The Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge - one of the Pacific Flyway's critical waterfowl breeding, molting and migration staging areas - is being starved of essential water supplies. See our cosigned letter to the Department of the Interior expressing our serious concerns about the lack of water deliveries from the Klamath Project to the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge (LKNWR) and Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern California, which continue to negatively impact waterfowl and other wetland-dependent wildlife.
The refuge is last in line for water, and increasing amounts of water are being withheld from the refuge - held in Klamath Lake or sent down the Klamath River - to help endangered fish. Meanwhile, LKNWR is turning into a duck desert.
This is not just a Northeastern California issue. It affects waterfowl populations throughout the Pacific Flyway because LKNWR provides (when it has water) essential habitat at critical times in their life cycles. California mallards breed there in large numbers. Mallards and other ducks that breed throughout the state rely on the Basin to provide safe haven when they need to molt in late summer - a process that leaves them flightless for 30-60 days. And migrators rely on the refuge for rest and refueling during their migrations north and south each year.
California Waterfowl is grateful to have critical support from the region's farmers, who have sent their water to the Lower Klamath and Tule Lake national wildlife refuges repeatedly in times of need.
But we also remain dedicated to a sustainable, enduring solution to the problem. California Waterfowl's chief goals are to secure high-priority water rights for the refuge and to secure an agreement to distribute water equitably in the Klamath Basin. And as we work toward those goals, we continue to seek every possible drop of water we can get for the refuge in the meantime.
Key reading:
- A critical breakthrough in the fight for Klamath: acquiring water rights: Please click here to read more (Sept. 3, 2021 article).
- A detailed explanation of what's causing Klamath's problem: Please click here (article from Summer 2019 issue of California Waterfowl).
- A look at Lower Klamath's importance to the Pacific Flyway, and the impact of reduced water deliveries: Please click here (PDF).
- An explanation of "biological opinions" and their role in keeping Lower Klamath dry: Please click here.
- Announcement of the California Waterfowl task force that is pushing hard to solve this problem: Please click here.
- To see all our coverage of Klamath news, including links to newspaper articles, please click here.
tHE LATEST NEWS
Our efforts, media coverage and the latest developments
CWA Applauds Interior Department for Funding Klamath Refuge Projects
See how federal funding is enhancing wetland restoration and hunting access in the Klamath Basin.
Proposition 4 Passes, Will Provide Significant Funding to Address Refuge Water Needs
Learn how this bond measure will improve wetland habitats and secure water for wildlife refuges across the state.
CWA Comments on Klamath Operations Plan
California Waterfowl recently provided detailed feedback on the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Klamath Project Operating Procedures 2024-2029. These procedures are crucial in determining how water is allocated across the Klamath Basin, affecting endangered species, tribal rights, agriculture, and the Klamath Refuges. CWA strongly supports the proposed changes, which would allocate more water to the refuges, helping restore critical wetland habitats and support waterfowl populations.
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