Klamath Falls, OR (December 5, 2025) – The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Oregon has released a Final Watershed Plan Environmental Assessment (EA) and a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Klamath Drainage District (KDD) Infrastructure Modernization Project.
NRCS Oregon has determined that the project will not cause significant local, regional, or national impacts to the environment. With a Final Watershed Plan EA in place, the project is now eligible for federal funding (pending Plan authorization by NRCS Chief Bettencourt) and may move forward into final design and construction.
The project will install a fish screen at the North Canal Diversion on the Klamath River; extend the North Canal and connect it to the P-1 Lateral; modify the North Canal to increase flow capacity; upgrade two pump stations for operational efficiency and to reduce water discharge to the Klamath River via the Klamath Straits Drain; and install flow monitoring and automated gates throughout the project area to improve water management.
By modernizing infrastructure, the proposed project would enable KDD to improve water management within its conveyance system and benefit fish populations in the Klamath River by preventing fish from getting trapped in KDD’s canals. By reducing water use inefficiencies, the proposed project would improve water quality in the Klamath River. The project would also allow KDD to supply additional water to the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, which would increase critically needed habitat for wildlife.
The project is a joint effort among NRCS Oregon and KDD as the project sponsor and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as cooperating agencies, in coordination with other agencies, stakeholders, and the public.
The project may be partially funded through the Watershed and Flood Prevention Program, administered by NRCS and authorized by Public Law 83-566. Through this program, NRCS provides technical and financial assistance to local organizations (project sponsors) for planning and implementing projects that help solve natural resource and related economic problems in a specific watershed. These projects can include watershed protection, flood prevention, erosion and sediment control, water supply, water quality, fish and wildlife habitat enhancement, and wetlands creation.
Klamath Falls, OR – Last week, Klamath Drainage District (KDD) staff witnessed large dark masses below the surface of the water in the Ady Canal. Upon further inspection, those dark masses surfaced the water exposing their fins. On Friday, October 17th, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) confirmed that the fins were those of Chinook salmon. To date, salmon have been spotted from the head of the Ady Canal all the way down to the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge).
Scott White, the General Manager for the district said, “It’s a very exciting time. However, I never want to have to say, ‘I told you so.’ But dang it, I told you so,” he said with frustration. “It’s been nine years since the KPFA was signed and none of the promises made to farmers in that agreement regarding reintroduction of species have been upheld.”
White is referring to the Klamath Power and Facilities Agreement (KPFA) which was signed in 2016 by the United States, the State Governments of Oregon and California, and multiple Klamath Basin stakeholders. Specifically, White refers to Section II.B.2a and b that commits the federal and state parties to support funding “entrainment reduction facilities” for Klamath Project contractors (water users). There have been no fish screens installed under the agreement to date.
“We have been warning folks of this day for years and begging for support and very little has been done beyond lip service,” White continued. “Are you paying attention, now? A lot of effort and dollars were put into dam removal and restoration—now let’s see that fish are protected the way the KPFA intended.”
Although there have been no screens installed under the terms of the KPFA, KDD and Family Water Alliance (FWA) are forcing movement on the installation of five screens on turnouts in the Ady Canal. KDD has been working closely with the FWA, the Bureau of Reclamation and the ODFW on a $4.5 million multi-screen project that will assist in keeping these fish from going down turnouts where they don’t belong.
“While it’s exciting for everyone to see salmon in the Upper Basin and even in our district, we need to protect our landowners as well as the fish for this to be successful,” said KDD Board Member and district farmer, Scotty Fenters. “These screens should have been installed already to do just that.”
Since the early days of dam removal, KDD has been working hard with other stakeholders, especially the Yurok Tribe, on salmon restoration projects on its private lands and its private facilities. The screening project complements KDD’s plan to connect the river to the Refuge permanently. The project could provide access to thousands of acres of wetland habitat for the benefit of fish, fowl, and farms. The concept, known as “Replumbing the Klamath” or the “Lower Klamath Lake Reconnection”, includes water security for Klamath Project water users, which results in habitat for fish and birds in the heart of the Pacific Flyway. White said, “These salmon sightings prove the concept and define a secure future of balance and sustainability for all interests in the Klamath Basin.”
KDD owns all the district’s delivery infrastructure and want to remind everyone to respect private property, particularly for safety reasons.
