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”.
Big changes for irrigation efficiency and modernization – as well as for habitat restoration – are getting underway in the Klamath Basin.
With several of those projects happening in the Klamath Drainage District (KDD), the district held two meetings to gather public comments and to inform KDD landowners and neighboring interests about reconnecting the Klamath River to Lower Klamath Lake.
Public Comment Meeting
KDD recently received confirmation from the Farmers Conservation Alliance (FCA) that its Modernization Project Draft Watershed Plan has been approved by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). As part of the process, KDD needed to hold a meeting to educate the public about the projects and gather public comments.
Gary Diridoni, NRCS Oregon Watershed Program Manager, going over the requirements for PL-566 projects.
The meeting was held on October 29th at Klamath Community College’s Conference Center. KDD Manager, Scott White, kicked off the meeting at 11 am, sharing details about the drainage district and why they sought PL-566 project funding from the NRCS.
“We have a lot of infrastructure things we want to do on the district,” White said. “We are limited in our financial resources, so we look for opportunities that are out there to help us pursue some of those things we want to do and not put as much of a burden on our landowners.”
Raija Bushnell, FCA Watershed Planning Program Manager, discussing part of KDD’s Draft Watershed Plan.our landowners.”
Following White’s opening comments, Gary Diridoni, NRCS Watershed Program Manager. Diridoni covered PL-566 requirements, emphasizing that all PL-566 projects must have benefits for agriculture and rural communities.
Before wrapping up the presentations, Raija Bushnell, FCA’s Watershed Planning Program Manager spoke about the planning process and dove into details about the projects, how they came about, and the benefits these projects provide. The projects she covered include:
North Canal Extension across State Line to the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge (which includes upgrades/enlargement)
North Canal Fish Screen at the Klamath River
Straits Drain Pumping Plants E&F Upgrades and transfer of works to KDD
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system throughout the district for improved automation and data acquisition
Overall cost of the projects is $16,878,000 with PL-566 funds covering 75% of the total. Construction for all of the projects is expected to take three years.
After the presentations, attendees talked to representatives from the NRCS, FCA, and KDD’s Manager.
KDD board member, Luther Horsley, thanking Greg Baker of the NRCS for taking time to visit the Klamath Basin and attend the meeting.
KDD landowner, Lynn Long, discussing the projects covered in the meeting with Raija Bushnell, FCA.
KDD Manager, Scott White, talking about KDD’s Infrastructure Modernization Project with meeting attendee.
The following week, on November 4th, KDD held another meeting in Dorris, CA, at the Butte Valley Community Center. Doors opened at 11 am, with guests being greeted with the aroma of lunch catered by Melissa’s Country Kitchen.
Scott White, KDD Manager, discussing the Klamath Reconnection project with meeting guests at the Butte Valley Community Center in Dorris, CA.
Though the Klamath Reconnection project has wide support from a variety of partners and stakeholders, KDD Manager, Scott White, wanted to ensure landowners and stakeholders neighboring the district were informed about reconnection details and that a key component of the project is to identify and secure sustainability for growers in the region.
Along with White, representatives from the Modoc Nation and the Klamath Basin Refuges were in attendance to answer questions about the Klamath Reconnection, its benefits, and potential challenges.
White opened the meeting with a brief history of the Klamath Drainage District and a discussion about KDD and its relationship with the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. He recalled an older grower once telling him, “We need that refuge just as badly as that refuge needs us.”
The district manager went on to explain that when LKNWR goes dry, it causes a variety of problems for the district ranging from birds needing fields for habitat to water security. White also emphasized that the only way the reconnection project could move forward is that growers and landowners receive protection from the Endangered Species Act with salmon and sucker fish potentially swimming in the district’s canals.
The project has received $2 million for feasibility analysis of the concept. To date, there has been update LiDAR and sonar done in the region and the alternatives planning phase is currently underway.
Following White, Ken Sandusky, Homelands Project Manager for the Modoc Nation, discussed the microclimatic implications of the reconnection project as well as how it would benefit the ecosystem on the whole.
Ken Sandusky, Modoc Nation Homelands Project Manager, sharing projects being worked on by his crew.
