January 2024

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In this issue:

  • 2023 Recap

  • Less Conflict, More Collaboration

  • Species Spotlight: Ferruginous Hawk

  • Event Calendar

  • Share this Newsletter

2023 Recap

 -by Loree Johnson

 

It's been quite a year for Friends of Klamath Basin Birding, and generally a good year for the Klamath Basin.

 

Although the year started with dry wildlife refuges and virtually no waterfowl on the nation's first waterfowl refuge, maybe that bleak start helped fuel the progress of 2023. The Winter Wings Festival was a success in February, but some visitors were clearly disappointed in the low numbers of birds, especially on our National Wildlife Refuges. With major transitions happening in the local Audubon Chapter, it was announced there would be no festival in 2024.

 

This year, we released our e-book "Common Waterbirds of the Klamath Basin," which is free to download. We have applied for grant funding to produce hard copies for educational use in 2024. Regardless of the outcome of this grant, we will continue to seek funding to print more copies for interested organizations and groups.

 

Removal of four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River officially began, with Copco 2 being completely removed in 2023, paving the way for the three larger dams to be removed in the months ahead. It has taken more than twenty years for the largest dam removal project in the US to culminate here in 2024.

 

Last winter's precipitation and snowfall was well above average, but little to no water found its way to the refuges. We explained how and why this could happen here.

 

The annual visitor's guide published by the Herald and News featured birding as the main topic. So many stories were submitted that there wasn't enough space for all of them. We ran some of the extras in June, July, August, and September.

 

And, for the last several months of 2023, we brought you stories of restoration and hope. Starting with a successful demonstration of sustainable agriculture at Lakeside Farms, where wildlife habitat, natural water treatment, and productive farming exist in harmony. In a recent update to this story, Karl Wenner reported that biologists estimated 15-17,000 birds used the farm during fall migration. Several thousand are enjoying the winter there as well.

 

The following month, Mary was a guest on a tour of the ongoing watershed and stream restoration being done by the Klamath Tribes. Working diligently and without fanfare, they may be accomplishing the most important of all the restoration work in the Klamath Basin.

 

This year also marked the formation of several serious working groups coming together to find solutions to the Basin's water issues. It was at the Keno Reach working group meeting where we learned of the South Suburban Sanitary District's proposal to send clean discharge water to the Lower Klamath NWR. Also at that meeting, we learned of the Klamath Drainage District's proposal to Replumb the Klamath. This very exciting project would restore at least a part of the natural flow of water from the Klamath River to the wetlands of the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, undoing some of the damage to the natural hydrology of the area that has been done over the past century.

 

Next, we brought you the story of the Modoc Ranch. A defunct sheep ranch purchased by the Modoc Nation with an intent to restore the land and demonstrate how ranching can go hand in hand with healthy, productive soil and wildlife habitat.

Water flowing into Sump 1A -Photo by Loree Johnson

 

In November, water began flowing again into Sump 1A on Tule Lake Refuge, after having been dry for more than two years. As of this writing, it is still flowing.

 

Finally, in December, we told you of one of the largest wetland restoration projects in the Western US currently underway at the Barnes-Agency Unit of the Upper Klamath Lake National Wildlife Refuge. This project is a collaboration of private landowners, Ducks Unlimited and the USFWS which will restore a major portion of the fringe wetlands at the northern end of Upper Klamath Lake.

 

Speaking of collaborations, two notable collaborative projects will likely come to fruition in 2024. California Waterfowl Association has been working diligently to facilitate the purchase of permanent water rights for the Lower Klamath Refuge. This has the potential to guarantee at least a minimum amount of water for the refuge going forward. Also, Ducks Unlimited has been working on water-moving projects for both the Lower Klamath and Tule Lake Refuges. One of these involves getting water from the west side of LKNWR to the eastern part of the refuge. If and when water becomes available, the ability to move it will be beneficial to both wildlife and those of us who enjoy watching wildlife on our public lands. We hope to bring you in-depth stories about these fantastic projects in the year ahead.

 

2023 heralded many positive and productive ideas for the Klamath Basin. We are very much looking forward to the coming year and progress toward making these ideas reality. Happy New Year!

Less Conflict, More Collaboration

-by Mary Williams Hyde

 

Understanding is a two-way street.

-Eleanor Roosevelt

 

Community groups are back to working hard to find solutions to Klamath Basin resource issues. It definitely feels like we are moving forward, not stuck anymore. What I like most are the creative, out-of-the-box ideas put forth by stakeholders who are now listening, not fighting with each other so fiercely. And I love seeing work actually being done on the ground to fix damaged waterways and to restore wetlands. The most exciting outcome is restoration of Lower Klamath and Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuges is included in nearly every group's planning process.

So now, I would like to update the vision statement we have published several times in previous newsletters.

