Basin Alliance Info

About Us

Officers:	Chairman - Frank Wallace
.	Vice Chairman - Steve Rapalyea
.	Secretary - Chris Howard
.	Treasurer - Roxanne Rapalyea
.	.
Executive Committee:	Chris Howard
.	Roxanne Rapalyea
.	Jerry Anderson

MISSION STATEMENT:

The Mission of the Klamath Basin Alliance, Inc. is to keep the Fremont/Winema National Forest in public ownership for the use and enjoyment of all Americans. KBA, Inc. provides a voice for all who wish to keep the National Forest in public ownership.

HISTORY AND PURPOSE:

The KBA, Inc. was established by a diverse group of citizens to oppose proposals by the Klamath Indian Tribes for the United States government to return former reservation land to them.

After decades of requests by former Tribal leaders, the United States Congress approved the Termination of Federal Supervision of the Klamath Tribes Act of 1954. This action allowed the Tribal members to vote whether to sell the lands or not. The majority of members voted to sell, subsequently receiving $220 million from U.S. citizens.

For several years, and culminating in 2003, Tribal leadership has proposed the lands sold should be returned. These lands became a large portion of the Winema National Forest.

The KBA, Inc. stands firm and with broad citizen support for the fundamental truth that the former Klamath Indian Reservation was sold to all citizens of the United States thus becoming public land under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service. This National Forest land should forever remain open to the public for all to use and enjoy.

GOALS:

•    To keep public land public.
    To keep utilization of all of our public owned forestlands for timber production.
    To keep public lands open for recreational opportunities.
    To seek and support a solution to the Klamath Basin Watershed Management                 controversies.
    To support the agricultural industry of the Klamath Basin.
    To maintain open public solutions through elected officials, not secret meetings or facilitated meetings with preconceived agendas.
    To seek to live as one basin – The Klamath Basin – being a part of one nation – The United States of America.

COMMENTS FROM OUR THE FORMER CHAIRMAN:

“The citizens of the Klamath Basin Alliance, Inc. are grateful for the broad based support afforded us by the many individuals, clubs, organizations, community leaders, political groups, and elected officials.

This overwhelming support is the major factor that has retained over 700,000 acres of public lands as National Forest and National Wildlife Refuge.

Unfortunately threats against keeping those public lands public are ever present. The apparent inability of the Forest Service management to harvest timber resources is obvious not only in the declining condition of the forest elements, but in severely declining revenues provided for custodial stewardship of those lands. As the condition of the public lands deteriorates, the argument for a change in the land ownership increases.

We must, as concerned individuals, be unending in the initiative of not only keeping our public lands open for citizens to use and enjoy, but require our public service land managers and legislators to provide the necessary funding for multiple use custodial stewardship.”

Glen Howard
Former Chairman, The Klamath Basin Alliance, Inc.