The Modoc Nation has a 3,200 acre ranch bordering the southern end of LKNWR. According to Sandusky, the Modoc Homelands are the hardest hit when the refuge goes dry. While there’s a lot of focus on habitat on the Upper Basin, Sandusky sees the Modoc Homelands not receiving as much attention.
“You can’t sacrifice a huge landscape within the system and expect other restoration efforts to be successful,” said Sandusky. “Everything is interconnected.”
Sandusky also pointed out the microclimate benefits of getting water back on the Lower Klamath landscape. While the wetlands would suffer evaporation during the summer months, 60% of that water goes back into the local system. He also talked about the need for more management of public lands, with juniper removal being another way to free up water to a historically wet area.
Acting Klamath Basin Refuge Complex manager, Ken Griggs, spoke after Sandusky. Griggs opened his discussion by commenting that 50,000 acres of refuge habitat are “offline” with the exception of only a few units.
Ken Griggs, Acting Klamath Basin Refuge Complex Manager, told attendees how the Klamath Reconnection project will impact Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge.
“In our current state of affairs, we are not meeting our purpose or mission as America’s first waterfowl refuge,” stated the manager.
Griggs says now, the refuge is working with anyone they can to get water back on the landscape, reversing the management of previous refuge managers. They’re also looking at a more holistic approach to benefit the ecosystem and the greater good, versus the previous philosophy of single-species focused.
The last presentation was from John Vradenbug, supervisory biologist for the Klamath Basin Refuge Complex.
Vradenburg said the wetlands are telling us something has changed dramatically. Birds that once stopped in the Klamath Basin are now passing the region by, and the Klamath Reconnection project will get the landscape inline with how it’s been historically.
Though Vradenburg is optimistic about the benefits of the project, he discussed some of the unintended consequences, such as its effects on infrastructure, the need to ensure the water budget isn’t compromised, and asserted that KDD growers are protected.
John Vradenbug, Supervisory Biologist for the Klamath Basin Refuge Complex, talking with KDD landowner, Sam Henzel, about the Klamath Reconnection project.
“We tried to be really thoughtful in making sure we didn’t compromise the water budget – because that’s a stress. We wanted to make sure that we were always meeting this larger flow-through desire of nutrients and filtration,” said Vradenburg. “And we always wanted to keep with what Scott’s been hammering on – we cannot do any of this without protections on KDD because we are inviting endangered species onto our landscape.”
When Vradenburg’s discussion about the intricacies and effects of the Klamath Reconnection project finished, the panel took questions from the audience. Conversations following the presentation and Q&A were positive.
After the presentations, meeting attendees took advantage of being able to ask questions and have discussions about LKNWR and the Klamath Reconnection project.
The project has garnered support from Oregon and California as well as federal agencies, conservation groups such as Ducks Unlimited, California Waterfowl Association, and Trout Unlimited; agricultural groups such as Family Water Alliance and Klamath Water Users Association; the Klamath Watershed Partnership, and Klamath Basin Tribes.
Other projects in the Klamath Project and around the Klamath Basin
Though these two meetings were about projects happening in KDD, there are several other habitat restoration projects happening in the Klamath Basin and on the Klamath Reclamation Project:
Agency-Barnes Wetlands Project – In a collaboration between the Klamath Tribes, Ducks Unlimited, and the United States Fish & Wildlife Service, over 14,000 acres of wetland for waterfowl and C’waam and Koptu habitat.
Sprague River Collaborative Restoration Project – Running through 2025, this Upper Basin Collaborative project’s goals are to restore 26 miles of tributary streams and rivers in the Upper Sprague River watershed; develop plans for instream and floodplain restoration on the mainstem Sprague River to improve the shallow groundwater table, enhance water quality and habitat for future watershed restoration; and lastly, create and implement an Agricultural Resiliency Toolbox (ART) that directly benefits participating landowners to emphasize a commitment to voluntary, incentive-based approaches to advance agricultural and environmental resiliency.
Tule Lake Flow Through Infrastructure Improvement – The flow-through project is aimed at increasing water availability for Klamath ag and also cleaning water before it goes to the Klamath River by pushing it through wetlands.
