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Restoring Balance to the Klamath Basin

Oregon Wild's Klamath Basin Campaign seeks to restore balance to one of the United State's most important areas for fish and wildlife.

Check out Klamath stories and updates on the Oregon Wild Blog, and learn more about Oregon Wild's vision for the Klamath.

UPDATES:

3.5.13 Wildlands Coordinator Wendell Wood raises specific concerns with the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement.

3.4.13 Oregon Wild joins with coalition partners, urges lawmakers to address "dire" water situation for birds and migrating waterfowl.

1.18.13 Oregon Wild issues a white paper on Upper Klamath and Agency Lake restoration.

7.18.12 Feds urge extra water to prevent another Klamath fish kill.

3.27.12 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service briefing paper warns of dangerously low water conditions for wildlife.

3.20.12 Memos outline plan to dry up Tule Lake, evict endangered fish from their habitat. Fact sheet explains more.

11.18.11 Tribes speak out for better Klamath restoration plan. Read Hoopa Valley and Resighini Rancheria comments here.

6.25.11 The L.A. Times reports scientists "find holes" in Klamath plan.

The Klamath Basin

Stretching from the high desert in southern Oregon to the redwood forests of northern California, the Klamath Basin covers a vast area over 10 million acres. The basin once contained over 350,000 acres of marshes, wet meadows and shallow lakes, and major runs of salmon and steelhead, creating the third largest fishery on the west coast. Red-tailed Hawk on Lower Klamath

Though changed, the basin continues to host an enormous number of migratory birds, and is the western hotspot for viewing major migrations along the Pacific Flyway.

Unfortunately, this unique basin's natural resources have suffered decades of abuse and mismanagement. A massive federal irrigation project drained eighty percent of the Willows on wetlands on Lower Klamath region's wetlands, and the once-mighty fish runs have collapsed. A series of aging dams on the Klamath River block salmon and steelhead from reaching over 300 miles of historic habitat. In September of 2002 the Klamath suffered one of the worst fish kills in US history.

For nearly two decades Oregon Wild has been a leading voice for conservation to this important region, working to bring resource demands back into balance with what the basin can naturally provide.