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Refuges facing a shortage of water
published June 26, 2003
By LEE JUILLERAT
H&N Regional Editor
Water shortages are again causing managers of Klamath Basin national wildlife refuges to devise ways of making precious supplies available to threatened waterfowl.
Closing down water releases to the Klamath Reclamation Project, ordered by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Wednesday, means the Lower Klamath and Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuges will face water shortages for the fourth consecutive summer.
Although there is apparently enough water for fledging waterfowl and other birds, the refuges could face serious problems by mid-August.
"We hope to maintain our most productive wetlands until the middle of August," said Fran Maiss, interim manager of the Tulelake-based Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges. "We basically have to manage what water we have more efficiently."
Water to the refuges was cut off June 20. Earlier this month, the refuges had been receiving limited amounts of water, about 10 cubic feet of water per second, to handle early summer evaporation. Normally that number is upped in mid-June to about 100 cfs, a volume needed to offset increased evaporation.
"We likely will not be able to take water this summer to offset evaporation," said Maiss, who believes wetlands will be "pretty well devastated" by mid-August.
Water supplies on refuge wetlands, which were filled because of wet weather from mid-March through mid-May, are expected to be high enough through the current fledging season for various nesting birds, including pelicans, egrets, herons, white-faced ibis and several species of waterfowl.
"We feel we have adequate water for that," said Maiss, noting it takes about six to eight weeks from hatching to fledging.
Maiss said project water is needed, usually beginning about mid-August, to begin filling seasonal marshes that are now dry for the fall migration. By early to mid-November about 20 million birds are usually migrating along the Pacific Flyway, with about half those normally stopping at Klamath Basin refuges.
"If we are short of water they don't stop, or they make short stops, and go directly to the central valley, it puts a lot of pressure on habitat in central California," Maiss explained. "If the birds stop here, it helps conditions throughout the flyway."
By LEE JUILLERAT
H&N Regional Editor
Water shortages are again causing managers of Klamath Basin national wildlife refuges to devise ways of making precious supplies available to threatened waterfowl.
Closing down water releases to the Klamath Reclamation Project, ordered by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Wednesday, means the Lower Klamath and Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuges will face water shortages for the fourth consecutive summer.
Although there is apparently enough water for fledging waterfowl and other birds, the refuges could face serious problems by mid-August.
"We hope to maintain our most productive wetlands until the middle of August," said Fran Maiss, interim manager of the Tulelake-based Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges. "We basically have to manage what water we have more efficiently."
Water to the refuges was cut off June 20. Earlier this month, the refuges had been receiving limited amounts of water, about 10 cubic feet of water per second, to handle early summer evaporation. Normally that number is upped in mid-June to about 100 cfs, a volume needed to offset increased evaporation.
"We likely will not be able to take water this summer to offset evaporation," said Maiss, who believes wetlands will be "pretty well devastated" by mid-August.
Water supplies on refuge wetlands, which were filled because of wet weather from mid-March through mid-May, are expected to be high enough through the current fledging season for various nesting birds, including pelicans, egrets, herons, white-faced ibis and several species of waterfowl.
"We feel we have adequate water for that," said Maiss, noting it takes about six to eight weeks from hatching to fledging.
Maiss said project water is needed, usually beginning about mid-August, to begin filling seasonal marshes that are now dry for the fall migration. By early to mid-November about 20 million birds are usually migrating along the Pacific Flyway, with about half those normally stopping at Klamath Basin refuges.
"If we are short of water they don't stop, or they make short stops, and go directly to the central valley, it puts a lot of pressure on habitat in central California," Maiss explained. "If the birds stop here, it helps conditions throughout the flyway."
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