Why Doesn’t Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge Have Water?

Geese flying into wetland in Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by Darcy Hill.

Wednesday, January 3rd, 2024.

The morning was clear and crisp. Hoarfrost coated barbed wire and plant-life alike in the Klamath Drainage District. The sun snuck through the clouds, heating the ground just enough to create low-lying fog in areas.

Along Stateline Road, in the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, geese and ducks honked and chattered as they picked their way through the rushes and grass from last season. An occasional heron would make his presence known with a disgruntled clucking and squawk to let anyone around they were too close and were disrupting his peace as its giant wings would spread and he’d glide to somewhere further from the road in the refuge.

Chipping sparrow perched on a reed on Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by Darcy Hill — A chipping sparrow perched at the edge of the water on Lower Klamath.

While the majority of the Lower Klamath refuge is dry, this unit has water and if one focused only on this small piece of sanctuary, that person could almost imagine what the Gem of the Pacific Flyway was once like.

Across Stateline, neighboring canals and drains have water and fields flooded for winter provide more habitat for the birds migrating south. Hawks, eagles, and falcons are also hunting these grounds, making a drive down Township Road a birdwatcher’s heaven. The wildlife that frequents KDD are a point of pride for the landowners in the district.

This disparity between KDD and Lower Klamath is being called out on social media, most notably in a Facebook post celebrating Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge’s anniversary of being designated a National Historic Landmark. Bird hunters are wondering if KDD has water in the canals and fields, why is Lower Klamath refuge not getting any water?

The short answer is the Bureau of Reclamation isn’t authorizing Klamath Drainage District to divert water to Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge.

The reality is more nuanced than that.

For over 20 years, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) has prioritized the fish in the Klamath River and Upper Klamath Lake over agriculture and the Klamath Basin refuge system. Considered “single-species management” by many affected by this water management style, the refuges are the last priority when it comes to water diversions in the Klamath Basin.

As a result, Reclamation’s water management of the Klamath Project has not only hurt Klamath Basin family farmers and ranchers, another unintended consequence has been the devastation wreaked on Tule Lake and Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuges. Two years ago, the refuges were given an allocation of zero water. The result was the historic drying of Tule Lake and Lower Klamath refuges.

Birds, mammals, and even fish that depended on the refuges bore the brunt of that zero water allocation. Since then, KDD has worked with the US Fish and Wildlife Service as well as other stakeholders like the California Waterfowl Association and Ducks Unlimited to bring water back to Lower Klamath.

This brings us to what we’re seeing with the Lower Klamath wildlife refuge today.

In a letter dated December 15th, 2022, Scott White, Manger of KDD, and Greg Austin, Manager of Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge, were told by the Bureau of Reclamation to suspend water diversions due to hydrological conditions:

“Effective December 16, 2023, Reclamation is directing the suspension of diversion from Upper Klamath Lake (UKL) and Lake Ewauna/Keno Impoundment. This suspension of authorization to divert is necessary to ensure that Reclamation can meet requirements of the 2019 National Marine Fisheries Service and 2023 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biological opinions to reach a minimum UKL elevation of 4,142.0 feet (BOR datum) by April 1 to protect spawning ESA-listed suckers and to mitigate disease risks for threatened coho salmon.

“Continued diversion of water by Project contractors from UKL or the Lake Ewauna/Keno Impoundment would further reduce Klamath River flows and increase risk to ESA-listed species. Accordingly, Reclamation has determined that no water is available for diversion from UKL or the Lake Ewauna/Keno Impoundment until hydrologic conditions improve. You are directed to immediately cease diversion until you either receive additional written notice from Reclamation that irrigation diversions can resume or until April 1, whichever is sooner. This determination does not affect water previously diverted under existing water rights, and water remaining within the irrigation system.”

As you can see, despite the stakeholders and KDD’s best efforts to provide water to Lower Klamath, Reclamation isn’t allowing it.

Ducks and geese in wetland on Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by Darcy Hill

A peaceful morning on Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge.

Open water and reeds on Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by Darcy Hill

One can imagine how Lower Klamath looked when it was nicknamed ‘Gem of the Pacific Flyway’

Canada geese landing in a wetland along Stateline Road in the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by Darcy Hill

Canada geese coming in for a landing.

What You Can Do to Help Get Water to Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge

As frustrating as this is, we don’t have to idly sit by and allow this devastation to continue.

