Klamath...Now?

[Darian]

Garfly,.... I'm not against the tribes benefitting from responsible development/gaming or fisherman benefitting from having a local place to stay. Not sure this fits the definition of responsible. Why not place the development in a populated area where it's more likely to maximize proceeds and connect to existing sewage treatment facilities (e.g. Arcata, Eureka, Willow Creek)?? A casino/hotel anywhere up there has to have some method of disposing of sewage/waste water. I'm not finding your assurances that the development is not near the water very comforting. The fact that prior developments up there apparently didn't have any sewage facilities doesn't speak well for the past record. I'm hoping the tribes address this concern during project planning but....

As to your assertion that the tribes wouldn't foul their nest, I'm not sure how long you've been going into that area but I recall that there used to be a dump near the junction of the road to Johnson's and Hwy 96 just outside of Weitchpec where everyone (Hoopas/Yuroks) dumped everything they didn't want down the bank into the lower Klamath. I've heard that this dumping area was cleaned up since I last saw it but I still have a strong memory of it. Also, it hasn't been that long ago when tribal members drove their worn out cars/trucks into the brush or a dry wash and abandoned them to leak and rust into oblivion (maybe they still do that{????}). So, in that way, the tribes are no different than we are.

Maybe the prospect of gambling revenues out weigh the needs of their fishery. After all, every tribal member shares in the proceeds don't they??? This is not a condemnation of the tribal efforts. Maybe the potential revenues from gaming are much more attractive/lucrative than money from their fisheries....

[Bruce Slightom]

The new casino is being constructed in the town of Klamath. http://www.yuroktribe.org/resort/index.htm. This is going up next to the new tribal headquarters so I am assuming that there is some sort of treatment plant that is handling the waste.

The dump that Darian referred to, along with the one by Roach Creek were cleaned up a few years ago. The cars are a different story.

Funding for the casino came from a settlement called the Nez Perce Settlement. One of the draw backs to this is that the Tribe is pursuing the purchase of the Blue Creek watershed from Green Diamond Co. Western Rivers and the State are involved as well. The State has backed off a bit when the Tribe did not put any of the wind fall towards the watershed project. Will have to wait and see how it shakes out.

[Darian]

Just by way of info, here's a link to a website about the project:

http://500nations.com/casinos/caYurokCasino.asp

[Garfly]

Thank you for your reply,let's hope that an updated facility has updated services /and or engineered systems! I still assume that their heritage of having the salmon as their main commerce for thousands of years is paramount--Heckfire I was looking at buying property where the Navarro River met the ocean and the realtor informed me that the building codes could even tell you what colors you could paint your structure.....so I would bet that a new "visible"facility( not a crawdad shack that has been there for centuries ) will be scrutinized by Cali's( love them when they are good AND hate them when they are a pain in the arse! ) codes of building protection??

On another note ,I'm gonna pop the top off a six pack of 16 oz. tall boys- type O' can O' worms.....Yup ,you take away a cultures heritage ,religion,and their sustainable way of life since time immemorial, and tell them they will be punished for following their cultures, tradition and for speaking their language(can't they just "speak American?"Ha!-LOL)...and tell them the state dictates their number of salmon harvest;then there is no telling what will happen-They might even entertain an easy diet like some of us whitebreads:like pepsi,poptarts,and hot pockets....Yes, there are no easy answers to progress...and I hope that most agree that if you appreciate the Creators web of life we should step into big changes with our pinky toe,as if our life depended on it(which it does).

Imagine if we took away the "rights" of oil companies, banksters,and wall street manipulators from harvesting and exploiting our dollars and environment to the full unbridled extent that they have been enabled to do? We have privatized their gargantuan profits and socialized their losses with subsidies and bailouts....Give these ravenous pigs some regulations with teeth and they might turn into a pack of rabid entitled hairless dogs,ready to infect and destroy anyone who gets in their way of destruction with divisive propaganda.....(Ya' like Dags??).Oooops, I think that is already happenin'?AND I digress, AND turn scattershot ,as if I am in a creative writing class...Sorry, let's bury those worms back in the ground! --.Back to reality,we should ALL truly walk softly as we "develop" our home of Mother Earth!{nuthin'wrong with with making money and doing well!,just be sustainable,don't exploit and protect resources for the future!}....And yes ,I truly appreciate learning about the ups and downs of a new area(the Rekwoi)...from those that are more knowledgeable of it than I.....and I thank you for your information.

[Darian]

garfly,.... Not sure I know how to respond to that post.

First, the proposed facility at Klamath looks like it's going to be quite nice, from the artists impression.

Now, it kinda sounds like you're romanticizing the "connection" to heritage of California Native Americans. While they're very spiritual, their rapid acceptance/embracing of Las Vegas style gambling, casinos, hotels and entertainment indicates that they're not incapable of adapting to modern ways when given an opportunity. Up to the point where Indian gaming was legalized, their commerce wasn't able to offset many of the social problems and poverty associated with reservation life at that time. So, gaming was/is an attractive/lucrative pursuit.

I believe that Native Americans are a not a lot different than everyone else when it comes to money matters; including feelings of greed and avarice. You might recall that after starting a casino/hotel a tribe in the Clear Lake area started culling the tribal rolls to maximize profits for those "true" Natives remaining on the rolls and in power. Of course, that act was the cause of a lot hostility and resulted in tribal factions driving around in pick-up trucks wielding/firing of semi-auto weapons at each other. The Lake County Sheriffs Office had to disarm people and stop the violence. It's been reported that culling tribal rolls has been happening all over the state. So, while I acknowledge that Native Americans have spiritual connections to the past, I don't see that connection to be the same as you do.

