Two hundred birders, hunters, farmers, conservationists, and area residents gathered under a cloudless sky this past Friday to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the establishment of the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, a vast expanse of mixed wetlands on the Siskiyou County side of the Klamath Basin, and migratory home to over 350 species of birds. Once Klamath and Modoc Indian country and currently a popular federally managed public use area for waterfowl hunters and bird watchers alike, the Lower Klamath Refuge is even more popular with birds. Part of the Pacific Flyway, Lower Klamath Refuge and its five sister refuges in the greater Klamath basin region serve as an important resting spot for millions of waterfowl in their great north and south migrations, as well as the raptors—including nearly 1,000 bald eagles—who follow and feed on them. Friday, the focus was all on the Lower Klamath Refuge, the United States’ first waterfowl refuge, established on August 8, 1908, by order of President Theodore Roosevelt. Participants took behind-the-scenes tours of the refuge led by US Fish & Wildlife Service wildlife biologists, visited a number of conservation-oriented booths at the refuge’s entrance, heard speeches by the heads of supporting organizations in a temporary pavilion, and enjoyed a free lunch served by the Klamath Basin Wildlife Refuge Association. The organizations which came together to host the event include ...
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Two hundred birders, hunters, farmers, conservationists, and area residents gathered under a cloudless sky this past Friday to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the establishment of the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, a vast expanse of mixed wetlands on the Siskiyou County side of the Klamath Basin, and migratory home to over 350 species of birds. Once Klamath and Modoc Indian country and currently a popular federally managed public use area for waterfowl hunters and bird watchers alike, the Lower Klamath Refuge is even more popular with birds. Part of the Pacific Flyway, Lower Klamath Refuge and its five sister refuges in the greater Klamath basin region serve as an important resting spot for millions of waterfowl in their great north and south migrations, as well as the raptors—including nearly 1,000 bald eagles—who follow and feed on them. Friday, the focus was all on the Lower Klamath Refuge, the United States’ first waterfowl refuge, established on August 8, 1908, by order of President Theodore Roosevelt. Participants took behind-the-scenes tours of the refuge led by US Fish & Wildlife Service wildlife biologists, visited a number of conservation-oriented booths at the refuge’s entrance, heard speeches by the heads of supporting organizations in a temporary pavilion, and enjoyed a free lunch served by the Klamath Basin Wildlife Refuge Association. The organizations which came together to host the event include ...