“It’s an exciting time on the district for fish and bird watchers. We get it,” said White. “We frequently invite tours on our waterfowl-rich lands,” he said, citing to the popular annual Lower Klamath Renaissance Tour. “We are working on ways that we can be more accommodating to the public, but we have more work to do. Please be patient with us, but more importantly, please respect our landowners’ private property.”
About the Klamath Drainage District:
Klamath Drainage District (KDD) is a 27,000-acre district located in southern Oregon bordering the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge in California. KDD proactively works to improve distribution and delivery of its scarce water resources including recycling over 35,000 acre-feet annually through its recently installed recirculation pumping plants. Of this recycled water, most is reused to grow crops, but a percentage is used for growers outside of the district and used for habitat improvement and other refuge purposes. KDD is home to one of the largest concentrations of bald eagles in the lower 48 states and prides itself on its restoration activities and the tremendous wildlife viewing opportunities it provides.
The Klamath Drainage District has been working for nine years to get fish screens installed in the district’s canals to protect family farmers and fish populations. Photo by Darcy Hill, KDD.
Klamath Falls, OR – On August 28th, 2025, the Klamath Drainage District held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the North Canal autogate to celebrate the groundbreaking and installation of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) equipment on the district.
$5 million in funding was secured by Senator Jeff Merkley in the Fiscal Year 2022 Appropriations Bill with assistance from the Klamath Water Users Association and the Farmers Conservation Alliance (FCA) to help push it across the finish line. The district’s SCADA project is part of a greater network of sites located throughout the Klamath Reclamation Project. Installation of the system is being coordinated by the FCA, the group that has been instrumental in getting many district Watershed Plans drafted.
“This has been a long time coming,” said KDD Manager, Scott White. “Sometimes it feels like we spend too much time analyzing, but I’m not complaining today. Today, we’re celebrating.”
The SCADA system will allow KDD to gather data to monitor the water levels in the district’s canals and drains, and as needed, automatically open and close gates as well as turn on pumps to maintain water levels. “This will add another layer of efficiency for the district, which is already able to recycle more than 75% of water used by our growers,” added White.
White also recognized the turn out by the Bureau of Reclamation who are overwhelmingly supporting this work. “It was great to see so many folks from Reclamation here for this event. There were folks from Sacramento who came up to celebrate with us.” said White.
Gene Souza with the Klamath Irrigation District (KID) also gave praise to all the good work that has recently gone into getting this equipment installed. “It’s a great opportunity to be part of a new era in water management.” Souza said. KID is slated to install five SCADA sites with this first phase of installations.
For KDD family farmers and ranchers, the eight sites and the system’s real-time data collection abilities will help make water delivery smoother, allow for automated adjustments, and in the long-run, help with drought planning and flood conditions. By making water deliveries more efficient, opportunities for creating more water available for Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge and the district’s other habitat restoration efforts arise as well.
“The completion of this SCADA project marks an important step forward in supporting districts with more efficient, timely, and reliable water delivery,” said KWUA Executive Director, Elizabeth Nielsen. “Congratulations to KDD and the partners that worked together on this effort, including Reclamation and the Farmer’s Conservation Alliance.”
“First off, I’d like to thank Senator Merkley for securing the funds for this project,” said KDD board president, Bill Walker. “And I’d also like to thank the folks at the Bureau of Reclamation and at FCA for getting this project on the ground. It’s going to be incredibly helpful for our landowners, not to mention efforts like the Lower Klamath Lake Reconnection project. It’s a classic win-win.”
In attendance at the ceremony were the KDD Board of Directors, Bill Walker and Josh McPhearson; representatives from Senator Merkley’s office, the Bureau of Reclamation, Farmers Conservation Alliance, Klamath Water Users Association, Klamath Irrigation District, the Klamath County Chamber of Commerce and the general public.
About the Klamath Drainage District:
Klamath Drainage District (KDD) is a 27,000-acre district located in southern Oregon bordering the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge in California. KDD proactively works to improve distribution and delivery of its scarce water resources including recycling over 35,000 acre-feet annually through its recently installed recirculation pumping plants. Of this recycled water, most is reused to grow crops, but a percentage is used for growers outside of the district and used for habitat improvement and other refuge purposes. KDD is home to one of the largest concentrations of bald eagles in the lower 48 states and prides itself on its restoration activities and the tremendous wildlife viewing opportunities it provides.
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Guests visiting before KDD’s SCADA ribbon-cutting ceremony on the North Canal off of Lower Klamath Lake Road. Photo by Darcy Hill, KDD.
