The
Day the American Dream Died.......
Maxine Kizer and her neighbors have been minding their own business tending their farms
and ranches for generations, now the Federal government and the local Indian Tribes have
decided they need all the water. Because they intended to "reserve" the
water for hunting and fishing rights when the, now non existent Indian reservation which
was created 140 years ago. Never mind the fact that both the Indian Tribe and the
Federal government actually aggressively promoted the development of irrigated agriculture
in this 140 year interim. Armed will millions of our tax dollars they
have now set out to destroy Maxine and her neighbor’s life. But it
not just Maxine's American dream at stake, if they are successful here Indian Tribes
across the country will be able to demand all the water even threatening municipal
supplies for our cities. Please donate today
and help save the family farm, opposing federal instream claims and the devastating
proposed so called "settlement".
The devastating so called settlement is out
click here
Now the Federal Government, several Tribes, and various other
parties have decided to try to make a settlement affecting Maxine and her neighbor’s
rights, in the FERC Klamath Settlement Discussions. But this group flatly refuses to
grant any group representing Maxine's interests a seat at the table. The reason for
this is obvious; this so called settlement is devastating for Agriculture, and her rights.
Save the Family Farm is aggressively opposing this settlement,
this settlement is has been conducted in secret meetings . Save the Family Farm is
leading the opposition against this settlement; The settlement is now public click it here.
Maxine's story;
Maxine Kizer lives on a century old ranch in the Fort Klamath
area. Her great grandfather moved to Oregon in the 1850's as a miller. Her great grandmother rode the wagon
train west in 1847. They met, fell in love, and
had 11 children on the first homestead established in 1873 in Fort Klamath. Maxine was second generation born on
the homestead.
Her
son and grandchildren will be living on the ranch long after Maxine is gone. Maxine
taught school in Fort Klamath for many years, educating the local rural youth and helping
to keep the family ranch dreams alive.
Maxine's family
has been irrigating the family ranch since before
1892. She reflects on the valley as being the most beautiful place, rivaling
Jackson Hole,
Wyoming. Unfortunately, with no water she
knows the area will "look awful, all brown and yellow with lots of grasshoppers."
Maxine says this
valley is the most ideal place to grow cattle, as the
grass is natural not planted and does not require fertilizer. Her dream is to see her
children raise "all organic" cattle in the Fort Klamath area; marketing
organic, lean, healthy beef across the country. |
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| The Federal Government and the Local Indian tribe claim that the
intended to reserve federal hunting and fishing rights for flows that are
being defined as all the water. Maxine and her neighbors have spent hundreds of thousands
of dollars fighting this travesty. She is very proud, but she humbly admits she cannot
carry on with this fight without your help.
Maxine and other landowners bought, or
homesteaded, their farms and ranches expecting to irrigate the ground. Maxine has water
rights for family land and the family has continuously irrigated her pasture for the past
120 years. But today, the Federal Government is saying "the fish need the water"
or "the water must stay intream and flow to the ocean," leaving no water for
irrigation.
Without water, these family ranches will not survive.
Where will their children and grandchildren call home? A dry dusty pasture? An abandoned
house? An empty hay barn?
Keep in mind, this is not just the
beginning, but the beginning of the end. If the Federal Government successfully takes
Maxine's and her neighbors' water, the government will move to other areas and take their water, too. There will be no end until all of
the family farms and ranches in the West have lost their right to irrigate.
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