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PHOTOGRAPHS: (LEFT) SWIFTWATER FILMS; (RIGHT) NASHCO PHOTO PHOTOGRAPHS: (LEFT) SWIFTWATER FILMS; (RIGHT) NASHCO PHOTO
ෳਔ֥ψܰஞ˼fԒމૠᅃ၅ ᛆن(Klamath Water Wars)
ኁࣸMedford (Rogue) ҧ ٙʕːή੭f್Ͼd˼ܘҞఱ
ቃٟࡰٙኁत݊ɓϓ̌˥؈ ፋԒ᜕Ցəவఙ৷ܓၡੵٙ
I first met Root almost a decade ago when, on as-
̋ʈʮ̡ٙϼᒮf1992 ϋd ላ߉dԨ˲೯ତІʉ͍λϞঐ
signment for this magazine, I visited him in Oregon. A
member of the Rotary Club of Medford (Rogue), Root
˼ၾֈɿᒅ൯əɓࢭЗփݾ ɢ೯౨ዹतٙЪ͜f
was the owner of a prosperous fruit processing busi-
ness when he and his wife bought a ranch near Chi-
۲ࢸ (Chiloquin) ڝڐٙىఙd ߈ഹˬ˺ፇeˬ˺ཀྵd
Previous pages: loquin in 1992. He was unaware at the time that the
ࣛ˼Ԩʔٝ༸வ˪ɺή͍ஈ Ꮦഹږ᙮࣪ᗝٙኁतdഗɛ
(from left) Toz Soto,
region sat smack in the middle of what became known
Wendy “Poppy” Ferris,
as the Klamath Water Wars, but he was introduced
ܝԸ၈މдז৵˥ ٙΙ݊Ⴍ༑ʔशʔࢱdࣸ
and Leaf Hillman,
members of Indigenous to the highly charged conflict soon enough. And as it
groups in the region ձʫᏡdϞɓ၇ၾ͛ࡆԸe
of the Klamath River, happened, he was uniquely positioned to help.
fought for the removal Wearing jeans, cowboy boots, and wire-rimmed
ᜫɛชՑІίٙঐɢf˼̈ࢩ
of four dams to restore glasses, Root comes across as slow-spoken, gentle,
̸ྡj2024 ϋڋdϽݡд 1 ˥ ٙୋɓఙყҧቃϋึ ――
the river’s ecosystem.
and reserved with a preternatural knack for putting
Left: The removal of
ᜠٙװৰʈЪ઼ਗdආБ˥
people at their ease. While attending his first Rotary
the Copco No. 1 Dam
1984 ϋߵЬӼ ―― ˼
began in early 2024 International Convention — in Birmingham, England,
ࢫર˥Ъุf
with the draining of
ፋԈᗇீཀᒒකదጕઞ
the lake behind it. in 1984 — he had seen firsthand the effectiveness of
ɪྡjҧቃٟࡰΛ֍hኁतಀዄ
gathering opposing sides in small groups out of the
Above: Jim Root,
KRRCଣԫڗdᙲ 2016 ϋf ٙڢʮකʃۨึሔ̙˸νО
prying eyes of the media to help resolve difficult dis-
Rotary member and
former president of the
Klamath River Renewal putes, in this case, the stalemate between the United
Corp., in 2016. Kingdom and Argentina over the Falkland Islands.
臺灣扶輪 2025.5 15
MAY 2025 ROTARY 29
may25-D-Klamath.indd 29 3/24/25 16:51