[Garfly]

Ha!! ...nice response to a wacky frustrated rant--While I don't quite agree to the blanket statement of "they"--{like those that say:We don't need to give Natives nuthin' cause they got all them casinos!!...=/kinda like: no anglo needs help or any restitution for anything since we got Bill Gates and Trump,Waltons,etc,so we all be rich!?}.... But Yeah, you are totally correct that the greed of some, in all factions of life, have created animosity and exploited resources(human and natural...) And yes we are all susceptible to greed,etc... Let's just hope(and I strongly believe) that the Yurok will ,in the end ,do a good job of keeping their home as sustainable as possible during these new changes of progress. This is of course difficult with many different people with ideas as to what changes to make...... I believe a resource is best protected by slow calculated progress and the fear of sewage problems in a NEW facility of this magnitude is unfounded for it is clearly impossible to let it open without it being up to code.

AND- on a positive note-- I invite anyone on this board to come out to Sycamore Park for the CallingBack the Salmon.org ceremony on Oct.12,13,and 14th.;for the Maidu are putting on a fantastic/fun/spiritual event with the spearing of a salmon after the sunrise ceremony on sat .and a free salmon feed at noon(donations are appreciated for this "unrecognized tribe")...and FANTASTIC World music on all three days,along with elders circles.healing circles,etc,etc.....

This event can be heard on KVMR.org FM 89.5 on all three days.,or by browsing: indigenouspeoplesdays.org ( I have learned a tremendous amount about respect,etc...from being able to hang out with these local Maidu guys for the past 6-7 years...and helping with this ceremony)...I cannot recommend enough for anyone interested to at least mark their calender ,to remind them to turn on their radio to KVMR for ALL of these three days!--Fish on and Peace out!

[Darian]

Garfly,.... Is the Sycamore Park you refer to along the Yuba River??? I'd like to try to attend that festival.

[Garfly]

Yes sir, our local lower Yuba park! Sorry I meant to specify that...not as bad as trying to find out which "rock creek,bear whatever,etc".
You can look up Indigenouspeoplesdays.com and callingbackthesalmon.org for times of events/music schedule,etc...AND pictures-
It took my Maidu friend Jason Reyburg 4 years to finally spear his salmon with the handmade spear that he made with bilateral antler tips (attached to handmade jute chord,etc) Grayson went to the museum and copied Ishi's design on the spears since the knowledge was lost on how to make them,since they have been unable to fish the river and perform this Religous Ceremony in 150 years...Their ears( the Maidu people) got a bounty of $50, I believe at some point in history...so they definitely stayed out of the river bottoms avoiding cantankerous miners,etc. They filled out paperwork 7 years ago with F&G and are allowed one salmon per year to be speared in the traditional way...with the stipulation that a male should be targeted ,if at all possible. This is enough for their ceremony,which along with other things,thanks the Creator for the salmon,thanks the Salmon for arriving,and asks them to come back again to feed the people...We are all allowed to walk/meditate/pray in the ceremonial circle, after it is done{NO mechanical devices allowed during the ceremony}You will have to come check it out for more info than that!--btw ,they get the rest of the salmon from the Feather River hatchery(post spawn)...Although Murky Oliver did bring some Klamath River gorgeous fish one year and cooked them traditionally on redwood stakes!!!YUM!... Hope to see Ya there.

[Don Powell]

Yes sir, our local lower Yuba park! Sorry I meant to specify that...not as bad as trying to find out which "rock creek,bear whatever,etc".
You can look up Indigenouspeoplesdays.com and callingbackthesalmon.org for times of events/music schedule,etc...AND pictures-
It took my Maidu friend Jason Reyburg 4 years to finally spear his salmon with the handmade spear that he made with bilateral antler tips (attached to handmade jute chord,etc) Grayson went to the museum and copied Ishi's design on the spears since the knowledge was lost on how to make them,since they have been unable to fish the river and perform this Religous Ceremony in 150 years...Their ears( the Maidu people) got a bounty of $50, I believe at some point in history...so they definitely stayed out of the river bottoms avoiding cantankerous miners,etc. They filled out paperwork 7 years ago with F&G and are allowed one salmon per year to be speared in the traditional way...with the stipulation that a male should be targeted ,if at all possible. This is enough for their ceremony,which along with other things,thanks the Creator for the salmon,thanks the Salmon for arriving,and asks them to come back again to feed the people...We are all allowed to walk/meditate/pray in the ceremonial circle, after it is done{NO mechanical devices allowed during the ceremony}You will have to come check it out for more info than that!--btw ,they get the rest of the salmon from the Feather River hatchery(post spawn)...Although Murky Oliver did bring some Klamath River gorgeous fish one year and cooked them traditionally on redwood stakes!!!YUM!... Hope to see Ya there.

The "primitive" peoples lived in harmony with their universe for millenia... the "superior" western Europeans with all their inventiveness and ideas have destroyed the abundance of North America in less than 400 years... to me whose approach to living life is startlingly clear...

[Don Powell]

Because of all that I have witnessed and read about, I am occasionally very ashamed to have white skin... but then again, I am so very proud to have the spirit of those who were not so obsessed with profit but more about the survival of the universe, that I am a kindred spirit... skin color is not the issue- greed is the issue!