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In this issue: More Stories of Restoration Agency Lake-Barnes Project Oregon Birding Association Progress on New Refuge Visitor Center Klamath Tribes News Species Spotlight: Golden Eagle Event Calendar Share this Newsletter
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More Stories of Restoration For the past several months, we have been featuring stories about restoration projects all over the Klamath Basin. As advocates for the wild birds, we understand that ecosystem health is essential for all life--fish, birds, and people, too. We love telling these stories, because they provide hope for the future, and also inspiration for landowners and other citizens to do what they can. Many of these projects are happening on private land, but this month we're highlighting a very large public project that deserves attention. |
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A Huge Wetland Restoration is Underway-by Loree Johnson This past month, with little public attention or fanfare, one of the largest wetland restoration projects in the Western United States officially got underway on Upper Klamath Lake. The project, known as the Agency Lake-Barnes Unit, has been in the works for more than ten years. Diked and drained in the 1940's, the land became the Agency Lake and Barnes Ranches. The ranches were flood irrigated in winter to create pasture for grazing cattle in summer. In 1998, the Bureau of Reclamation purchased the land with the intent to store water which could be added to Klamath Project allocations. However, pumping costs turned out to be prohibitive for project irrigators and Reclamation transferred the properties to US Fish and Wildlife in 2013. |
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Location of the Agency Lake-Barnes project |
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Since then, the project area has increased through donations and easements from private landowners, bringing the total project size to over 14,000 acres. The plan, which has been evolving over time, was recently authorized to begin after a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) in the Environmental Assessment. Adjacent to the Wood River Wetland, previously restored by the Bureau of Land Management, and the existing Upper Klamath Lake NWR, this restoration would substantially increase the amount of fringe wetland in the area. After reading the EA, I wondered if it might be possible to see the project with my own eyes. Since there is currently no public vehicle access, I asked USFWS for a tour. They graciously obliged and I was fortunate enough to go on a day when work was happening. USFWS is partnering with Ducks Unlimited, which is providing technical expertise and logistics support for the project. Here is the final Environmental Assessment, if you want to read it for yourself. |
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A small section of the 14,000 acre project -Photo by Loree Johnson |
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The onsite engineer told me the first thing they must do is drain the area in order to move heavy equipment in for construction. Within the wetland, wave attenuators will be built to mitigate wind and wave action, allowing marsh vegetation to grow. The plan also calls for numerous swales to allow for fish passage, and several islands to provide bird sanctuary at varying water levels. After this construction work is complete, the levees will be strategically breached to allow water from the lake to flood the wetland. In a lesson learned from the restoration of the Williamson River Delta by The Nature Conservancy, it was determined that breaching the levees is preferable to removing them, since subsidence has occurred over time. If the levees were to be completely removed, wind and wave action could hinder emergent plant growth resulting in more open water and less marsh. As Mary says, "we don't need a bigger lake, we need more wetlands." Exactly. It is anticipated the breaching will likely happen in fall of 2024 to coincide with removal of dams on the Klamath River. According to the EA, this is Phase 1 of the 3-phase project. Phase 2 involves stream restoration of Fourmile and Sevenmile Creeks, which have been straightened and channelized. These creeks, which flow into the project area, will be restored to a more natural, meandering flow, with adjacent riparian restoration. |
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Sevenmile Canal, which was once a creek. -Photo by Loree Johnson |
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American White Pelicans preparing for migration on the Agency Lake-Barnes Unit -Photo by Loree Johnson |
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Phase 3 will take place after the first two phases have been completed and a year or more has passed. This phase will determine the desirable plant species for restoration planting in areas disturbed by construction. This project will provide many benefits to the Klamath Basin ecosystem. It will restore more than 10,000 acres of fringe wetland on Upper Klamath Lake, which has lost more that 75% of it's fringe wetlands in the last hundred years. Wetlands not only hold water like a sponge and release it slowly, but also filter out nutrients that contribute to algae blooms and other water quality issues. This restored wetland will provide habitat for endangered fish (c'waam and koptu), as well as the Oregon spotted frog, which is currently listed as threatened. And, of course, the restored wetland will provide ideal habitat for many migrating and resident bird species. Another benefit of this project is the water rights attached to the land. In previous years, water transfers have been authorized from Upper Klamath Lake NWR to Lower Klamath NWR. With additional water rights in hand, USFWS could potentially transfer additional water to Lower Klamath NWR in the future. This is very good news, since LKNWR has been mostly dry for several years now. While this is an important restoration of habitat, public access will be quite limited on the newly restored wetland, so Lower Klamath and Tule Lake refuges still need water in order to provide the public with wildlife viewing opportunities. I applaud USFWS and Ducks Unlimited for embarking on this much needed and significant step toward repairing the damaged ecosystem of the Klamath Basin. |
