Welcome to the 2026 Lower Klamath Basin Renaissance Tour!

Thank you for joining us on March 12th for the 3rd Annual Lower Klamath Renaissance Tour!

In 2023, two community leaders had a conversation about the state of Klamath Basin’s refuges and the news that the Klamath Basin Audubon Society was cancelling its annual Winter Wings Festival due to a lack of water on the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge (LKNWR).

While there were lots of waterfowl in Klamath Drainage District (KDD) fields, Pacific Flyway winter migrations were affected, and as a result, so were sightings of bald eagles that were a key part of the nation’s oldest birding festival.

Then an idea took hold. A coalition of KDD farmers, government agency staffers, advocates for the Pacific Flyway and LKNWR, the South Suburban Sanitary District, the Modoc Nation, and concerned community area members came together to share exciting new directions for the Lower Klamath area. That first event, the Lower Klamath Renaissance Tour, has become an annual tradition to share with our guests how wildlife, agriculture, endangered fish, and Tribal communities can benefit in ways once considered unimaginable.

You have been invited to join us and continue the conversation about how cooperation continues to keep LKNWR wet, how restoration projects are impacting the Lower Klamath region and the Klamath Basin, and what the future looks like as endangered fish species make their way back into the Upper Klamath Basin.

Lower Klamath Renaissance Tour Itinerary & Route 

This year’s route and stops will be similar to those in the past. Starting at the Running Y Lodge, the Lower Klamath Renaissance Tour will venture down to the Klamath Drainage District and through the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, making stops along the way for our guests to learn more about the Lower Klamath Lake region and habitat restoration projects and other initiatives happening in the area.

The planned stops for the morning and afternoon of the 2025 Lower Klamath Basin Renaissance Tour included:

• • Stop 1 – The Running Y Lodge
  • Stop 2 – The Midland Rest Stop off of Hwy 97
  • Stop 3 – Straits Drain Pumping Plant
  • Stop 4 – Ady Canal Delivery Site to Unit 2 of the LKNWR

• Stop 5 – North Canal future extension project
• Stop 6 – Liskey Farms for lunch
• Stop 7 – Modoc Nation Homelands project

To see the full itinerary including the reception at the Running Y Lodge, please visit the 2026 Lower Klamath Renaissance Tour Itinerary and Route page.

What to Bring

The weather for the tour looks like it will be a fairly warm Klamath Basin spring day. Weather.com is predicting it will be partly cloudy with a high of 60 degrees and a low of 32, with breezes up to 14 mph. 

With the weather being warmer, we recommend dressing in lighter layers to be able to adjust to the temperatures throughout the day. Here’s a list what we recommend to bring on the day of the tour:

• Sweatshirt or lighter jacket that is easy to remove
• Sturdy, comfortable shoes that can be worn in muddy areas
• Binoculars or something for birdwatching 
•  A refillable water bottle – we will have a refill station available at Liskey Farms when we stop for lunch

Friends of Klamath Basin Birds and Klamath Bird Observatory also has their birding book, Common Waterbirds of the Great Basin, available online in a PDF format. If you’re looking at this page from a desktop, you can scan the QR code below with your phone to have it available for the tour. 

Lodging Information

This year, the Running Y Resort has set aside a block of rooms at a special rate for our guests. To make a reservation, contact the Running Y front desk.  

Thank You To Our 2026 Sponsors!