The first step is to learn what is happening in the Klamath Basin refuges. You can do that by following KDD, California Waterfowl, and Ducks Unlimited on Facebook, Instagram, and X. You can also visit our websites to see what we’re working on to improve conditions on Lower Klamath, such as the KDD Restoration Plan – Replumbing the Klamath.

KDD’s Manager, Scott White, is also a great resource to get in touch with to learn more about what’s happening on Lower Klamath and what the district is doing to help.

Next, share what you’ve learned. This can be as simple as sharing posts from KDD and the stakeholders we work with, or taking it a step further and engaging fellow birdwatchers, hunters, and anyone else who cares about Klamath Basin wildlife and ecology. Tell them about your experience in the Klamath Basin refuges. Share with them the plans in place to help rehydrate these valuable wetlands. Write letters to the editor for your local newspaper and to publications with a greater reach outside of your area.

Lastly, get in touch with your public officials. Let your member of congress, senator, state representatives, and the Bureau of Reclamation know how you feel about what is happening to Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. These people need to hear from the public and to know that we the people are unhappy with what is happening to our refuges.

If you need information, KDD is happy to help. Get in touch with us and we can share with you our restoration plan for Lower Klamath as well as any data or anything else you need.

The droughting of Lower Klamath and Tule Lake refuges is another one of the troubling aspects of how the Bureau of Reclamation is managing the Klamath Project. Unfortunately, due to ESA demands, it appears Klamath Basin refuges will continue to bear the brunt of this style of management that harms farms, waterfowl, and other wildlife while we wait to see how it affects the fish these mandates aim to protect. However, we can use our voices to bring an end to this man-made disaster and start restoring Lower Klamath to its former glory.

Canada geese silhouetted against clouds over Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by Darcy Hill — Geese silhouetted against the clouds illustrate how beautiful Lower Klamath is – especially when it has water.

November 30, 2023November 30, 2023

The Impact of KDD to the Pacific Flyway for 2022 Fall Migration

Ducks taking flight in canal in the Klamath Drainage District

Fall migration is upon us! Visiting the Klamath Drainage District, you’ll see the tell-tale “V”s of birds migrating along the Pacific Flyway and hear the calls of geese as they light in the district’s fields to rest on their long trip south. Depending on the time of day, flocks come in wave-after-wave, providing a visual feast for bird watchers and hunters alike.

With that in mind, it seems like a good time to take a look at the 2022 migratory bird numbers for KDD.

At the end of May, the numbers from the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex, 2022 bird survey of the Klamath Basin were released.

Klamath Drainage District landowners are proud that their fields and pastures provide important habitat for birds migrating on the Pacific Flyway. Between the droughts that have hit the Klamath Basin for the last several years, mismanagement of the Klamath Project, and then the historic shut-down of the Project and subsequent historic drying-up of Tule Lake and Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuges by the Bureau of Reclamation, KDD patrons have seen their lands as a safe haven for migratory birds looking for a pitstop on along the Pacific Flyway.

Snow geese in flight in Klamath Drainage District — A total of 8,404 were attributed to Lower Klamath Lake, almost of which were on KDD lands.

Though anecdotal evidence supports our belief that KDD plays a vital role for Klamath Basin wildlife and migratory birds. Thanks to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), we are able to share actual numbers of what we’re seeing in the field, and whether or not our claims of KDD’s importance to the Pacific Flyway are supported.

With the numbers provided by USFWS, we’re able to look at a snapshot that shows just how vital KDD is to birds. Looking at November 3rd, the peak of migration through the Klamath Basin, the Klamath Drainage District had over 180,000 birds on its lands. That’s significant because at that time Lower Klamath and Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuges had no water in them, meaning that the number of birds counted for Tule Lake and Lower Klamath were counted in KDD. And while we’re proud that KDD could help with facilitating the waterfowl migration, if you look at past migration numbers, there’s still quite a bit of work to be done in the Klamath Basin in regards to the Pacific Flyway.