Lake Ewauna Restoration for the Benefit of People, Fish and Wildlife – On the shoreline of Lake Ewauna in downtown Klamath Falls, this project will restore and develop the wetlands in the area along with instream improvements to the Link River to benefit native fish populations as well as waterfowl.
Upper Williamson River Restoration – This is the second phase of a project to improve fish passage to over 26 miles of the upper Williamson River and reconnect wetlands and riparian areas in the Klamath Marsh National Wildlife Refuge.
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.
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.
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.
Canada geese coming in for a landing.
One can imagine how Lower Klamath looked when it was nicknamed ‘Gem of the Pacific Flyway’
A peaceful morning on Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge.
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.
Geese silhouetted against the clouds illustrate how beautiful Lower Klamath is – especially when it has water.
Scott White, General Manager Reagan Desmond, General Counsel
scott@klamathdrainagedistrict.org rlbd@clydesnow.com
(541) 510-6311 (541) 797-0011
FEDERAL JUDGE RULES AGAINST DISTRICT’S RIGHT TO DIVERT WATER
District concerned of species restoration implications and prepares for appeal
Klamath Falls, OR – On September 11th, a federal judge in Medford’s United States District Court ruled against the Klamath Drainage District (KDD), and entered an injunction against KDD, stating that KDD can no longer divert water from the Klamath River that has not been authorized by the United States, citing the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as its primary basis. On the same day, the same judge issued Findings and Recommendations in two other lawsuits brought by Klamath Tribes against Reclamation for ESA violations under 2021 and 2022 Klamath Project operations plans. In one case, the court found Reclamation violated the ESA in 2022 by providing farmers even a diminished supply when not all species goals could be met; in the other case, the court found Reclamation had not erred by prioritizing the needs of threatened salmon in Klamath River over endangered C’waam and Koptu in Upper Klamath Lake.
Last year, the United States brought the breach of contract case against KDD, alleging that KDD breached its Reclamation Act contract with the United States by irrigating in 2022 after the United States had informed KDD there was no Project supply available for the district. Notably, the United States provided no evidence of harm to any species as a result of KDD’s diversions in 2022. KDD irrigated under its separate state water right permit in 2022, as it has done since 1977 when it was issued. The ruling issued a permanent injunction that requires the United States’ “authorization” to divert water from the Klamath River, including for any diversions under the district’s separate state permit through the district’s private facilities.
“To say we’re disappointed is an understatement. I’m in disbelief,” said Bill Walker, President of the district. “We are still evaluating the effects of this ruling, but on the surface, it appears to reach far beyond where any court has ever gone.”
The District Board met on the 12th to discuss its options and voted unanimously to appeal the decision. The District Board believes there are several appealable errors in the decision, including what appears to be an unprecedented interpretation of the Reclamation Act and court endorsement of federal control over private state water rights. “Frankly,” as Walker stated with respect to appealing the decision, “we have no choice, our livelihoods and our families are at stake.”
KDD owns and operates its own infrastructure and also pays over double the percentage of any other district of Reclamation Project Operation and Maintenance costs, regardless of whether or not Reclamation supplies water. KDD is still in the process of evaluating the costs and impacts of this ruling on the operations and rights of both the district and its landowners. However, it is immediately apparent that it will lead to a significant loss in revenue to its landowners if not overturned on appeal, particularly in light of the court’s separate ruling in the Klamath Tribes case which will almost certainly lead to a reduced amount of Project Supply for farmers under project irrigation contracts going forward.
The district is also assessing how this ruling could play a role in large-scale restoration planning. On the eve of the largest dam removal project in history, the district has been working with agencies, tribes and interested stakeholders to utilize existing district infrastructure for a massive restoration project. The district is concerned there are negative impacts to that effort as a result of this ruling.
“How can we afford to operate and maintain the facilities we are offering up for restoration when our landowners may not be able to pay their assessments,” questioned Scott White, General Manager of the district. “The financial impacts of this decision are so much larger than just harvesting a crop or not. We’re talking about the recovery of species here, and this ruling appears to have the opposite effect of what the court cited as their reason for the decision.”
