A bird die-off brought Klamath water rivals together

An avian botulism outbreak in the Klamath Basin has now killed an estimated 15,480 birds, according to an updated count provided Sept. 3.

The deaths have devastated waterbird populations at the Tule Lake and Lower Klamath national wildlife refuges. But the crisis has also prompted unusual cooperation among farmers, tribes, conservation groups and government agencies that have long clashed over the basin’s scarce water.

Grable told Jefferson Exchange host Mike Green that emergency water deliveries produced a rapid change at the refuges.

Environment, Energy and Transportation

How a Klamath Basin bird crisis brings old water rivals together

Juliet Grable

Go deeper: Read the full report from the refuges, with photographs and a map showing how the proposed flow-through system would work.

Listen • 4:53

“As soon as water started filling those wetlands and covering the mudflats where botulism was thriving, the numbers of birds dying every day dropped immediately,” she said.

Now, some participants are pushing for a long-term “flow-through” strategy that would circulate water through farms and refuge wetlands before returning it to the Klamath River. Whether that approach can protect birds without harming endangered fish or infringing on tribal water rights remains unresolved.

Guest

• Juliet Grable, JPR contributing reporter