2022 Klamath Basin Pacific Flyway Waterfowl Migration Numbers — The Pacific Flyway waterfowl migration numbers for the Klamath Basin on November 3, 2022

Pouring through the bird count numbers on November 3, 2022, a few interesting facts pop up:

- Sandhill cranes – 1,948 were counted. Last fall we saw large flocks of these giant birds in the fields, casually counting hundreds of them at a time.
- 170,032 ducks were found in KDD. In comparison, that day 93,540 were counted on Upper Klamath Lake.
- Looking at geese, a total of 8,404 were attributed to Lower Klamath. If we compare that to Upper Klamath again, 1,798 were counted there.
- Of the 170,032 ducks counted in KDD, which breed was represented the most? The Northern Pintail, with 137,262 birds counted. Next was our favorite green-headed friend the Mallard, with 8,852 counted.

Evaluating the overall numbers shared by the USFWS and the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex, the number of migratory birds passing through the Klamath Basin seems incredible. However, this represents only 5% of what the Klamath Basin could support. The region is hugely important for the Pacific Flyway, and when actions by the Federal government leave Klamath Basin refuges dry, agricultural lands such as KDD become increasingly vital. Now imagine if our refuges hadn’t been allowed to go completely dry by the Bureau of Reclamation and the Klamath Project had been operated as designed.

Sandhill Cranes in Klamath Drainage District — 1,948 Sandhill cranes were counted in Klamath Drainage District fields.

KDD landowners should be proud of the work they and the board do on behalf of Klamath Basin wildlife and the Pacific Flyway. The numbers show how important agricultural lands are to the ducks and geese migrating through the Klamath Basin, especially during these times. Add the partnerships and conservation projects the district is working on, such as KDD’s restoration plan, there’s a lot of remarkable things happening in the Klamath Drainage District.

Before wrapping this up, we’d like to extend a big thank you to John Vrandenburg for taking the time to share this information and walking us through the data. Thank you very much, John!

August 30, 2023August 30, 2023

KDD To Work With Stakeholders for Wetland Resiliency, Ag Sustainability

Lower Klamath Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by Darcy Hill.

The land that makes up the Klamath Drainage District didn’t become the food production powerhouse we know it as today until the California Northeastern Railway Company with the Southern Pacific Railway built a dyke and railroad in 1907, creating a division between Lower Klamath Lake and the Klamath River.

With the construction of the railroad, the water that made up the marshlands of Lower Klamath Lake ceased to naturally flow down the Klamath River during times when water levels were high, with While a portion of the original lake now makes up the Lower Klamath Lake National Wildlife Refuge, the 27,000 acres of land on the Oregon side of the border provide rich farmland where family farmers and ranchers grow cereal grains, a variety of row crops, hay, and run cattle for beef and for dairy. KDD landowners’ ground also provides habitat for the waterfowl traveling the Pacific Flyway and Klamath Basin wildlife that make their homes in the district year-round.

KDD and its landowners have employed sustainable agricultural practices for decades that help keep the rich soils productive, decrease demands on water from Upper Klamath Lake during the growing season, and benefit area wildlife, including sending much-needed water to the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge after the Federal government’s historic dewatering of two Klamath Basin refuges.

Now, KDD is looking at other resilient agriculture projects to complement the district’s sustainable ag practices, improve wetland resilience, and provide benefits to the Klamath Basin ecosystem as a whole.

Ducks swimming in a canal in the Klamath Project on Klamath Drainage District lands — Klamath Drainage District resources remain vitally important for the birds of the Pacific Flyway

The Klamath Drainage District has joined with several stakeholders and governmental agencies in a restoration plan that will accomplish many of these goals. Officially called “Replumbing the Klamath for People, Fish, and Wildlife: A Nature-Based Solution for Drought and Desertification in Lower Klamath Lake” and more colloquially as the “KDD Plan”, the restoration effort will reconnect Lower Klamath Lake with the Klamath River, provide access for fish to the Lower Klamath refuge, and provide incentives and protections for KDD landowners.

While the KDD Plan is going through a phase to check its feasibility, many are optimistic about its acceptance and its outcomes.

“As manager of KDD, I’m excited to see how this will benefit not only landowners but the Klamath Basin on the whole,” said Scott White, manager of the Klamath Drainage District. “The farmers in the district have always had an eye on sustainable ag and a genuine interest in taking care of wildlife. I feel the Replumbing the Klamath project accomplishes this and more.”

About the KDD Plan

The Replumbing the Klamath project has several goals aimed at agricultural resilience and sustainability, restoring the health of wetlands of Lower Klamath Lake, and creating habitat for C’waam and Koptu as well as reintroduced salmon.

