troy Hockaday Sr., a Karuk tribal citizen used to fish for salmon in a local waterfall using a traditional dipnet. He claims he hasn’t caught any fish in the river since mid-1990s.Gilbert Myers, a Weitchpec, Calif., water temperature reader, takes a reading at a chinook Salmon trap in the lower Klamath River, Tuesday, June 8, 2021. The 257-mile-long river is a tributary of Native American tribes that watch helplessly as endangered fish species are threatened by lower water levels due to historic drought. Credit: AP Photo/Nathan Howard"I have two grandsons who are 1 and 3 years old. This fall, I have a baby grandson. He said that although I am a fourth-generation fisherman but they won't be able save one fish from the river today. "How can they learn how to fish if there are no fish?""IT'S LIKE A BIG DARK CLOUD"Hydroelectric dams that are not part of the irrigation project create problems for the downstream tribes and block migration routes for migrating salmon.The tribes are located 200 miles (320 km) southwest of farmers. If the river reaches to the Pacific, they can ask the Bureau of Reclamation for extra water from Upper Klamath Lake. Extra flows reduce the risk of parasitic diseases that can proliferate in low-flowing rivers.Jamie Holt (lead fisheries technician for Yurok Tribe), and Gilbert Myers (left), count dead Chinook salmon taken from a trap in lower Klamath River. They were doing so on Tuesday, June 8th, 2021 in Weitchpec. Low water levels and a historic drought are both threatening the survival of the fish species that run the length of the river, which is 257 miles long. Holt stated that the salmon was not a topic of conversation when he first began his job 23 years ago. "If we have another one like the one we are seeing now, extinction will be what we're talking." Credit: AP Photo/Nathan HowardThese requests were turned down by the federal agency this year due to the drought.The parasite now kills thousands of juvenile salmon in Klamath River's lower Klamath River. This river is where the Yurok and Karuk tribes have lived side by side for millennia. Tribal fish biologists discovered that 97% of the river's juvenile spring chinook were infected. 63% of fish taken from research traps close to the river's mouth are also infected.People who believe they were created to protect the Klamath River's salmon are devastated by the die-off. They also learn that their tribe will not be far behind if the salmon disappear.Holt, a Yurok fisheries expert, said that everyone has been promised something that doesn't exist anymore. "We have become so ingrained in our environment that we can see the changes and these changes change our lives. Many people don't see the direct correlation between climate change and less fish or less food.Jamie Holt is seen with a salmon tattoo on her leg. Holt is the Yurok Tribe's lead fisheries technician. Holt was documenting the deaths of chinooks in the Klamath River, Weitchpec, Calif., on Tuesday, June 8, 2021. The river runs 257 miles long and is threatened by a historic drought. She said that the salmon was not a topic of conversation when she first began her job 23 years ago. "If we have another year of the same kind as we are now, extinction will be what we're discussing." Credit: AP Photo/Nathan HowardSome farmers living hundreds of miles away from the river's source are now claiming that they will have less water in the future but would prefer to receive some water each year than the dry fields they currently have. There is concern that problems in the river basin, even those caused by droughts beyond their control, could be attributed to a way of living they also inherited.Tricia Hill, fourth-generation farmer and environmental lawyer who has returned to the farm to take over the family's farm after a decade of working as an environmental attorney, stated that "I know turning the project off is easy.""But sometimes, the story we tell... does not reflect how progressive we have been and how much we want to make life better for all species. This management of a single species isn't working for fish and it's destroying our community as well as our wildlife.Aaron Troy Hockaday Sr. is a Karuk tribal member and holds a handmade Mule Deer Drum decorated with fishing symbolism. The Klamath River has been fished by members of Karuk Tribe for many generations. However, the tribe recently declared a state emergency. According to them, climate change and the most severe hydrologic conditions in the Klamath Basin have caused the decline in salmon populations. Credit: AP Photo/Nathan HowardOn Thursday, June 10, 2021 in Chiloquin (Ore), the Klamath Tribes Fish and Wildlife Facility, which tracks the health of native suckersfish, can be seen here. The habitat of endangered species is being threatened by toxic algae blooms at the Upper Klamath Lake. Credit: AP Photo/Nathan HowardOn Tuesday, June 8, 2021 in Weitchpec (Calif.), a dead Chinook salmon was found at a salmon trap along the Klamath River. This happened on Tuesday, June 8th, 2021. The river runs 257 miles long and is threatened by a historic drought and low water levels. Credit: AP Photo/Nathan HowardDead Chinook salmon are lined up at a salmon trap along the lower Klamath River in Weitchpec (Calif.) on Tuesday, June 8, 2021. This was done before the historic drought and low water levels of the Klamath River threatened the survival of many fish species. Credit: AP Photo/Nathan HowardOn Tuesday, June 8, 2021 in Weitchpec (Calif.), a fish trap was used to capture and document salmon's health. The 