KDD President Bill Walker had the honor of cutting the ribbon to kick-off the Klamath Drainage District’s SCADA system installation. Photo by Darcy Hill, KDD.
The Bureau of Reclamation’s Deputy Regional Director Adam Nichols addressing KDD’s guests. Photo by Darcy Hill, KDD.
Gene Souza, Klamath Irrigation District Manager, addressing KDD’s guests. Photo by Darcy Hill, KDD.
KDD Board President Bill Walker cutting the ribbon for the district’s SCADA system project. Photo by Darcy Hill, KDD.
Klamath Drainage District’s guests celebrating the ribbon-cutting on KDD’s SCADA system project. Photo by Darcy Hill, KDD.
Klamath Drainage District Manager Scott White visiting with representatives from Senator Jeff Merkley’s office. Photo by Darcy Hill, KDD.
KDD’s SCADA ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by representatives from Senator Merkley’s office, the Bureau of Reclamation, Farmers Conservation Alliance, Klamath Water Users Association, Klamath Irrigation District, the Klamath County Chamber of Commerce and the general public. Photo by Darcy Hill, KDD.
KDD President Bill Walker visiting with Alan Heck and Heather Casillas of the Bureau of Reclamation after the ceremony. Photo by Darcy Hill, KDD.
Klamath Water Users Association’s Executive Director Elizabeth Nielsen visiting with Bureau of Reclamation Deputy Regional Directors Adam Nichols and Kristin White. Photo by Darcy Hill, KDD.
After Klamath Drainage District’s SCADA project ribbon-cutting ceremony, guests visited about other projects. Photo by Darcy Hill, KDD.
During irrigation season, it’s not uncommon to see white pickups with long poles jutting from the bed and over the cab as they make their way throughout the Klamath Basin to ensure water is being delivered to farms and ranches.
In the winter in the Klamath Irrigation Project, you’ll find fewer pickups bouncing down ditchbanks and along canals. Instead, you’re more likely to see backhoes and excavators perched along waterworks.
An excavator sits in a Klamath Drainage District field, ready to clean the canal. Darcy Hill, KDD
That doesn’t mean work slows down for Klamath Project irrigation districts.
According to Klamath Irrigation District (KID) district manager Gene Souza, the district’s winter operations and plans are the results of “careful thought and hard lessons learned.”
Within KID are over 200 miles of canals and 200 miles of drains that provide water for over 40,000 acres in its district, 7,000 acres of individual Warren Act contracts, and another 10,000 acres for lands under the Klamath Basin Improvement District.
KID fall/winter operations start at the end of the irrigation season. A 30-day “sluffing off” period allows the canals to slowly draw down to prevent collapsing, followed by “ratting” to fix problems caused by burrowing animals and inspections to identify emergency repairs and prioritize the maintenance and repair list.
On that list are a variety of standing projects, including repairs to roads, bridges, and canals, fish-screen cleaning, replacing actuators on the A Canal Headworks, building turnouts, piping problem
Klamath Irrigation District’s crews removed snow from the A Canal Facility during the latest round of winter storms. KID District Manager, Jaxsen Sikorski
sections of the canals, and much, much more.
Even with this week’s snow fall, KID’s crews were anything but idle.
According to Souza, “This week (the week of February 10th) we have had the crews, when the roads allowed, to focus on HQ maintenance and pouring concrete turnouts instead of cleaning drains and repairing bridges.”
But the most dramatic project KID worked on was repairing a mile-long tunnel that runs under Klamath Falls.
The original tunnel was built in 1904, but abandoned by the Bureau of Reclamation and then redug in 1906. Over the decades, the tunnel received a concrete lining to preserve its integrity and a new floor was poured in the 1980s.
Klamath Irrigation District maintenance crews applied hydrophobic layer of shotcrete to a mile long tunnel of the A Canal that runs beneath Klamath Falls. KID District Manager, Jaxsen Sikorski
However, since 2021, KID’s inspection crews noticed more repairs were needed to the walls and ceiling of the tunnel. If the tunnel failed, the disaster would affect citizens in Klamath Falls as well as the farms served by the A Canal.
When funds from the Federal government failed to materialize, Souza made the decision for the district to fund its own solution. The result was KID’s board approving a budget to address the areas of concern in the tunnel.
“To make it a more lasting 50+ year solution,” said Souza, “we put extra expense into applying a hydrophobic layer of shotcrete to the areas of the walls that come into contact with water.”
In spite of the challenges winter presents the irrigation districts – especially a wet, snowy one like the Klamath Basin is experiencing – the district manager still appreciates the moisture.