Items in the plan include reestablishing oxbows around Miller Island, connecting the Lower Klamath Refuge to the Klamath River, creating fish passage from Upper Klamath Lake to the Lower Klamath Refuge, ensuring a reliable source of water for Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, and creating protections for farmers and ranchers in KDD.

Klamath Drainage District headgate being used to send water to Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge — Water flowing from KDD canal across the California border to Lower Klamath Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

The KDD Plan has two tracks. Track One will run from October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2025 and work on the feasibility aspects of Replumbing the Klamath. Track Two will kick off on October 1, 2025 and go through September 30, 2027. In Track Two we will see work begin to create fish passage and water deliveries to Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, the creation of perennial wetlands and connecting Lower Klamath Lake to the Klamath River.

As the restoration plan moves forwards, all of the components will compliment one another. Reestablishing the oxbows through the Miller Island slough and creating fish passage to Lower Klamath Lake will help provide water for the refuge and perhaps aid in creating habitat for returning salmon and Klamath Basin waterfowl. Connecting the Lower Klamath Refuge to the river could help provide cleaner, cooler water to be sent downriver. KDD and its landowners working with various stakeholders on the Lower Klamath Restoration Plan helps build relationships with these groups while ensuring the sustainability of farming within the district.

“This is a great opportunity for KDD to work with a variety of stakeholders to help the Klamath Basin’s ecosystem and to ensure my grandkids and their kids have a chance to farm down here,” said KDD board president, Bill Walker. “This is a win-win for everybody – farmers, fish and fowl.”

The stakeholders include tribal interests such as the Modoc Nation, The Klamath Tribes, and the Yurok Tribe as well as conservation groups like Ducks Unlimited, the Klamath Watershed Partnership, the Willamette Partnership, and several state and federal agencies.

Beyond Replumbing the Klamath, KDD is looking at another project which will add renewable energy to our portfolio while cooling water, preventing evaporation, controlling algae growth in the canals and drains, and ridding the ditches of invasive species, such as yellow-flag irises. As more information for that project comes available, we will provide announcements and updates for it as well.

July 20, 2023July 25, 2023

2023 Grasshopper Infestation Hits Lower Klamath

Clearwing grasshopper near Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge clinging to car window

Grasshopper Infestation Attacks Lower Klamath Wildlife Refuge, KDD and Klamath Project

Driving the thin line of pavement that divides Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge and the fields and farms that make up the Klamath Drainage District is getting messier.

Instead of enjoying the the birds and other wildlife that live in the area or marveling at the variety of crops and the people working in the fields in KDD, the ping-ping-pinging of grasshoppers splattering across windshields and sticking to the hoods and grills of cars and pickups are requiring drivers to pay more attention to the road. In their rearview mirrors the desiccated carcasses of the grasshoppers dance in the breeze like the leaves from trees in the fall.

While Upper Klamath Lake might be known for the tiny midges that leave the front-ends of cars looking fuzzy and green, unfortunately for the last two years, Lower Klamath is getting known for grasshoppers. LIke the midges, they cover windshields with bug-guts and goop that seems nearly impossible to clean.

However, unlike midges, the roads can at times become slick with the remains of grasshoppers crushed on the road. Even worse, the grasshoppers damage crops, impacting not just the production of pasture and hay crops but also lettuce, potatoes, and wheat along with the much-needed grasses and other plants that provide food for the wildlife in KDD.

Even worse yet, the grasshoppers aren’t confined to just KDD. People first started seeing the hoards of hoppers in early June, mostly along Stateline Road, reporting the carnage that covered their cars in Facebook posts. As their numbers and hunger has increased, they’ve spread to Merrill, Malin, Tulelake, and even Poe Valley. There’s also reports of heavy grasshopper numbers in Langell Valley.

How did this happen?

Recall the Bureau of Reclamation’s infamous, historic dewatering of the Tule Lake and Lower Klamath Lake National Wildlife Refuges. The droughting of those refuges left thousands of acres open to ravages of the wind, sun and pests. Pests such as grasshoppers.

Without water in Lower Klamath refuge, the eggs and then nymphs have been able to mature and reproduce. Water in the spring helps drown out the young grasshoppers and eggs, which helps keep their populations under control. If you also add the delayed irrigation season by the Bureau on top of the dried refuges, the Klamath Basin becomes the ideal breeding ground for the voracious pests.

