The Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex is a wildlife preserve operated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in the Klamath Basin of southern Oregon and northern California near Klamath Falls, Oregon. It consists of Bear Valley,

Klamath Marsh Klamath may refer to: Ethnic groups * Klamath people, a Native American people of California and Oregon **Klamath Tribes, a federally recognized group of tribes in Oregon * Klamath language, spoken by the Klamath people Places in the United States ...

and Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in southern Oregon and Lower Klamath,

Tule Lake Tule Lake ( ) is an intermittent lake covering an area of , long and across, in northeastern Siskiyou County and northwestern Modoc County in California, along the border with Oregon. Geography Tule Lake is fed by the Lost River. The elevat ...

, and Clear Lake NWR in northern California. Lower Klamath NWR, established in 1908, was the first waterfowl refuge in the United States. Consisting of 46,900 acre (190 km²), it includes shallow

freshwater marsh A freshwater marsh is a non-tidal, non-forested marsh wetland that contains fresh water, and is continuously or frequently flooded. Freshwater marshes primarily consist of sedges, grasses, and emergent plants. Freshwater marshes are usually found ...

es, open water, grassy uplands, and croplands that are intensively managed to provide feeding, resting, nesting, and brood rearing habitat for waterfowl and other water birds. Clear Lake NWR, established in 1911, has an area of . About is open water. The balance is the surrounding upland habitat of bunchgrass, low sagebrush, and juniper. Upper Klamath NWR, established in 1928, is composed of of mostly freshwater marsh and open water. Tule Lake NWR, established in 1928, encompasses of mostly open water and croplands. Klamath Marsh NWR, established in 1958, consists of of freshwater marsh and adjacent meadows. Bear Valley NWR, established in 1978, protects a vital night roost site for wintering bald eagles. It consists of of largely old growth ponderosa pine,

incense-cedar ''Calocedrus'', the incense cedar (alternatively spelled incense-cedar), is a genus of coniferous trees in the cypress family Cupressaceae first described as a genus in 1873. It is native to eastern Asia and western North America. The gener ...

, white fir and Douglas-fir forest. Lower Klamath NWR marsh and mountains

Historically, the Klamath Basin was dominated by approximately 185,000 acres (749 km²) of shallow lakes and freshwater marshes. these extensive wetlands attracted peak fall concentrations of over 6 million waterfowl and supported abundant populations of other water birds including

American white pelican The American white pelican (''Pelecanus erythrorhynchos'') is a large aquatic soaring bird from the order Pelecaniformes. It breeds in interior North America, moving south and to the coasts, as far as Central America and South America, in winte ...

, double-crested cormorant, and several

heron The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychus ...

species. In 1905, the

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation The Bureau of Reclamation, and formerly the United States Reclamation Service, is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees water resource management, specifically as it applies to the oversight and opera ...

initiated the Klamath Reclamation Project to convert the lakes and marshes of the

Lower Klamath Lake Lower Klamath Lake is a lake in Siskiyou County, California. At one time it was connected to Upper Klamath Lake. It currently is used to hold overflow water for Klamath Project irrigation uses. The lake is in Northern California, near the border ...

and

areas to agricultural lands. As these wetlands receded, the reclaimed lands were opened to agricultural development and settlement. Today, less than 25% of the historic wetlands remain. To conserve much of the Basin's remaining wetland habitat, the six National Wildlife Refuges have been established. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages these Refuges to enhance wildlife and benefit the American people. Agricultural and water programs are coordinated under an agreement between the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Reclamation. Klamath Basin Refuges consist of a variety of habitats including freshwater marshes, open water, grassy meadows, coniferous forests, sagebrush and juniper grasslands, agricultural lands, and rocky cliffs and slopes. These habitats support diverse and abundant populations of resident and migratory wildlife with 433 species having been observed on or near the Refuges. In addition, each year the Refuges serve as a migratory stopover for about three-quarters of the

Pacific Flyway The Pacific Flyway is a major north-south flyway for migratory birds in the Americas, extending from Alaska to Patagonia. Every year, migratory birds travel some or all of this distance both in spring and in fall, following food sources, heading ...

waterfowl, with peak fall concentrations of over 1 million birds. The Klamath Refuge has been described as "the heartbeat of the Pacific Flyway".

Units include

* Bear Valley National Wildlife Refuge *

Clear Lake National Wildlife Refuge Clear Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge of the United States in northeastern California. It includes about of open water surrounded by over of upland bunchgrass, low sagebrush, and juniper habitat. small, rocky islands ...

Klamath Marsh National Wildlife Refuge Klamath Marsh National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1958 as an inviolate sanctuary, or for any other management purpose, for migratory birds. The refuge primarily consists of 40,000 acres. Originally designated as Klamath Forest National W ...

Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge The Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge of the United States on the border between California and Oregon. It is operated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The refuge was designated a National Histori ...

* Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge *

Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge The Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife refuge in southwestern Klamath County on the shores of Upper Klamath Lake in Oregon. It was established in 1928 and contains some of freshwater marshes. It is accessible only by boat from ...

References

External links

Klamath Basin National Refuge Complex website

Klamath Waters Digital Library
{{authority control National Wildlife Refuges in California National Wildlife Refuges in Oregon Wetlands of Oregon Protected areas of Klamath County, Oregon Protected areas of Modoc County, California Protected areas of Siskiyou County, California 1908 establishments in Oregon Wetlands of California Landforms of Klamath County, Oregon Landforms of Modoc County, California Landforms of Siskiyou County, California Protected areas established in 1908 1908 establishments in California

Units include

See also

References

External links