KWUA Press Release: Responds to Bird Deaths

Klamath Water Users Association – CELEBRATING 70 YEARS REPRESENTING FARMERS AND RANCHERS OF THE KLAMATH PROJECT

Klamath Falls, OR – The Klamath Water Users Association (KWUA) and its members express the deep disappointment and frustration with federal water management, which has allowed staggering losses of waterfowl in the Klamath Basin Refuge Complex.

The latest reports from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists are of an estimated 100,000 waterfowl have died from avian botulism so far this year in the Klamath Basin Refuge Complex. With hot and dry conditions expected to continue at least through mid-October, that number will unfortunately continue to climb.

KWUA and its member districts went to great lengths last winter to re-water parched wildlife refuges, and waterfowl populations rebounded. By late spring, it was clear that there was a need for water to flow though to mitigate disease risk and avoid drying up wetlands. By July, KWUA’s public appeals became urgent.

Unfortunately, the federal reaction was too little, too late. Water deliveries to the wildlife refuges did not begin until August 17, well after the outbreak had already started. Then, on September 3, the federal government prematurely and inexplicably called for a halt to these water deliveries.

Biologists said the current outbreak was preventable if stagnant wetlands that produce botulism could be managed properly – something that farmers and ranchers know from decades of operating Klamath Project facilities so that irrigation water flowed through wetlands in Lower Klamath and Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuges.

Scientists, water managers, and local farmers continue to advocate for a long-term solution to stabilize water levels in the Klamath Basin. Investments in infrastructure that improve water storage, modernize irrigation systems, and restore wetlands could provide the security both farmers and wildlife need to thrive.

“Our farms and wildlife refuges, including the waterfowl, have been sacrificed on the altar of the Endangered Species Act (ESA),” says Tracey Liskey, president of KWUA. “Our districts, farmers, and ranchers worked extremely hard to prevent this situation this year. We diverted large amounts of water to the refuges, even as tens of thousands of acres of farmland dried up.”

“What we’re witnessing in the refuges this year is a reflection of what’s been happening to family farms in the Klamath Basin for the last three decades,” remarked Paul Simmons, Executive Director and Counsel of KWUA. “We’re not about pointing fingers, but we simply cannot continue to manage water in this way and sacrifice our resources like this. Whether we’re talking about birds or about the farms and ranches that help feed our Nation, it is essential to move to a functional, fair, and effective decision-making paradigm.”