In our region, we’ve seen this pattern before, most notably on the Klamath Marsh. Looking at articles about grasshoppers and their devastation on the Klamath Marsh, there’s a common thread between: a lack of water in the spring and being cut-off from irrigation water. And a drive along Stateline Road, drivers will see the same thing.

The interesting thing about what we’re seeing in KDD and Lower Klamath Refuge is that there is tangible evidence between a dry refuge and a wet one. Driving along Stateline, the areas where you find the most grasshopper carcasses littering the road – not to mention more of the pests smearing their guts across windshields – is where Lower Klamath has yet to receive any water. However, as you get close to the Oregon Drain and towards Highway 97, the number of grasshoppers embedding themselves into your vehicle goes down. There’s much fewer of their exoskeletons littering the road, and less of them getting stirred up by traffic.

Dead grasshoppers on Stateline Road near Lower Klamath Refuge

The bodies of dead grasshoppers littering Stateline Road between Lower Klamath Lake National Wildlife Refuge and the Klamath Drainage District

Clearwing grasshoppers flying across Stateline Road to fields in Klamath Drainage District

Grasshoppers flying over Stateline Road to Klamath Drainage District fields

Stateline Road near the Oregon Drain in Klamath Drainage District

Where Lower Klamath refuge is getting water from KDD, there’s hardly any grasshopper carcasses on Stateline Road

Does the water Klamath Drainage District provide to part of the Lower Klamath refuge mean there’s less grasshoppers in that area?

Not necessarily, and it becomes complicated due to the fact not all of the refuge is underwater.

Walking along the side of the road, grasshoppers still flutter from the green vegetation offering food and protection for them that’s growing in the ditch. With protection and food, there’s very little motivation for the grasshoppers to try and flee from the refuge to KDD for safety. And while the irrigated fields of KDD and water in Lower Klamath helps keep the grasshopper population in check, the area is still plagued by all of the grasshoppers, eating, mating, and laying eggs in the part of the refuge the Bureau of Reclamation has allowed to go dry.

Also worth noting is the number of birds in both areas along Stateline Road. In the area where the grasshoppers are rampant versus the part of Lower Klamath that’s receiving water from KDD, you’ll see more blackbirds (mostly redwing and yellow-headed blackbirds), meadowlarks, sparrows, swallows, blue jays, and even ravens and crows. Between habitat and water, these birds are likely helping keep the grasshopper populations in those areas in check.

This particular species of grasshopper, clearwing grasshoppers, are native to the Klamath Basin, which means they’re part of the ecosystem. In any ecosystem, there are natural checks and balances to help keep various species in check. Historically Lower Klamath National Refuge was never the haven for grasshoppers it is now due to the fact it had always been under water.

However, with the Bureau of Reclamation’s focus on single-species management of Upper Klamath Lake and the Klamath River, governmental officials have created a catastrophe in our ecosystem. As a result migratory birds and other Klamath Basin wildlife bear the brunt of the Bureau of Reclamation and Federal government’s poor water management policies, which is further worsened by adherence to a rigid Endangered Species Act. And now wildlife and farmers alike are having to deal with the unintended consequences of Federal decisions that fail to take entire ecosystems into consideration.

This catastrophe is not only affecting Klamath Basin wildlife, but also the Klamath Basin economy. As area family farmers and ranchers grain, hay and other crops fail, that will echo throughout the Basin’s economy, where one dollar produced by agriculture is used nine times throughout the community. In KDD alone, unofficially, farmers and ranchers are discussing losses in the hundreds of thousands of dollars in each of their operations.

The solution to ending this grasshopper plague is simple. Provide water for Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge and for Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge. This simple solution will help keep the hoards of grasshoppers under control and provide the necessary habitat needed for the birds traveling the Pacific Flyway as well as for the wildlife that make these refuges and surrounding fields their home.

Getting these pests under control will also benefit the Klamath Basin economy, as ag receipts would reflect higher yields which equates to more money to be spent throughout the community. And, if the Feds and Reclamation took KDD’s recommendation of using the Klamath Project as designed, not only would there be more grasshopper abatement, cleaner water could be sent down the the Klamath River for salmon.