For the last decade, Tracey Liskey, a lifelong landowner in KDD, a board member of the district, and the President of the Klamath Water Users Association, has committed his time, money, and energy to helping build a facility that grows endangered sucker specifically targeted at recovering the fish. “The United States and their courts are taking the tools right out of the hands wanting to do the hard work it takes for recovery,” Liskey lamented in frustration. “All we want is for these fish to recover and thrive so we can go back to what we love and here we have another ruling that hamstrings our ability to utilize our resources in that effort.”
Liskey was not alone in his concern about the species. “All the restoration experts we work with are focused on ecosystem recovery as the major ingredient to species recovery,” noted Walker. “It is our duty and responsibility to seek a favorable ruling that will not limit anyone’s ability to help in the recovery of our environment. We owe it to the water users, and we owe it to the species to appeal this ruling.”
KDD has a long history in aiding species recovery. In 1978, Bald Eagles were listed as endangered, and the district’s lands became key to the birds’ recovery. In 1983, KDD’s lands were classified as the “Oregon Feeding Grounds” for our nation’s bird due to the district’s historical practice of winter diversions making it prime hunting habitat for the raptors and critical to the bird’s survival. The spirit of recovering species and providing wildlife habitat has been a mainstay for KDD ever since.
More recently, when the Bureau of Reclamation denies water to Tule Lake and Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuges, KDD’s fields provide the much-needed winter habitat for the migrating waterfowl of the Pacific Flyway including Bald Eagles. Last year, KDD’s lands were the only habitat in the Upper Klamath Basin where migrating water birds could find refuge due to the wildlife refuges being dry.
The district plans to begin communicating with its restoration partners immediately to discuss what this means for the projects and to identify if there are some opportunities remaining.
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.
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.
Grasshopper on Stateline Road near Lower Klamath Wildlife Refuge clinging to the window of a pickup
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.
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.
The bodies of dead grasshoppers littering Stateline Road between Lower Klamath Lake National Wildlife Refuge and the Klamath Drainage District
Grasshoppers flying over Stateline Road to Klamath Drainage District fields
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.
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.
As a part of the June 14th-15th Opportunities Tour, Strickler visited the Klamath Drainage District and met with district manager, Scott White, and district supervisors Tracey Liskey and Luther Horsley. In their discussion with Deputy Assistant Secretary Strickler, they talked about the work being done and the partnerships developed with Ducks Unlimited, Klamath Watershed Partnership, Trout Unlimited, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Waterfowl, and many other stakeholders to benefit the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge and the Klamath Basin wildlife that call it home.
Below is a excerpt from the article “Deputy Assistant Secretary Strickler’s “Opportunities Tour”” that appeared in the June edition of Basin Ag News, provided by the Herald and News. The excerpt focuses on Strickler’s stop in KDD, but you can read the article in its entirety at Basin Ag News.
It is not every day that you get to interact with the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Department of the Interior.
But Matt Strickler quickly makes one forget his official title, with his unassuming, down-to-earth demeanor.
Strickler, a long-time congressional staffer and former official in Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s administration, is a seemingly good fit for the Klamath Basin, where stakeholders are still getting to know the Secretary of the Interior’s lead representative on water issues in the Basin.
On June 14 and 15, Strickler visited the Klamath Basin to meet directly with agricultural and tribal leaders, prior to a broader meeting of stakeholders on June 16. The Klamath Water Users Association took the opportunity to organize a tour of the Klamath Project, to look at and discuss concepts that could possibly benefit multiple stakeholders, including fish and wildlife.
The objective of this so-called “opportunities tour” was to demonstrate the capacity and willingness of agricultural producers within the Klamath Project to help solve some of the intractable problems related to water management in the Basin.
The first stop was Midland Hill, which offers a bird’seye view of Miller Island, the Tule Smoke Club, the Southern Pacific railroad embankment, and expanse of Klamath Drainage District and Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. There, Klamath Drainage District’s manager Scott White, along with district supervisors Tracey Liskey and Luther Horsley, spoke briefly about the concepts being discussed among the district and other stakeholders based around the basic concept of reestablishing functioning wetlands within the Tule Smoke Club, Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, and possibly beyond. Wetlands that could potentially be habitat for endangered Lost River and shortnose sucker (C’waam and Koptu).