Before I do, “visions" don’t just magically pop up in my head. I just turned 78. Thoughts I have are based on a creative process that draws from life experiences that all of us who have lived a long time can observe and learn from. Harry Truman was President when I was a child. Eleanor Roosevelt was my most admired public figure until she died in 1962. We had no TV. We had a party-line phone. I remember the coronation of Queen Elizabeth. The first man on the moon. Faxes. Computers. Digital cameras. I also remember the straightening of the south fork of the Sprague River. The Termination of the Klamath Tribes in 1954. The devastation to my native classmates at Bly and their families. The many murders and ugly racism. I remember the glory days of logging. And the timber industry crash in the late 1980’s. Land use planning laws made and then ignored. The 2002 community visioning process out of which came many good things. The water turnoff in 2001, and all of the tumult since then. The decline of the fisheries. The failed KBRA. The excitement of many and the fear of some about removal of the dams. And finally, a Master’s Degree that included a focus on negotiation and conflict resolution, and years of studying sustainable communities around the world gives a bit of informed structure to my “visionary” thinking.

What out of all of that (and so much more) gives me hope for our future?

As human beings we always have the option to talk to each other and deeply listen to other people's points of view and passions….or not.  We haven’t been listening for years. Now we are listening and the right leaders for the times are emerging.

We always have the choice to fight to the death…or not.  We can choose to look for solutions that enhance everybody’s life, not just our own life. If an endangered fish is important to a stakeholder, we can all work to save that fish.  The same should be true for endangered ag. The fish oriented stakeholders can look for ways to include the ag community in solutions. We all need to eat. These conversations ARE happening….and what’s especially good is, last year, the decision makers were at the table.

And we can be the best that humans can be if we plan for protecting the lives of the millions of birds that pass through the Klamath Basin every year. Last year, every plan I heard of envisioned restoration of Lower Klamath and Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuges INCLUDING HABITAT FOR ENDANGERED FISH in addition to wildlife.

The foundation of all of this change for the better is funding for the projects that are needed to restore us to ecosystem health. The Federal government and private foundations have stepped up to the plate. The grant application process has led to many creative problem solving ideas and actual on-the-ground changes for the better.  

And lastly, it is critically important that these plans have not been done in secret. The most important meetings have been open. Since January of 2023, in partnership with the Herald and News, the Basin ag community told their stories in Basin Ag News, and two issues so far of the Klamath Tribes News expressed their interests, successes, and concerns for everyone’s consideration. And for more than a year and a half, Loree and I worked hard to share fact-based and balanced viewpoints about the history and future prospects of the regional conflict in our Friends of Klamath Basin Birding newsletter. Our newsletter has been shared with decision makers as are both the Basin Ag and Tribal newspapers in print and online. We hope all three are helping discussions by the entire community and the actual decision makers to be informed and on the same page.


Decisions based on open sharing of facts and consideration of all stakeholders unique interests will be our best hope for the compromises needed for lasting solutions to our resource sharing problems.

I am excited for 2024. I looked back and saw how we made mistakes as a community as well as remembered our successes. Now I see signs we are experimenting with some "best practice" problem solving models.  We are on the path to reach our highest potential rather than our lowest.  I don’t know exactly what it will look like but, with the eyes of the nation upon us, I think we will surely do ourselves proud.

I thank everyone for caring and working hard on solutions rather than continuing with conflict.

 

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

-Eleanor Roosevelt

Species Spotlight: Ferruginous Hawk

Ferrugious Hawk photo by Loree Johnson

Ferruginous Hawks are the largest hawk species in North America, and one of the most beautiful. "Ferruginous" is derived from the Latin Ferrugo, meaning, "rust," which accurately describes the rusty coloration of the upper parts and leg feathers of this species. With a gray head, cheeks, and white under parts, the light morph is the most common plumage. The dark morph is mostly reddish brown with a white tail and flight feathers. Other identifying characteristics include an extended gape (the part of the bill under the eyes) and feathering all the way down the legs. Its scientific name is "Buteo regalis," which translates to "Regal hawk." Anyone who has seen one in person would agree they are indeed regal.

 

Although there have been reported nests of this species in the Klamath Basin, we mostly see them in the winter. They come to hunt small mammals in grasslands and agricultural areas. They hunt from perches, soaring, and sometimes even from the ground, where they will wait near gopher holes and other burrows for their prey to emerge.

Ferruginous Hawk photo by Loree Johnson

 

Nests are often built on top of existing nests belonging to crows, ravens, or other hawks. Why build a nest from scratch when you can rennovate an old one? By the time the ferruginous pair finish their remodeling, the nest can be more than three feet high by three feet wide. Such a large nursery is needed since the female can lay up to eight eggs. Although the average clutch is three or four, when you include the parents, that's quite a few very large birds in one nest.

 

According to eBird, recent sightings of Ferruginous Hawks have been reported at Miller Island, Township Road, Butte Valley, and Tule Lake NWR.

Event Calendar

 

(Please send us your birding-related events here so we can get the word out!)

 

January 2024

1st

Tule Lake Christmas Bird Count (CBC)

Klamath Basin Audubon Society

To participate, or for questions, contact:

Kevin Spencer

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