“Snow is always welcome . . . even when it slows us down,” said Souza.
For the Klamath Drainage District (KDD), winter brings its own set of challenges. But according to district manager Scott White, there isn’t much of a shift from irrigation season to winter operations.
“Since we have a year-round water right, our single purpose for delivering water is to make sure it is available for our landowners whenever they need it,” said White. “So that means making sure our canals have water in them and our delivery systems are operating properly.”
Klamath Drainage Districts maintenance shop on Lower Klamath Lake Road. Darcy Hill, KDD
Similar to KID, maintenance and repairs are an important part of winter operations. But water delivery remains the district’s top priority.
The 27,000 acres served by KDD have a unique water right that allows the district to take water from the end of the irrigation season (usually around October) through the winter months. This water right helps the district – and the Klamath Project – operate as it was originally designed and helps the Lower Klamath area operate in a manner inline with how it did naturally.
From maintaining soil moisture that makes its growers less reliant on spring and summer irrigation to managing pest and weeds that benefits KDD’s organic farmers, this water right is hugely beneficial to the district’s patrons. And for wildlife, the district’s flooded fields provide “key habitat for migratory birds in the fall/winter and even the early spring.“
For KDD’s crews, this means making sure pumps and pumping stations are operating properly, checking water quality, and ensuring headgates and turnouts aren’t being slowed or blocked by ice. As noted by White, winter operations are similar to irrigation season, with ice replacing weeds and moss.
Another challenge for the district is when the farms request the fields to be drained for spring.
“I do worry about our landowners wanting to drain all at once but I do not have that sense at this time,” said White. “Furthermore, with the hard freeze we’re having, the ice will not allow massive drainage, so we may be ok without having to ask our landowners to slow down or take turns.”
In the winter, Klamath Drainage District ensures Unit 2 of the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge receives water under its water right. Darcy Hill, KDD
During this time of year, KDD is also responsible for ensuring that the Klamath Basin Refuges Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge receives water as requested per the refuge’s water right. And if there’s drainage water available, the district can elect to send it to Unit 2 of the refuge versus down the Klamath River.
When asked more about the benefits of the district’s winter operations, White answered, “We have tremendous opportunities to utilize Lower Klamath for the benefit of the Project, the refuges, and the entire Basin from an operational perspective. The sooner folks begin realizing the potential of Lower Klamath, the better off we all will be in managing the water for species, habitat and growing food.”
Members of REAL Oregon’s Class 8 learned about Klamath Basin water issues from stakeholders from throughout the watershed
On a blustery November evening, Class 8 of REAL Oregon got a firsthand look of the challenges of Klamath Basin water issues.
Following a day of touring the Klamath Basin that included stops at the former J.C. Boyle dam site and Spencer Creek with Klamath Water Users Association’s Director of Water Policy, Moss Driscoll, the bus rolled into the Merrill Civic Center for a panel discussion titled, “Dam! Now What?”
The eight-person panel was filled by representatives for economic, Tribal, agricultural, and governmental interests in the ongoing Klamath Basin water discussions. Sitting on the panel were:
Darren Rutledge, Executive Director, The Klamath Idea
Becky Hyde, Upper Klamath Basin Ag Collaborative
Ken Griggs, Acting Refuge Manager, US Fish & Wildlife Service Klamath Refuge Complex
Willie Ray, Jr., Chairman of the Klamath Tribes
Jonathan Teichert, City Manager, City of Klamath Falls
Dave Hensley, Klamath County Board of Commissioners
Frankie Myers, Vice Chairman, Yurok Tribe
Tracey Liskey, KWUA President and Klamath Drainage District board member
The REAL Oregon panel for “Dam! Now What?” featured stakeholders from up and down the Klamath River watershed.
After audience and panel introductions, discussion moderator Scott White, KDD general manager and member of REAL Oregon’s Pioneer Class, jumped into the conversations.
With the recent completion of Klamath River dam removal, White focused the discourse on the history of the Klamath dams and the panelists’ thoughts about them, what dam removal means to the stakeholders and their groups, and what they foresee with salmon returning to the Upper Klamath Basin.
KDD General Manager and REAL Oregon alumnus, Scott White, hosted the panel discussion.
As expected, the conversation was lively and passionate, though friendly.
Panelists shared their frustrations about the dam removal process, as well as their hopes for their communities now that the structures were out. One point of consensus was the fact that with the dams are out and the salmon are coming, the focus needs to shift rebuilding trust and working together on restoration efforts in the entire Klamath River watershed.