Egrets in the reeds in Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge with water provided by Klamath Drainage District patrons — In contrast to the parts of Lower Klamath refuge that haven’t received water, egrets and other birds take advantage of the water provided by KDD and its partners

In the end, this ecological catastrophe could have been avoided. Instead, we have migratory birds desperately searching for habitat, farms throughout the Klamath Project still going dry and a grasshopper infestation nearing biblical proportions. The Klamath Drainage District and its patrons will continue to do our best to provide water to the Lower Klamath refuge, but ultimately the Bureau of Reclamation and the Federal government need to readdress how they manage water in the Klamath Project and take into consideration the unintended consequences of their water management policies.

May 30, 2023May 30, 2023

How Klamath Drainage District Benefits Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge

With May being National Wetlands Month, we thought we’d share how Klamath Drainage District provides benefits to our neighbor to the south, Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge.

Klamath Drainage District benefits the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge in a number of ways. First, KDD provides water to the refuge during dry years when other sources of water are not available, including the historic droughting of the refuge by the Bureau of Reclamation. This helps to maintain the refuge’s wetlands and wildlife habitat. Second, KDD helps to improve water quality in the refuge. The KDD’s water management practices help to reduce sediment and nutrient loads in the refuge’s waterways. Third, KDD helps to create jobs in the Klamath Basin. The KDD’s operations and maintenance activities support a number of jobs in the region.

KDD’s cooperative agreement with the USFWS has also been successful in providing water to the Lower Klamath NWR during dry years while improving water quality in the refuge. This partnership has made KDD a valuable partner in the management of the LKNWR to the benefit of the birds of the Pacific Flyway and Klamath Basin wildlife.

Here are some specific examples of how the Klamath Drainage District benefits the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge:

- In 2015, KDD provided water to the refuge during a severe drought. This water helped to keep the refuge’s wetlands wet and supported the habitat of thousands of birds and other wildlife.
- As already mentioned, KDD’s water management practices help to reduce sediment and nutrient loads in the refuge’s waterways. This helps to improve water quality and protect the refuge’s fish and wildlife.
- With the ability to reuse or return more 75% of the water used in the district, KDD is able to decrease its demand in Upper Klamath Lake which could free up more water for Tule Lake and Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuges.
- Between December of 2021 and August, 2022, KDD sent approximately 3,100 acre feet of much needed water to the Lower Klamath Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

The Klamath Drainage District is a valuable partner in the management of the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. KDD’s water management practices help to keep the refuge’s wetlands wet, improve water quality, and create jobs in the region. The work that KDD does in partnership with the California Waterfowl Association, Ducks Unlimited, and the US Fish & Wildlife Service help ensure Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge provides much needed habitat for the birds of the Pacific Flyway as well as the Klamath Basin wildlife who make their home in the refuge.

April 28, 2023May 1, 2023

KDD Offers Fliers On Klamath Basin Wildlife

Page from KDD flier "Klamath Basin Wildlife in KDD"

Klamath Drainage District patrons are enthusiastic about the wildlife that make their homes in our pastures and fields. From the raptors hunting for prey from the sky to our canals, ditches and drains filled with turtles, ducks and even otters, we’re proud of all the Klamath Basin wildlife that use our lands for habitat.

It should come as no surprise that for decades KDD has produced a flier touting the number of bald eagles seen in our district. A former KDD district manager, Joe Frost, put together a flier titled, “Eagles Flourish on KDD Lands”.

This document offers a great, brief history of KDD, the drainage district’s benefits to the ecosystem and Klamath Basin wildlife, as well as tips for viewing the eagles that nest in the Bear Valley National Wildlife Refuge and hunt in the Klamath Drainage District and the neighboring Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. We hope you enjoy this short read, and if you’re planning on birdwatching in KDD, please be sure to visit “Eagles Flourish On KDD Lands“!

More recently, Klamath Drainage District’s PR Committee Members Scott Fentress and Joel McPherson have put together another flier for visitors to KDD lands – “Klamath Basin Wildlife in KDD”. They created this informative flier to hand out during the 2023 Winter Wings Festival field tours of KDD fields and pastures, and now we’re making this document available to the general public.

While Frost’s document covered a lot of KDD’s history and offered insights on when and where to best view bald eagles, Fentress and McPherson’s flier covers the variety of Klamath Basin wildlife that make their homes in KDD lands, what makes this area appealing to wildlife and how KDD patrons are making a positive impact on Klamath Basin ecosystems.