Klamath Watershed Partnership, Trout Unlimited, and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife are involved in this planning effort, among other stakeholders.
Strickler indicated he is hoping to identify a handful of large-scale projects towards which federal funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act (BIL) can be targeted. The goal, Strickler said, is to get away from the perception of “random actions of restoration” that have traditionally characterized federal activities in the Basin.
Following Midland Hill, the group proceeded to the Ady Canal headworks and the terminus of the Klamath Straits Drain.
There, one can see the complicated nature of water management in Lower Klamath Lake, as the Klamath Straits Drain goes both over and under the headworks of the Ady Canal, and the remnants of the original Klamath Straits are still visible just north of the existing channel. The discussion there continued around river flows and potential for the district’s ideas to potentially benefit the Klamath River.
The group then drove to the district’s recirculating plant on Township Road, which is responsible for a large portion of the water that made it to Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge this past winter and spring. After a brief explanation of the pump’s workings, a quick drive down to the lower end of the Ady Canal led to the site where Ducks Unlimited (DU) plans to build a similar unit with a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A trickle was then flowing through the Ady Canal into Unit 2 on the south side of Stateline Road (commonly known as Stateline Drain). These deliveries are being attributed to a complicated water right transfer from the Wood River Valley, when similar quality water in the adjacent drain is often available if the pump only existed to lift it.
Juvenile suckers have recently been transplanted into Unit 2, making the need for a secure water supply all the greater. Meanwhile the rest of Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge is bone-dry, with great clouds of dust blowing off the former wetlands.
After breaking off from Scott White and Klamath Drainage District, the tour continued down Stateline Road, looking at DU’s other planned pumping site on the west end of Stateline Drain.
You can read the rest of this article and more at Basin Ag News.
Contact: Scott White scott@klamathdrainagedistrict.org (541) 510-6311
BUREAU OF RECLAMATION TURNS ON KLAMATH IRRIGATION PROJECT
Klamath Drainage District welcomes the beginning of the irrigation season, notes the Feds’ trimmed allocation will affect local refuges, other farms
Klamath Falls, OR – The Bureau of Reclamation has finally allowed the Klamath Project to officially begin its irrigation season today, a full month later than the traditional April 1st start datethat Klamath Basin family farmers and ranchers have traditionally relied on.
With the delayed start date, the Bureau has also trimmed deliveries to Klamath Project irrigators. While 590,000 acre-feet of water will flow to the Pacific Ocean to meet claimed needs of salmon, Klamath Project farmers will receive 215,000 acre-feet, roughly 60% of the water needed for Klamath Basin agriculture and wildlife refuges served by the Klamath Project.
“In a year when snowpack reached over 200% of normal, and the Klamath Project continues to bear the brunt of questionable ESA demands, which is frustrating,” said Scott White, General Manager of the Klamath Drainage District. “But as with years past, I plan on working with TID and KID to sharpen our pencils and see how we can work together to the benefit of all the Project districts and the refuges.”
Bill Walker, president of the KDD board, added, “There are going to be 60,000 acres of farmland, including the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge and the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, that are probably going to go dry this year. I’m proud of the work my fellow KDD patrons are doing to free up water for Lower Klamath and create habitat on their properties, but at some point the Feds need to look at the ecological disaster they’re creating in the Upper Klamath Basin. In the meantime, KDD will continue to be the ‘Only Restaurant In Town’ that’s meeting the needs of the Pacific Flyway in the Klamath Basin.”
The Klamath Drainage District is uniquely situated to make the most of the limited 2023 water allocation. Due to the district’s natural geology and hydrology coupled with infrastructure investments, KDD returns or reuses more than 75% of the water used by patrons. 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.
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 the tremendous wildlife viewing opportunities it provides.
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.
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
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.
KDD’s fall harvest leaves winter feed and habitat for a variety of birds
Winter flooding provides a number of benefits to the Klamath Basin and the Klamath Irrigation Project
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.
Geese traveling the Pacific Flyway appreciate the “only restaurant in town”, the Klamath Drainage District
