21 Klamath Falls Basin Bird Pictures

This gallery is of features of the Klamath Basin area.
          The Klamath Basin Natural Wildlife Refuge, situated on the Oregon California border, includes  Upper Klamath Lake, Lower Klamath Lake, Tule Lake, Clear Lake, Klamath Marsh, and Bear Valley.  This area was once huge...185,000 acres...and supported 6 million feathered guests in fall.  In 1905, the water from these shallow lakes and fresh water marshes was diverted to agricultural use, stripping 3/4 of the bounty from wildlife.  It became the task of the US Fish & Wildlife Service to coordinate the available water supply...to ensure survival of wildlife (the Snowy Egret, the tiny muscovy, the clever falcon)  and human life.
          Early in 2001 the water of Upper Klamath Lake was sent to salmon spawning areas rather than pumped into irrigation pipes.  Not only farmers were effected.  The water that normally flowed to Tule Lake from Upper Klamath was so reduced they could no longer pump water to Lower Klamath Lake and it dried up completely.  After 6-7 years of changes in policy and weather, the bird population is beginning to stabilize;  the American White Pelican has a home.  This area hosts the largest concentration of bald eagles in the continental United States!
          In the late 1800's. Klamath Falls (and it's subs Olene and Bonanza) was too remote for its agricultural and forest products to reach markets.  Then, in 1909,  the Southern Pacific Railroad arrived at Klamath Falls heralding a boomtown atmosphere that lasted till the Great Depression.
          When in South Central Oregon, watch for  a passel of logs floating in Lake Ewauna, a gaggle of Snow Geese taking flight, and Cascades Mountain tops (Mt Shasta, Mt McLoughlin) painting the distant sky.  Your vigilance will be worth it!