Refuge wetlands should be fully flooded

Herald and News

Letter to the Editor

October 11, 2011

Tourism adds some good dollars to our local economy. Recent discussions are focusing on increasing it. I agree with that, so I am concerned about our duck and goose hunting and bird watching visitation and economic activity. It looks like it's being allowed to go in the wrong direction.

Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge is a major destination for tours and individual birders all year around. It also attracts large numbers of hunters for several months. In an abundant water year like 2011, the refuge wetland habitat should be ready and waiting. But it isn't.

The surprising fact is that in this very good water year with supplies at about 125 percent of normal, the Lower Klamath Refuge - as of September - had received enough water to do only about 33 percent of the flooding managers want to provide optimum bird habitat.

This fact is very surprising and disappointing to us hunters and us bird watchers - and I have enjoyed both. If we cannot fill up the wetlands in a year like this, when can we?

The Bureau of Reclamation needs to hear from every duck and goose hunter and every bird watcher ... and from the sporting goods, food, gas and motel businesses that support these visitors. Seems like our tourism folks should really jump on this. Probably emails to our political leaders would be in order too.

For the critters and for the dollars, those refuge wetlands should be fully flooded this abundant water year.

Dave Potter

Klamath Falls

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