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Convoys' convergence Mail Tribune / Drew Fleming One of the supporters of the convoy that brought supplies and money to Klamath farmers wears his opinion on his shirt. Scientists will study the effects of drought in the Klamath Basin. Supporters deliver supplies to Klamath Falls By DANI DODGE KLAMATH FALLS - Eagle Point rancher Ron Bjork spent $500 on a jacket, a pair of boots and a chainsaw at an auction to benefit Klamath Falls farmers Monday night - even though he didn't need any of it. Then he went home to his ranch, adjusting irrigation on 5 of his 85 acres by the light of the moon. After four hours of sleep, he jumped in his red F-250 Ford pickup and drove to Klamath Falls to show support for the Klamath farmers as convoys of supplies paraded down Main Street Tuesday. "This is just the tip of the iceberg," Bjork said, pulling down slightly on the brim of his straw cowboy hat. "We could have the same problem in Jackson County overnight. "This has got to be stopped, and we have to get our rights and our water back." Bjork was one of dozens of Jackson County residents who made the trek over the Cascades Tuesday morning to watch convoys of trucks and cars bring supplies to Klamath Falls from Nevada, California and Montana. They joined thousands of others who lined Main Street chanting "turn on the water" as a 10-foot-tall pail was delivered to a place of honor in front of county buildings. "This will stand as a testament to the ongoing battle against the injustice that has gone on in this basin," said Bill Ransom, a Klamath Falls businessman who helped organize the event. "When this battle is won, we'll take this bucket wherever else it is needed." The drama in Klamath Falls has captured the indignation of rural residents, property rights advocates and farmers ever since the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation cut off irrigation water to 90 percent of the irrigators in the Klamath Project on April 6. The water was shut off because of federal biologists' reports on the needs of endangered suckers in Upper Klamath Lake and threatened coho salmon in the Klamath River. The action marked the first time in nearly a century that the interests of the Klamath Tribes, who hold the suckers sacred, and the Yurok Tribes and coastal fishermen, who depend on the salmon, won out over farmers in Klamath Basin water allocations. Interior Secretary Gale Norton authorized the release of 70,000 acre feet of water to help the farmers, but that is due to run out on Thursday. People in the crowd said they will break laws and locks to free the water if it is shut off again. "Our season is coming to an end, and we cannot walk away from the gates," said Stan Thompson, a 53-year-old retired railroad conductor who lives in Klamath Falls. "Those gates will go open. "We'll draw straws to see who goes in first and they'll be backed up by the rest of us." Among those who spoke at the rally was Jackson County Commissioner Ric Holt, who quoted his former father-in-law, presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. "Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice," he shouted. "And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." After the downtown parade that included 50 horseback riders and flatbed trucks carrying house-sized loads of hay, people headed to the Klamath County Fairgrounds for an auction, speeches and music that included Central Point's 13-year-old Alex Schireman singing her song, "The Man Who Set the Water Free." At the fairgrounds, Haley Henry, 11, of Merrill, sold blue ribbon-shaped pins to people to benefit the farmers. She's watched her family's cows grow thin as the lack of water dried up their fields. "The cows lived, but they were always hungry," she said. "They got dust pneumonia." With her face skewed in horror, her 10-year-old friend, Corie Slaton of Merrill, added: "You could see their ribs." Shirley Micka, 58, who lives about 25 miles outside of Klamath Falls, said the lack of water has meant she and her husband couldn't retire from farming, despite her husband's failing health. "A farmer's retirement is the land he rents and the equipment he sells," said the fourth-generation farmer. "We couldn't find anyone to rent and no one is buying." She said the only bright spot is the support the farmers have received at events like Tuesday's rally. "It's wonderful and overwhelming to have all these people help," she said. "The convoys were overwhelmed at every stop." Rogue Valley residents said they are glad to add their support to the cause - as well as show their disgust for the environmental movement, which they blame for the situation. Larry Baines, 64, of Medford, can't mention environmentalists, which he calls "greenies," without a snarl. "This is Americans helping Americans," he said. "Not people sitting in trees for two years." Bjork, the Eagle Point rancher, stayed at the fairgrounds until about 2 p.m., then went to the headgates where a chain-link fence separates protesters and police patrolling the irrigation canal. He said not only is it important to protect the farmers there, but also to realize that whatever happens in Klamath Falls will trickle down to Jackson County eventually. "We're going to lose equipment dealers and grain people," he said. "If we lose them, where are we going to go? It will create higher prices all around." Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.