Agreement fuels Klamath discord

Don Boyd, a third-generation farm equipment dealer in Merrill, Ore., has watched the water crisis in the Klamath Basin decimate the area's economy. "People that work for me aren't going to movies," he told the Oregon Board of Agriculture at a recent meeting in Klamath Falls. "They aren't eating out as much. "This is devastating to this community," Boyd said. Sales of tractors, balers and windrowers are down 66 percent at Floyd A. Boyd Co., he said. And business in his service department is off 55 percent. In addition, he said, the "can-do" attitude and the unity that once permeated the area is harder to find. "I have two kids and I'm telling them not to come back to Klamath Falls," Boyd said. From a conflicted citizenry to conflicting biological opinions for three endangered fish -- one calling for water managers to keep water in Klamath Lake and another calling for managers to release the water -- the Klamath Basin these days is home to conflict...more