EDF Vice President Elgie Holstein Commends Leadership, Collaboration on Historic Klamath River Restoration

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

The following statement can be attributed to Elgie Holstein, Vice President of the Center for Rivers and Deltas of the Environmental Defense Fund: 

“The historic agreements celebrated in Salem, Oregon this week put the magnificent Klamath River, at long last, on the path toward recovery. The prospect of dam removal, restoration of the basin, and the return of the fish brings the promise of a new day for the river and new economic opportunity for everyone in the region.”

“Revitalized salmon runs will benefit people in the commercial and sport fishing industries, while Native Americans who have depended upon the Klamath salmon runs for millennia, will see their support for the agreements translated into a new day of abundance.”

“As an early participant in the negotiations, I know how hard it was for the parties to reach agreement, and I congratulate them, one and all, for staying at it when many observers were predicting failure. The easy route – giving up – was never an option. The parties’ long collaboration provides a model for how environmental problems can be addressed successfully if all the parties are willing to listen to one another, exchange proposals in good faith, embrace sound science, and, finally, stand proudly together behind the product of their labors. Their achievement is a lesson to us all.”

“I encourage all of the parties to stick with the process they have designed. EDF pledges its support for their efforts and asks for the continued support of political leaders in California, Oregon, and Washington, D.C. in implementing the agreements. Together we can forge ahead on a solution that is scientifically sound and that ensures the economic vitality and sustainability of all Klamath Basin communities.” ###

Environmental Defense Fund, a leading national nonprofit organization, represents more than 700,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense Fund has linked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems. For more information, visit www.edf.org.