Plan OK’d to remove Klamath dams The Triplicate
California, Oregon and the Yurok and Karuk tribes announced an agreement to move forward with removing for dams on the Klamath River and begin the largest river restoration in U.S. history. The project, when completed, will address declines in fish populations, improve river health and renew tribal communities and cultures. The Memorandum of Agreement signed by the states of California and Oregon, the Yurok Tribe, the Karuk Tribe, PacifiCorp and the Klamath River Renewal Corporation describes how the parties will implement the amended Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement as negotiated and signed in 2016. The KHSA sets the terms for the
Pool decision delayed
removal of four Klamath River dams. “The Klamath River is a centerpiece of tribal community, culture and sustenance and a national ecological treasure,” Governor Newsom said. “With this agreement, we are closer than ever to restoring access to 400 miles of salmon habitat which will be a boon to the local economy. I am grateful for the partnership between California and Oregon, the Yurok and Karuk Tribes and Berkshire Hathaway that proves when we work together, we can build a better, more inclusive future for all.” With the Memorandum of Agreement, the parties: • Jointly ask the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to remove PacifiCorp from the license for the project and add
California, Oregon and KRRC as co-licensees for carrying out dam removal. Adding the states as co-licensees provides assurances that the project will have sufficient financial backing while honoring settlement terms that stipulate PacifiCorp would not be a co-licensee for removal. • Demonstrate their firm commitment to dam removal. • Agree to nearly double available contingency funds held by KRRC and contractors and, in the unlikely event that additional funds are needed beyond that, Oregon, California and PacifiCorp will share the costs equally to address FERC’s requirement to ensure full funding for the project. • Confirm that the KRRC will remain the dam removal entity for the project. • Plan to navigate the final
Triplicate file photo
One of the Klamath River dams that would be removed under a new agreement is pictured in this aerial photo from March. regulatory approvals necessary to allow the project to begin in 2022 with dam removal in 2023. Site remediation and restoration will continue beyond 2023.
• Retain the liability protections for PacifiCorp’s customers established in the KHSA. Please see Dams, Page A3
By David Rupkalvis The Triplicate
As Monday opened at Crescent City City Hall, city employees fully intended to present a plan to reopen the city pool to city council that night. By early afternoon, it was clear any plan to open the pool would have to be delayed. With COVID-19 cases rising, the state of California moved Del Norte County from the orange tier to the red tier. Under the orange tier, which Del Norte County had been in for months, indoor swimming pools are allowed to open with certain protections in place. In the red tier, indoor swimming is not allowed. Despite the setback, City Manager Eric Wier and Recreation Director Holly Wendt presented their plan, giving the council the option of forging ahead or waiting until COVID cases slowed down. The Fred Endert Municipal Pool, an indoor facility that is usually open year-round, was closed in March due to COVID. Wendt said the plan staff had prepared was to reopen the pool for services such as lap swims, exercise programs and swim lessons. Open swim, the slide, sauna and spa were to remain closed. Wendt said there was also plans to bring in the swim team, physical therapy and masters swimming back. Wendt said the city’s plan would take six weeks to implement before opening. She explained that all the lifeguards would have to go through training, and with many students, training time was limited. Please see Pool, Page A2
Photo by David Hayes, The Triplicate
Dorothy Camarena (left), Purple Cat Thrift Store manager, and Katie Benoit, president of the Wild Feline Rescue of Del Norte, have worked decades to reduce the feral cat population in Crescent City.
Cat ladies helping reduce feral population By David Hayes The Triplicate
In a tourist town, pets are bound to get left behind by visitors. Especially cats, which led to a growing feral cat population in Crescent City. Katie Benoit and Dorothy Camarena have been working to reduce the number of feral cats here since a core group split from the Humane Society of Del Norte in 1992. Benoit said where members of the Humane Society wanted to concentrate on domestic cats, her group wanted
to focus on feral cats. Thus they formed the Wild Feline Rescue of Del Norte. Camarena said at their peak, the feral cat population head count topped 50. “We counted 50 and that is what we could see, as feral cats don’t like to be seen,” said Camarena. “The hungriest ones come out.” “You’ll see a certain amount of them, then you won’t see any. We spent years trapping and getting them altered and sending them back out,” Benoit added. “And now, I don’t see
too many when I go out and feed.” How do they describe the feral cat problem in Crescent City now? “Decreasing,” said Benoit, president of the organization. “We started out at the six or so places we were feeding at the harbor. We have a route we go out, set places, and feed feral cats. When we can, we trap them, get them spayed or neutered and return them. It’s called TNR — trap neuter release.” She added they don’t discuss the hot spots, to keep people
from going there due to past abuses upon the feral cats. “We had a guy who taught his kids how to crab. You catch kittens, put them in a cage and drown them,” Benoit explained. They go out between dusk and dark to feed the cats, giving them a narrow window of opportunity — after the birds are out but before the raccoons come out. “We want to catch them when the cats to come out,” Benoit said. Please see Cats, Page A4
Council approves smoking ban By David Rupkalvis The Triplicate
By a 4-1 vote, the Crescent City Council passed an ordinance banning smoking at multi-unit facilities in the city limits. The vote passed the second reading of an ordinance that was first approved two weeks ago. The ordinance will go into effect in January 2021. Landlords will have until June to share the information with all their tenants and by January 2022, all leases will include the ban in their agreements. Those violating the ordinance could face fines of between $250 and $1,000. The vote Monday mirrored the same vote two weeks earlier. The lone holdout was Councilman Jason Greenough. “We’ve talked about this ad nauseum the last three to four months,” Greenough said. “I think this is a liberty issue. I think
there are things in place in the state of California to take care of issues like this, and I really feel it needs to be left between people who are making the decisions on the ground, meaning the people who own the property and the people who are renting. That’s why I’m going to vote no on this. I’m not a smoker. I don’t think smoking is a good habit to have, but I can’t vote yes on this because of the liverty issue.” City resident Robert Derego also urged a no vote. “To me, it’s going to be like getting pulled over in your home,” he said. “You take a license and you say I can get pulled over on the road. Now we’re going to pull people over in their home. I would love it if you were to delay this one meeting and change it so the police department won’t enforce it. I think it’s between them and their landlord.” Please see Smoking, Page A2