FOR withdraws from Klamath Settlement Agreement
Friends of the River announced today that it will not sign the Klamath Hydropower Settlement Agreement (KHSA). The proposed agreement has so many preconditions and requirements that it will likely never result in the removal of any dams. Read the press release or Learn more >

FOR sues to block backroom water deal
Westlands Water District is trying to lock up over 1.186 million acre feet of water a year in exports from the Trinity and Sacramento Rivers via the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta. "With little or no public review, the Westlands Water District wants the government to sign off on destructive water exports”, stated Steve Evans Conservation Director for Friends of the river.  “They are slipping this by and trying to avoid the responsibility for reducing damage to the Delta and its tributary rivers.” Read the press release or Learn more >

2009: Looking Back And Looking Forward
2009 will be remembered at Friends of the River as a year of stark contrasts. We began to reverse the damage to one of the greatest rivers in the state caused by the construction of a dam nearly 70 years ago. At the same time, the California Legislature approved a funding mechanism that threatens to reinvigorate a new era of big dam building and river destruction in the state. More than a hundred miles of Wild & Scenic Rivers in California were protected in 2009, while simultaneously the Governor revived the plan to build the massive Peripheral Canal to increase water exports from the largest estuary on the West Coast. It just proves that California is a dynamic and often unpredictable place. This is particularly true when it comes to complex water issues. And it underscores the challenges facing our rivers and Friends of the River’s conservation efforts in 2010. Read more >

Guide Training
Want to do something fun & exciting?!  One great way to be a river activist is to be a river guide.  Become a river guide and river educator in our exciting 11 day training! Volunteer to bring the river into the hearts of the public!   Training is for private boaters or those brand new to boating—to hone skills and learn how to protect rivers.  Now accepting applications for 2010 Guide Trainings. Learn more >

California Legislature Approves Controversial Water Package And Budget-Busting Water Bond
After a marathon special session that went well in the wee hours of the morning, the California Legislature approved early this week a controversial package of Delta water policy bills and a budget-busting $11 billion water bond. Its legislative supporters and some environmental groups hailed the complex package as fairly balanced and ambitious water reform. Friends of the River, other conservation and fishing groups, and Delta farmers opposed the legislation, noting that was rife with environmental loopholes and pork-barrel funding. Learn more >

Klamath River: Agreement, But will the dams be removed? 
The Oregon-based utility PacifiCorp, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and Native American Tribes released a draft settlement agreement on Wednesday, September 30 that could lead to the removal of four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River and restoration of the river’s once fabled salmon runs.  But the defining characteristic of the complex 130-page agreement is “could.” Read more >

Cartoons created by Rex Babin & published in the Sacramento Bee