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Oregon Birding Association-by Mary Williams Hyde My friend Howard West encouraged me to enter the Oregon Birding Association monthly photo contest. He regularly enters his wonderful photos and has been voted the winner several times. I entered for the first time in October and was so excited to have the second place winner on my first try. Voting for the November photo contest ended this Thursday….that is pre-press time for this newsletter so I will be checking the results in real time with our readers this weekend.. Here is the link to the photo contest: https://oregonbirding.org/oba-monthly-photo-contest Anyone can enter at no cost and I encourage our readers who enjoy wild bird photography to give it a try. The Oregon Birding Association website is a rich source of information about birding in Oregon. I also subscribe to their email service for all things birding. Here is the link to sign up: https://www.freelists.org/list/obol |
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Progress on New Refuge Visitor Center-by Loree Johnson Last month, I was invited to a pre-opening tour of the new Klamath Basin Refuges Visitor Center. After several unanticipated delays, the new facility is expected to open to the public this month. As a resident volunteer for the refuges in 2017, I can vouch for the fact that this new building was sorely needed. The old building has been deteriorating for years and was recently slated for demolition. The tap water in the building was not drinkable and the public restrooms were located outside. The new building not only has indoor restrooms and potable water, but it is constructed to the highest standards of energy efficiency. Solar panels will provide most or all of the power needed to operate and the outdoor spaces are landscaped to be self-sustaining. The parking lot features an electric vehicle charging station. Included in the design are an indoor classroom, and space for an outdoor classroom, which can be utilized by local school districts for environmental and science education. Large windows overlooking the newly revitalized Discovery Marsh are designed to prevent bird collisions. Over time, the displays in the lobby will be transitioned to hands-on, interactive activities for visitors of all ages. I want to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation for all the work our local refuge staff put into making this new Visitor Center a reality. It will be an asset to the community for many years to come. |
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Klamath Tribes News-by Mary Williams Hyde I am a big advocate of information sharing because being informed about different points of view is helpful in successful community problem solving. Every other month the Klamath Tribes News will be published and distributed in print and online. The latest issue was published this week and will be online, hopefully, the same day you receive this newsletter. Check it out …it is full of interesting, well written stories: https://klamathtribes.org/newspaper/ |
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Species Spotlight: Golden Eagle |
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Golden Eagle photo by Loree Johnson |
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The golden eagle is the most widespread eagle species in the world, occurring in most of the northern hemisphere. Since their diet consists primarily of rabbits, hares, ground squirrels and prairie dogs, they tend to live in open areas of high desert and prairie where their preferred prey are abundant. Black-tailed jackrabbits are a key prey species throughout much of their range. They are capable of taking larger prey, and have been observed killing mountain goats, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, deer, swans, cranes, coyotes, badgers, and bobcats. The ideal nesting site for a golden eagle pair is high on the side of a cliff, but they will nest in trees or man-made structures where cliffs are scarce. Pairs generally mate for life and will hunt cooperatively during breeding season. One bird distracts the prey while the other makes the kill. They will reuse the same nest for multiple seasons, adding to it each year. The result is a very large nest, averaging six feet wide by two feet high. The clutch consists of one to three eggs, with an incubation period of about 45 days. Chicks will remain in the nest approximately 60 days. Since both golden eagles and bald eagles are present in the Klamath Basin, wildlife observers often have difficulty distinguishing juvenile bald eagles (which do not yet have the white head and tail) from golden eagles. |
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Golden eagle (left) and juvenile bald eagle (right) -photos by Loree Johnson Some tips to help identify golden eagles vs. juvenile bald eagles: Size: while golden eagles average slightly larger than bald eagles, the difference is not significant enough to determine species on size alone. Head size: golden eagles heads and bills are smaller in relation to overall body size, as seen in the above photos. Feathered legs: If you are fortunate enough to get a good look at their legs, golden eagles have feathers all the way down to their feet, whereas bald eagles have bare legs. Golden nape: the most distinguishing field mark for me is the golden-feathered nape. Golden eagles of all ages have beautiful golden feathers at the back of their head, while bald eagles never do, at any age. White feathers: Sub-adult bald eagles sometimes have white feathers mottled among the brown, while sub-adult golden eagles have distinct white patches on the wings and tail as seen in the photo below. |
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-Sub-adult golden eagle photo by Loree Johnson As we head into "eagle season" here in the Klamath Basin, I hope this information is helpful for determining which eagle you saw. Happy birding! -Loree Johnson |
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Event Calendar (Please send us information about your birding-related events so we can get the word out!) December 202316th Klamath Falls Christmas Bird Count (CBC) Klamath Basin Audubon Society To participate, or for questions, contact: Kevin Spencer January 20241st Tule Lake Christmas Bird Count (CBC) Klamath Basin Audubon Society To participate, or for questions, contact: Kevin Spencer |
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