Tracey Liskey, KDD board member and KWUA president, spoke to the audience about the effect of salmon returning to the Upper Klamath Basin on agriculture.
Klamath Tribes’ Chairman, Willie Ray Jr., gave his perspective on what salmon returning to the Klamath Basin represents to the tribe.
At the end of the panelist conversation, the REAL Oregon audience had time for a brief question and answer session. Like the panel discussion, the responses to Class 8’s questions highlighted the complexity of Klamath Basin water issues as well as the need for cooperation.
REAL Oregon’s Class 8 audience asked the panel questions after the main discussion.
What is REAL Oregon?
Standing for Resource Education and Agricultural Leadership, REAL Oregon is a program operated by the Oregon Agricultural Education Foundation (OAEF) through the Oregon Farm Bureau.
With a focus on Oregon agriculture, the REAL Oregon program “is a leadership enhancement and development program designed for farming, ranching, forestry, and commercial fishing professionals, producers, affiliated industries, association staff, public agency personnel, and members of resource related boards, commissions, and associations”.
Each Class starts in November and runs through March, with class members attending a monthly session in a different part of the state. While the sessions focus on training Oregon’s future ag leaders about working with government, dealing with the media, and skills that are useful in the boardroom, the program also delves into subjects specific to Oregon agriculture, such as November’s topic, “Klamath Water Project”.
Class 1, also known as the Pioneer Class, graduated in March of 2017. Since then, REAL Oregon has educated over 130 alumni.
“Frankly, it is an honor and a privilege to be an alumnus of the pioneer class and accompanied by such prestigious leaders,” said White. “We still attract the finest talent in the state. I think that says a lot about this program”.
Recently, the Oregonian published a letter from Mary Hayden of Oregon City about the conditions of the Tule Lake Wildlife Refuge and the potential avian botulism outbreak on the scale of 2020. In her letter, Ms. Hayden offered her thoughts on a solution – “cash out the farmers” and “give the water to the birds.”
Unfortunately, when it comes to Klamath Basin water issues, this is a popular, short-sighted reaction by those whose communities are not dependent upon Klamath ag.
Water flowing from KDD patrons to Unit 2 in the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge in May, 2024.
This way of thinking also doesn’t take into account the work and advocacy Klamath Basin family farmers and ranchers do on behalf of the birds of the Pacific Flyway or area wildlife. Nor does it appreciate the tangled political web of the power of the Federal government, the Endangered Species Act, or water rights that put these refuges last in line and create “paper droughts” affecting farmers and waterfowl alike.
The notion that Klamath ag is “watering the desert” while advocating for sending water to area refuges shows there’s a misunderstanding about the hydrology of the Klamath Basin. Before settlers came to the area, water flowed throughout the Klamath Basin and settled in low-lying areas creating a vast network of shallow lakes and marshlands between Tule Lake and Lower Klamath Lake. The first people of this area, the Modocs, hunted, fished, and gathered food in these marshlands and lakes.
When the Klamath Project was created, many of those areas were converted to rich farmland.
In our district, the Klamath Drainage District (KDD), 27,000 acres of marshland was converted to farmland, leaving over 80,000 acres of the original Lower Klamath Lake as the nation’s first waterfowl refuge. During spring and fall migration, our district provides habitat and food for birds traveling the Pacific Flyway.
The water sent to Unit 2 and Unit 3 on the Lower Klamath Wildlife Refuge encouraged species variation not seen in decades.
KDD has also been a partner with Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, sending much-needed water from the district to the refuge when other stakeholders and the Bureau of Reclamation refused to send water to these wetlands. KDD has worked with conservation groups such as Ducks Unlimited and California Waterfowl on habitat restoration efforts as well as getting water to Lower Klamath.
KDD and the Klamath Water Users Association (KWUA) have been vocal supporters of the Klamath Basin Refuges, with KWUA sending a letter to the Bureau of Reclamation urging the Bureau to send water to the refuges to head off the impending avian botulism outbreak.
Even today, Tulelake Irrigation District and the Klamath Drainage District are working on plans that not only provide water to these historic refuges, but also send cleaner, cooler water down the Klamath River for salmon.
Potato harvest in Klamath Drainage District. Every dollar generated by Klamath Basin Ag is passed through the community nine times.
