Oregon Protesters Give Up Effort

GRANTS PASS, Ore. -- Protesters withdrew from the headgates of the Klamath Project irrigation system on Wednesday, saying they did not want to cause more problems for the federal government in the wake of terrorist attacks on the East Coast.

We made an agreement with them that in light of our national emergency, we'd call a truce on this thing for right now," said Bill Ransom, a local businessman and member of the protest group known as the Klamath Relief Fund.

From The Sierra Times:

Klamath: National Crisis Brings Both Sides To Agreement

Full Report by J.J. Johnson 09.13.01
Due to the current State of the Nation, an agreement has been struck at the Klamath Headgates. In a meeting held Thursday Morning in Klamath Falls, federal officers on the scene will be phasing themselves out over the next few days, and the Klamath Contingent will be pulling back behind the fence and relocating away from the headgates. The meeting was setup by the Klamath County Sheriff and District Attorney's Office
Both sides will install their own locks at the fence, with federal officials adding a make-shift fence to keep children from falling into the canal.
Since we're all Americans, this battle is now on hold until at least January 1, 2002. There are still issues, but they will have to wait. "What is not on hold is the effort of the Interior department to continue to evaluate this", said Larry Farrington, head federal official on the scene. "There are still issues that need to be resolved. There was no damage to the headgates." Farrington said he was satisfied.
A 53-inch pipeline shall be installed over the next few days, bypassing the dam altogether. "We are going around the dam", said Bill Otteing. It has been agreed that Sheriff Tim Evinger will enforce a county level no-trespass jurisdiction at the Headgates as the federal authorities vacate the area. Within about a week, there will be no federal officers on the scene.
Klamath Farmers will get their water, and federal officers, stranded due to lack of commercial aircraft, will work on finding their way back to their families. Some of the federal officials are searching for ways to get back to where they are needed.
This is not a victory for either side. Both sides agree, "We have bigger fish to fry, now".
Farrington told Sierra Times, "There are other [more important] things that are demanding the attention of the federal government as well as the citizens of the United States". Those in the Klamath Basin share this view at this time.
Over the next few days, The Bureau of Reclamation will be negotiating a contract for a private security detail service. "It will definitely be a temporary arrangement" said Farrington. "We have already begun to send officers home".
Some are being re-assigned to assist in the National Crisis. The private security will be on the scene until the safety measures are installed.
The 'War Room' trailer will be relocated, and all headgates phone lines will be moved to an office location to be named later.
Federal officers may be needed in rescue efforts or other security detail. "If we must go to war, and our supply lines get cut, we'll all need each other to keep the food supply going, and make it through the winter", said Oetting of the Klamath Contingent. The Klamath Organizers passed word to the officials that they required 500,000 cubic feet per second of water from the gates in order to recharge the wells in the area - in case of an emergency.
Both sides confirmed that federal officials on several levels took Oetting's request very favorably.

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