Environmental groups say grazing harms the threatened desert tortoise. Federal agencies have ordered ranchers to remove animals from land they lease from the government. Ranchers say they need the federal leases to keep their ranches in business. Irrigation districts and farmers sued after their water supplies were cut in order to provide water for fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. A federal claims court ruled in favor of the water users, saying the government should pay for the water it takes.
Observers expect the government to appeal the ruling.
Klamath farmers try to save soil With their irrigation water cut off, farmers in the Klamath Basin are scrambling to save their soil. Some farmers have planted barley, and hope for rain so the seeds germinate. Farmers say the barley will help hold the topsoil in place. The region has been stricken by drought and all available water has been reserved for protected fish. Residents say dust obscures visibility whenever the wind blows faster than 10 miles per hour.