Regardless if Klamath Basin ag were cashed out at a fair price, this one-time payout would devastate our communities and the very people working diligently to preserve the refuges that includes a sustainable supply of water. Every dollar created by Klamath ag is passed through the community nine times, more than any other industry in our region. Thousands of workers would be unemployed, and businesses tangentially connected to agriculture would fold.
We haven’t even touched on the nation’s challenges surrounding the loss of farmland and farmers and its effects on national food security.
KDD and Klamath Basin family farmers and ranchers are allies to our refuges, not enemies. While it’s easier to demonize Klamath ag than to appreciate it, we recognize our future is directly tied to the Klamath Basin ecosystem. If Ms. Hayden is interested, we’d love for her to pay a visit to our district to learn more about the incredible work we and our partners are doing on behalf of the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge.
Though Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge still has some water, the hot, dry summer is quickly drying it out.
Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge looks different this summer than it has for the last several years.
Thanks to the efforts from the Klamath Drainage District (KDD) and Tulelake Irrigation District (TID), reeds and tules are growing throughout the refuge. And with the greenery, wildlife and waterfowl have returned to the wetlands.
But for how long remains in question.
On July 12th, 2024, the Klamath Water Users Association (KWUA) sent a letter to the Commissioner of the US Bureau of Reclamation, Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton, urging Reclamation to not cut off water to Klamath Basin refuges and farmers late in the season.
Klamath Basin family farmers and ranchers are depending on late season irrigation to finish growing row crops and to get another cutting of hay to sustain their herds through the winter and to sell to other farms throughout the region.
The birds, on the other hand, need water in the refuges to stave off an epidemic of botulism.
Ducks swimming in Unit 2 of the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge.
With the return of water to Unit 3 of the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, so have a variety of birds. Pictured here are pelicans, egrets, and ducks.
However, as this hot, dry summer continues to drag on, the fear is that the diminishing wetlands will become a breeding ground for disease instead of waterfowl. In 2020, Lower Klamath saw 40,000 birds killed by avian botulism, and while steps have been taken to prevent another massive infection that will impact waterfowl and other Klamath Basin wildlife, at this time there’s still more work to be done.
With the 2020 avian botulism outbreak, Unit 3 of LKNWR was hit especially hard. Refuge managers were left with two options – flush it with cool water to stop the bacteria from multiplying or drain it. The unit was drained, and a field hospital operated by Bird Ally X was set up to treat the birds pulled from the drying, fetid water.
While the much celebrated flow from TID to Unit 3 via D Plant is starting to recede, there’s still a lot of water and waterfowl out on Lower Klamath. In this unit of LKNWR, massive pelicans to the much smaller and more delicate avocet, the wetland is finally looking like the “Gem of the Pacific Flyway” again. In Unit 2, the wetland fed by KDD’s flows, egrets and herons stand guard in the tall reeds while ducks, herons, coots, and grebes swim and feed in the water.
A lot has been gained this year on behalf of the Lower Klamath refuge. However, there’s also that much more at risk if the refuge is allowed to go dry again.
With waters in the Lower Klamath refuge receding, the risk of avian botulism puts migrating birds and waterfowl broods at risk.
In a recent press release from Ducks Unlimited, they’re reporting a 25% decline in duck breeding numbers in the Pacific Flyway. Add a drying refuge to the equation, this could be devastating to West Coast duck populations.
However, while the projects that KDD and its partners talked about are going through the process of becoming a reality, Lower Klamath still needs water to ensure there’s not another avian botulism outbreak on the scale of 2020. There are already reports of botulism coming from Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge.
At this time, KDD’s board is working with the Bureau of Reclamation and the US Fish & Wildlife Service to find a way to get much needed water to Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge.
There are also a few things the public can do to help LKNWR.
KDD has a page about how the public can support the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. Writing to leaders expressing concern for the refuge and waterfowl populations can help them understand the importance of Lower Klamath to the region and the Klamath Basin ecosystem. This understanding can lead to influencing Reclamation to providing much needed water to LKNWR.
We also recommend visiting KDD lands and LKNWR. The district and the refuge have an abundance of waterfowl and wildlife that make this an extraordinary place in the Klamath Basin. Then share those experiences either in-person or on social media to help others understand the importance of Lower Klamath to the Pacific Flyway and the Klamath River ecosystem.
Finally, if you, the public, have ideas on how we can get more water to Lower Klamath, we’d love to hear from you. Drop us a line and let us know your thoughts.
Klamath ag, and especially KDD patrons, have a distinct connection with the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. With community support, we hope the Bureau of Reclamation will provide the water the refuge needs to make it through fall migration and beyond.