257-mile-long river is surrounded by Native American tribes who watch helplessly as endangered fish species are threatened by lower water levels due to the drought. Credit: AP Photo/Nathan HowardOn Wednesday, June 9, 2021 in Klamath Falls (Ore), a tent was set up by a small group from farmers to protest the dearth of water allocations to irrigators. If the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation doesn't release water to irrigators, the group threatened to open the Upper Klamath Lake's head gates. Credit: AP Photo/Nathan HowardOn Thursday, June 10, 2021 at Klamath Falls (Ore), toxic algae was found in Upper Klamath Lake water. The vital habitat of the endangered suckerfish is being threatened by toxic algae that has been blooming in the lake. Credit: AP Photo/Nathan HowardAlex Gonyaw is a senior fish biologist at Klamath Tribes. He examined juvenile suckerfish in the tribe's wildlife and fish facility, on Thursday, June 10, 2021 in Chiloquin (Ore). The habitat of endangered species is being threatened by toxic algae blooms in Upper Klamath Lake. Credit: AP Photo/Nathan HowardPaul Simmons, executive Director of the Klamath Water Users Association talks about the history and future of the Klamath Water Basin Project on Wednesday, June 9, 2021 in Klamath Falls (Ore). The Klamath Water Users Association is a private nonprofit that meets the water requirements of agricultural members that draw water from the Klamath Reclamation Project on both sides the California-Oregon boundary. Credit: AP Photo/Nathan HowardDanny Nielsen is seen sitting around a gas stove on the property he bought next to the Klamath River head gates on Wednesday, June 9, 2021 in Klamath Falls (Ore). Nielsen is one of those who threatened to open the Klamath Lake's head gates if the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation doesn't release water to downstream users. Credit: AP Photo/Nathan HowardDanny Nielsen walks through a tent he bought on land next to the Klamath River's head gates, Wednesday, June 9, 2021 in Klamath Falls. Credit: AP Photo/Nathan HowardA stream flows through the dry, cracked earth from a former wetland, near Tulelake in California, Wednesday, June 9, 2021. This was done to prevent the spread of avian botulism (a condition that occurs when water levels drop too low). Credit: AP Photo/Nathan HowardErika DuVal moves an Irrigation Pipe through a Field of Triticale. This was one of the few crops her family could plant this year because of the drought. Erika DuVal took the picture in Tulelake, Calif., Wednesday, June 9, 2021. The DuVal family has been farming the land at the California-Oregon border since the 1930s. This summer, hundreds of other people who depend on irrigation from the federally managed lakes aren't getting any water. Credit: AP Photo/Nathan HowardErika DuVal drives a swather in a field of triticale on Wednesday, June 9, 2020, in Tulelake (California). This was one of the few crops that her family was able plant this year because of the drought. For three generations, the DuVal family has been farming the land close to the California-Oregon border. But this summer, hundreds of other people who depend on irrigation from a federally managed lake, aren't getting any water. Credit: AP Photo/Nathan HowardOn Wednesday, June 9, 2021 in Tulelake (Calif.), the DuVal family has dinner together. Ben DuVal expressed concern that the ongoing water shortage could prevent him passing his farming tradition on to his children. DuVal, his family has farmed the land at the California-Oregon border since the 1930s. This summer, DuVal and hundreds of others who depend on irrigation from a federally managed lake that is depleted aren't receiving any water. Credit: AP Photo/Nathan HowardBen DuVal is seen walking past an irrigation pipe in a field that he rented this year for crops, but couldn't plant because of the water shortage. This happened on Wednesday, June 9, 2019, in Tulelake (California). DuVal and hundreds other who depend on irrigation from a federally managed, depleted lake for their livelihood aren't receiving any water this summer. Credit: AP Photo/Nathan HowardBen DuVal stands in a field filled with triticale on Wednesday, June 9, 2019, in Tulelake (Calif.). This is one of the few crops that his family was able plant this year because of the drought. DuVal and hundreds of others who depend on irrigation from a federally managed lake, which is depleted and not functioning properly, are now without water. Credit: AP Photo/Nathan HowardOn Wednesday, June 9, 2021 in Tulelake (California), birds and other wildlife pass through a Klamath River Basin wetland. The massive basin spans the Oregon-California border and is currently experiencing extreme drought. Credit: AP Photo/Nathan HowardOn Thursday, June 10, 2021 clouds hovered over the Upper Klamath Lake, just outside Klamath Falls, Ore. The lake is home to suckerfish and the farmers draw water from it. It covers 96 miles. Credit: AP Photo/Nathan HowardDuVal's daughter dreams of one day taking over the farm from her family. DuVal, however, isn't certain Erika and he can keep it if the circumstances change."It's like a huge, dark cloud that follows you around all the time. It's sad to know that we had a successful business and had a plan for how we would grow our farm to be able send my daughters to good colleges. With every bad year, that plan unravels more and more.2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Without permission, this material may not be broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