To read the content of this flier or to download a PDF version you can print out, visit “Klamath Basin Wildlife in KDD“.

If you’re interested and getting a copy of either flier, please visit the Klamath Drainage District business offices, 4240 Highway 39, Klamath Falls, OR 97603.

We hope you take advantage of the information from both of these fliers and pay a visit to KDD to check out the variety of wildlife our lands have to offer. While it’s just a little ways off the beaten path, once you take a side road through our district you’ll understand what makes it unique to the Klamath Basin!

February 27, 2023March 2, 2023

Wildlife Viewing in Klamath Drainage District

This article appeared on Page 10 of the January 2023 edition of the Herald And News’ BASIN AG NEWS. You can also read the full edition of BASIN AG NEWS at KWUA.org,

In the still of twilight, on a cool, calm, crisp morning; the sound of Canada Geese coming off their roost to go feed in a nearby field echoes across the landscape. Within minutes, as the day begins to make its mark, whistling wings are heard with the accompanying cry of mallard hens, calling for company. As the sun finally pushes over the crest of the Klamath Hills, the valley erupts with countless songs sung by the hundreds of species of migratory birds resting in the area managed by Klamath Drainage District (KDD).

Waterfowl and shorebirds migrating along the Pacific Flyway don’t recognize borders. For them, the term “wetland” is viewed in the literal sense. Land with water on it, particularly when it contains food resources, is potentially suitable habitat, whether it’s a privately-owned field, a drainage ditch, or a national wildlife refuge.

For the last decade, the Bureau of Reclamation’s operation of the Klamath Project has largely been governed by a hydrological model directing how much water must remain in Upper Klamath Lake for endangered shortnose and Lost River suckers and how much has to be released for threatened coho salmon in the Klamath River. The model also dictates how much and at what times water can go to Lower Klamath and Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuges. There are separate formulas and rules in the model for water going to farms and agriculture. In accordance with the model, over the last three years, just like farms and agriculture, both refuges received little or no water.

In the absence of adequate habitat conditions in Tule Lake and Lower Klamath, migrating waterfowl and shorebirds have been forced to find it elsewhere. Nowhere is the concentration of wildlife more apparent than in Klamath Drainage District (KDD), which comprises the reclaimed portion of Lower Klamath Lake in Oregon.

Over the last three years, the water used by KDD in the fall and winter, which occurs separate from the Klamath Project under district-owned water rights, has provided the majority of waterfowl and shorebirds habitat in the Klamath Basin. As a result, birders and other wildlife enthusiasts have quickly learned that KDD provides some of the best wildlife viewing opportunities in the Klamath Basin.

According to Scott White, the general manager of KDD, “landowners in the district recognize the importance of wildlife on their lands and take great pride in the close connection between their farming operations and the habitat it provides.”

“While most of the lands within the district are privately owned, we have gotten accustomed to having the public driving around, stopping, and viewing wildlife. So long as people don’t trespass, stay on public roads, are mindful not to block driveways and maintenance roads, and are generally respectful, we are happy to have them visit the district.”

According to White, some of the best places to view wildlife in the district are conveniently located along public roads. “Township Road takes you right through the heart of the district,” according to White, including a portion of the refuge within KDD known as Area K. The dirt roads along the Klamath Straits Drain are also public land, though White cautioned Reclamation is still irrigating these lands and roads may be blocked because irrigation lines are across the public roadways.

Running along the Oregon-California border, Stateline Road also provides ample wildlife view opportunities both in KDD and the refuge. Along Stateline Road one can also see the only water being delivered to the refuge, through Ady Canal, which KDD owns and operates. These deliveries are helping maintain Unit 2, which is the only area of the refuge presently containing water.

December 21, 2022December 23, 2022

Fall & Winter Flooding In the Klamath Drainage District Yields Benefits for the Klamath Basin and Klamath Project

Geese in a winter flooded field in the Klamath Drainage District

Klamath Drainage District landowners have practiced fall and winter flooding since the inception of the district. Despite the number of years it’s been used to the benefit of not only KDD family farmers and ranchers, there are benefits to the Klamath Basin as a whole.