(Note: This article was written by the Klamath Drainage District’s PR administrator on behalf of the Lower Klamath Renaissance Tour. This article also appears on Basin Ag News and on the Klamath Water Users Association’s website.)
Known as in the Klamath Basin winter for decades. The workshops brought birders and tourists to our community, while the chance to see a variety of raptors and birds migrating on the Pacific Flyway drew in photographers from all over the world. In recent years, Winter Wings also gave Klamath ag a chance to share how farms provide much needed habitat for area wildlife and the Pacific Flyway, especially with the historic dewatering of two national wildlife refuges.
the nation’s oldest birding festival, Winter Wings provided a bright spot
When word passed through the birdwatching, conservation, and agricultural circles the Winter Wings Festival was canceled, phones started ringing. A conversation regarding the impacts of canceling the Winter Wings Festival between Klamath Drainage District manager, Scott White, and Board Chair of the South Suburban Sanitary District (SSSD), Joe Spendolini, ended the call with the two agreeing for the organizations to arrange a tour similar to one White had organized for the festival in previous years.
The Lower Klamath Renaissance Tour team’s goal was to highlight the importance of the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge (LKNWR) to the Basin and the collaboration needed to create water security for the nation’s first waterfowl refuge. Invitations were sent to guests at federal agencies, conservation organizations, local leaders, and Klamath Basin Tribes. On March 7th, the week’s expeditiously organized tour left the Running Y Resort to see and discuss what could happen.
Dr. Karl Wenner, owner of Lakeside Farms, discussing the importance of the Tule Smoke Hunting Club and Lower Klamath region to the first people of the Klamath Basin and the ecosystem.
From the Klamath Drainage District’s F/FF pumping station through the district, down to where the Ady Canal meets Stateline and on to Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, the tour centered on projects and plans that KDD, Ducks Unlimited, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Modoc Nation were working on to help improve conditions on the refuge and increase its access to water.
The discussions about the history of Lower Klamath Lake, the people who lived there from time immemorial, the formation of the Klamath Irrigation Project, the creation of KDD and LKNWR, and the projects provided context for the conversations that would take place throughout the day.
A lot of those conversations, both between individuals and in the larger groups, focused on collaboration. There was a quiet acknowledgement that everyone was tied together, and regardless if the guests were there on behalf of farmers, fish, waterfowl, or clean water, no one would be able to succeed in their goal without the other partners succeeding in theirs.
Ken Sandusky, Resource and Development Director, talked about the Shapa’sh Landscape Restoration Project with Modoc Nation Chief Robert Burkeybile, Council Member Braxton Graham , and Homelands Manager Brian Herbert.
“Today provided lines of communication to open up once again. It was a safe space for interested parties to speak, share ideas and share our struggles,” wrote Normajean Cummings, enrolled member of the Klamath Tribes. “It was also an opportunity to see some changes Agriculture is doing to make a difference. Learning more about the difference wetlands can make is eye awakening.”
Ms. Cummings added, “I’m afraid that drought is the new normal, and I think all our communities need to be able to come together to collaborate and find new practices. We have seen what hasn’t worked in the past, but there are some new models out there that bring me hope. I hope to remain involved in seeking solutions and community building. I also hope for more opportunities like today where we can all gather, talk, offer thoughts and ideas and find a path forward that will benefit us all. Opportunities to learn from one another.”
Karuk Tribe Council Member Troy Hockaday’s takeaway of the discussions, “Today was amazing to hear from the farmers and the government and the fisheries people about the problems in the basin. I came out of the day that we all have the same mindset to make the Basin better for everybody and a quality of water for the fish and habitat, I hope some of discussions that we talked about will help with further future programs and projects in the basin, to help water control for the Klamath river base.”
At the Ady Canal, the Lower Klamath Renaissance Tour guests listened to representatives Greg Austin and John Vradenburg discuss getting more water to LKNWR.
“Five to six years ago, we couldn’t get a meeting with anyone from the Tribes, and today we had folks from the Modoc Nation, Karuk, and the Klamath Tribes come to this meeting,” said Bill Walker, board president of the Klamath Drainage District. “I feel strongly that we can fix the problems we’re all facing because we’re all working together. I can’t thank everyone enough for coming and getting the doors open. We need to get together again and keep this momentum moving.”
