Recently, the U.S. Department of Interior announced the funding of a number of fish and wildlife habitat restoration projects for the Klamath Basin, including two that will benefit migratory waterfowl and support hunting opportunities.  Interior Department Delivers $46 Million for Klamath Basin Restoration | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Specifically, funding will support the restoration of the Agency-Barnes wetland units of the Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), which encompass about 14,000 acres.  The new habitat will provide loafing areas for staging and wintering waterfowl, as well as some brood and molting habitat for local ducks.  The area will be open for public hunting, and be accessible by boat. 

In addition, funding will make possible infrastructure improvements and operational changes at Tule Lake NWR that will facilitate greater delivery of agricultural drain water through the refuge’s marshes.  That water would eventually be returned with improved water quality to the Klamath River.   

The two projects are being undertaken by our partners at Ducks Unlimited. 

Funding was made available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), which also has helped fund initiatives to provide more reliable water deliveries for Lower Klamath NWR.  CWA actively lobbied Congress for passage of BIL several years ago, which includes a total of $162 million for Klamath Basin ecosystem restoration projects.