A federal judge ruled on Thursday, July 17 that the federal government is failing to protect endangered salmon in the Klamath Basin of southern Oregon and northern California. A coalition including the Yurok and Hoopa Valley Tribes, fishermen, environmental groups, and California Democratic Congressman Mike Thompson filed a lawsuit in the fall of 2002 after a federal irrigation project killed over 33,000 endangered salmon. Though the decision is a major victory for the tribes in an ongoing water crisis, the ruling does allow current irrigation to continue for the rest of this year and leaves some ambiguity as to how soon changes will take effect.
