[forester]

The ones to watch are the tribes. I met with the watershed council and the Yuroks do have some people with their heads screwed on correctly (their lead biologist is not among them). Some of them are smart enough to know that if the farmers go, they are next.

You are exactly right. While on the watershed council, I tried to get our local irrigators to collaborate with the tribes. Unfortunately, previous litigation by the tribes has created a large amount of anger and distrust in the ag community - they simply do not trust them and feel that they are in bed with the extreme enviros. Personally, I feel that the key is to form a political alliance between the tribes and agriculture. The tribes are better off with the land in ag then in subdivisions, and ag should support the tribes efforts to manage their tribal homelands (they can't do any worse then the feds have). This concept is not acceptable to the generation (baby boomers) currently in power, I do believe that it is possible to impliment by the next generation (us generation X'rs)

[Carry_Okie]

Unfortunately, the system has every reason to open and perpetuate the wounds between tribes and farmers. I therefore think that we must do what we can to find a few representatives from both sides and get them to break ranks by advocating a new way of dealing with the government.

At least they have a common enemy.