An important fact that should be discussed more is that KDD returns or reuses more than 75% of the water that is used in the district. Other than ensuring the landowners of KDD can produce a crop, that fall and winter irrigation water is also used to benefit:

- Klamath Basin refuges
- Augment flows in the Klamath River
- Get reused in KDD
- Offer support for other districts in the Klamath Irrigation Project
- Lessen demand on Upper Klamath Lake at a critical time for C’waam and koptu spawning
- Rehydrate the aquifer that produces cold, clean spring water to the Klamath River

Bald eagle perched on pivot hunting the flooded fields of the Klamath Drainage District. Photo by Scott White — KDD’s winter flooding offers hunting opportunities to threatened species, such as the bald eagle.

KDD, Klamath Basin Wildlife & The Refuges

With the refuges of the Klamath Basin getting last in line priority, KDD fields are essentially “the only restaurant in town” for the birds of the Pacific Flyway. Fall harvest has provided much needed food and habitat for songbirds, ducks, geese and cranes. Flooding the fields brings out mice and other prey for for bald eagles and other area raptors to feast on while also decreasing the need for pesticide use. In effect, KDD is the default habitat for migrating birds and other wildlife.

Speaking of the refuges, from December of 2021 through August, 2022, KDD sent approximately 3,100 acre feet of much needed water to the Lower Klamath Lake National Wildlife Refuge. While we can hope that much needed precipitation will help salvage our wetlands, right now, KDD has been the only source of water for the refuge. And without winter flooding, the chances of KDD being able to make water available for the refuge becomes incredibly slim simply from the fact there is no water for KDD to reuse for it.

KDD Winter Flooding and Its Impact on Upper Klamath Lake and the Klamath River

The beauty of maximizing KDD’s winter deliveries is that it has no impact on the fishery. KDD’s allocation is only 2% of the forecasted fall and winter inflows to Upper Klamath Lake. In reality, that is less than 1/10 of a foot on Upper Klamath Lake and 5% of the rate in the Klamath River. On top of that, the Klamath Drainage District has already limited its diversions by 60% to help fill Upper Klamath Lake, and the Klamath River is projected to get 58% of fall/winter inflows.

Fall and winter flooding allows KDD to return that water to the system in the spring when it’s desperately needed for salmon spawning. Plus, in March and April when the demand for Klamath Project irrigators is ramping up, KDD has little to no demand at that time when the district receives its full allocation.

How is this possible? The marshlands reclaimed for farmland from Lower Klamath Lake has acted like a “sponge” for millenia, taking in and holding moisture that would be released later in the spring and summer. As the warmer months of the spring roll, the ground is already charged and ready for the growing season ahead. On the other hand, if these fields weren’t flooded during the fall and winter, KDD patrons’ needs from Upper Klamath Lake would add to the stress on Upper Klamath Lake when other districts are making demands on the lake, and there would be no water to send down the Klamath River to help augment spring spawning flows.

But there is a challenge KDD is facing at the moment – the Bureau of Reclamation’s has taken over 900 acre feet in Area K. With the Bureau taking this water, they’ve left no water in our drains for us to utilize for our patrons, which in turn requires us to take more of our winter allocation in order to meet our landowners’ demand.

Geese in a winter grain field in the Klamath Drainage District

KDD’s fall harvest leaves winter feed and habitat for a variety of birds

Rainbow over a flooded field in the Klamath Drainage District

Winter flooding provides a number of benefits to the Klamath Basin and the Klamath Irrigation Project

Coyote hunting the flooded fields of the Klamath Drainage District

The winter fields of KDD offer hunting opportunities for a variety of predators, such as this coyote

KDD Patrons Pay the Bureau of Reclamation for Operating Costs

Klamath Drainage District patrons pay 20% of the operation and maintenance (O&M) on the Link River Dam and Upper Klamath Lake. However, in the past these very patrons have not been eligible for any of the Bureau of Reclamation’s drought programs.

Without any drought assistance funding, KDD patrons become more reliant on irrigating in order to survive year to year. In the past, many KDD patrons have volunteered to set aside thousands of acres in order to help send water down the Klamath River. However, despite that offer, the Bureau of Reclamation still wouldn’t allow these patrons to participate in any drought response agency programs.

KDD continues to do the right thing to the best of its ability and within its legal authority to the benefit of the fish, wildlife, ecosystems, and other basin stakeholders and have made some tremendous partners over the years that share this same vision. If you’re interested in learning more, or interested in partnering with the district on any of the multiple sustainable projects the district is pursuing, the district is always looking for great partnerships.