Refill Our Refuges
An open letter from our CEO
To everyone who calls the Klamath Basin home;
I believe that you are a key stakeholder in this Basin, and so I want to take a moment to explain what Pacific Crest Federal Credit Union is doing and why. For a little background, Pacific Crest is a not-for-profit cooperative equally owned by every person who has an account at Pacific Crest. All told more than 24,000 people from all walks of life including tribal members, government employees, farmers, naturalists, hunters, educators, moms, dads, children, grandparents, aunts and uncles are members.
Our mission is to provide our members and communities with the opportunity to prosper. We believe that social health, physical health, and financial health are deeply interrelated, and that we can only achieve health in these areas when the environment is healthy. I think we can all agree that the Klamath Basin, and the Klamath Headwaters ecosystem are in crisis.
The greater Klamath Basin serves as the watershed and headwaters for the Klamath River. This unique ecosystem, and the microclimate it creates, have been the sustaining force for the Klamath River for millennia. For decades now this ecosystem has been asked to sacrifice its own health by having water unnaturally channeled out of the ecosystem to assist in the survival of Klamath River salmon.
The largest dam removal project in US history is now completed and the focus must turn to healing the headwaters that has sustained the river and the salmon for millennia. 80% of all migratory birds in the Pacific Flyway stop in the Klamath Basin to feed and rest on their journey. This fall we have seen the largest die-off in history with 75,000+ birds dying from botulism as a direct result of too little water in the refuges.
This is a pressing issue today which requires triage. I believe we are reaching the precipice of irreversibility. I want to be clear that our decision to shine a light, no matter how small that light may be, on this issue is in hope that it will draw attention, build awareness, encourage dialog, and apply pressure to the powers that be to at least do the bare minimum to provide life support to the habitat necessary for the birds of the Pacific Flyway.
Pacific Crest has had a contract for 11 billboards in the Klamath Basin for the last several years. We have used these spaces for messaging specifically related to Pacific Crest and our services, however, we have decided to invest in the message to: Refill Our Refuges. Making this small statement with our limited resources likely won’t move the needle, but we hope to bring attention to the mismanagement of a natural resource here that is impacting life along the entire western edge of this continent.
The truth is we are all going down on the same ship, and rowing in the same direction is the only thing that will save us. My goal is that this message be clear and precise, not be clouded by history, but to shine a light on the present in hopes of a better future. I hope you will join in the call to provide life healing water to the refuges, and increase engagement in the pursuit of long term solutions.
If you want to learn more about this topic, please visit myPCFCU.org/refuges
If you have questions or want to engage in discourse, please contact me at myPCFCU.org/ceo-feedback
Sincerely,
Chad Olney
President/CEO Pacific Crest FCU