The day was successful from the point of view of bringing together partners from a variety of backgrounds, interests, and needs, and to get them talking. However, the Lower Klamath Renaissance Tour serves as a starting point for bringing water security to the Lower Klamath refuge and other initiatives for the Klamath Basin. Whether it’s KDD’s Replumbing the Klamath plan, SSSD’s wastewater treatment facility to provide water to the refuge, Ducks Unlimited’s highline canal and pumping station for LKNWR, or the Modoc Nation and Modoc National Forest’s Shapa’sh Landscape Restoration Project, more hard conversations and collaboration will be needed.
And hopefully, the spirit of collaboration we saw on March 7th will continue to push the momentum forward on these projects and more for the future of all creatures that are dependent on the Klamath watershed.
KDD Manager, Scott White, discussing the district’s plans for adding solar panels during lunch at Liskey Farms.
The Lower Klamath Renaissance Tour stopped at KDD’s F/FF Pumping Station along Hwy 97 to talk about the importance of this station to get water to LKNWR .
In KDD, grain crops lost tonnage, as did hay crops. Healthy pastures were stripped of foliage, requiring beef ranchers and other livestock producers to find ground outside the district or use acres they’d hoped to use later in the season. KDD farmers and ranchers also paid for more grasshopper treatment than usual to fight the pests.
In short, the grasshopper infestation was not only an ecological disaster, but also an economic disaster for Klamath Basin farmers.
At the end of November, the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) released its 2023 Grasshopper and Mormon Cricket Report. The report covered the damage done to Oregon agricultural producers due to infestations of Mormon crickets and grasshoppers all through the state, and that report would instruct the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) of economic losses and potential programs to help mitigate the insect damage.
Much to the dismay and chagrin of Klamath ag, the ODA’s report indicated there was very little damage caused by grasshoppers to area producers, and furthermore, no economic damages.
This graphic was taken from the ODA’s 2023 Grasshopper and Mormon Cricket Report to show grasshopper survey densities. The red outline added to emphasize the Klamath County area.
This graphic was taken from the ODA’s 2023 Grasshopper and Mormon Cricket Report to show estimated grasshopper damages.
KDD Rancher, Tim O’Connor, giving testimony at the Klamath County Board of Commissioners’ December 12, 2023 Work Session about the Klamath Basin grasshopper infestation.
Towards the end of the meeting, ODA’s director, Lauren Henderson, joined the discussion via Zoom and indicated that the report had been merely taken out of context; ODA’s pest monitoring sites didn’t capture the same number of bugs that the rest of the Klamath Basin was seeing, and only affected Federal lands, 6,000 acres of which are in KDD.
Eventually, he did concede that Klamath ag did indeed suffer losses. And thanks to Cody Holthouse from the ODA, who joined Mr. Henderson on the phone, the department is still taking grasshopper damage reports.
Unfortunately, there will be more for KDD patrons and the Klamath ag community to report.
In the December board meeting, we heard reports of hay bales being opened up and the centers of them being emptied out, due to grasshoppers that were baled in the forage eating their fill. At auction, average calf weight was down. And if that isn’t enough of a financial brunt for farmers and ranchers to carry, banks are backing away from financing operating lines and loans.
There’s also the worry of grasshopper eggs being spread in the district through feeding livestock the infested hay. Unless there’s a vicious, hard freeze, the eggs will likely hatch in 2024, exacerbating the 2023 grasshopper problems.
Getting In Front of the Klamath Basin 2024 Grasshopper Infestation
Fortunately, Klamath Basin ag’s voice has been heard and work is being done to try and head off another potentially disastrous grasshopper infestation.
The week of January 29th, KDD is hosting a session with ODA director Lauren Henderson to talk about what happened in 2023, and hopefully out of the discussions a plan for 2024 will evolve. When a date and time are confirmed, we will share it on the KDD Facebook page.
To fill out this form, please visit https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/9fb3cf8db4b64d93812eff265128a2b7
Regardless of whether or not members of the ag community are able to make it to the meeting, we strongly recommend taking time to fill out the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s 2023 Public Grasshopper Survey Report Form (you can click on the image on the right to access the reporting form). At this time, the ODA is committed to receiving these reports, and they will help the department ascertain the level of damage 2023’s infestation caused.
With all of the other challenges Klamath Basin family farmers and ranchers face, it’s unfortunate that grasshoppers appear to be another ongoing blow being dealt to our communities. Hopefully another infestation won’t materialize in 2024. If one does, we will be prepared so we can minimize the damage to our local economy and ecosystem.
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.
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.
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.
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!
