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<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma size=4><STRONG>KLAMATH RIVER BASIN</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma size=4><STRONG>More refuge water going down Klamath River
to boost flows </STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma size=4><STRONG>Klamath Falls Ore. Herald & News -
5/25/04</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma size=4><STRONG>By Dylan Darling, staff
writer</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Water drained from the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge
is being used to bolster flows in the Klamath River, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service officials announced Monday.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>"It's not a whole lot of water in the perspective of the
Basin, but it is our chance to help wildlife on a couple of fronts," said Ron
Cole, manager of the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex.
<BR> <BR>Over the next month, about 8,500 acre-feet of water will be pumped
off seasonal wetlands on the Lower Klamath refuge, adding about 150 cubic feet
per second to the flows in the river.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Draining the water will improve wetland habitat for birds,
while the extra water will help protect salmon runs in the river, officials
said. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><BR><FONT size=4>"I don't think there are any losers here," said Dave
Eshbaugh, executive director the National Audubon Society's Oregon
chapter.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>But some environmentalists say the move is just taking water
away from already thirsty wetlands that are at the bottom of the Klamath Basin's
water hierarchy. <BR> <BR>"There is just not enough water to go
around - one interest or another is going to continue to suffer until we bring
demand back into balance," said Bob Hunter, an attorney for
WaterWatch.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Federally managed water in the Klamath Basin goes first to
protection of endangered species, second to American Indian tribes to meet trust
responsibilities, third to the Klamath Reclamation Project and then to the
refuges. <BR> <BR>The Fish and Wildlife Service manages two types of
wetlands on the Lower Klamath Refuge, including permanent marsh that is flooded
year-round, and seasonal wetlands that are allowed to dry out in summer
months.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>With the draining of the seasonal marshes, Cole said officials
are trying to mimic the rhythm of nature, with its fluctuating water
levels. <BR> <BR>Over the last four years, when water has been tight,
refuge managers have transferred water from seasonal wetlands to permanent
marsh. The wildlife service spent $80,000 to install a pump and screen unit to
"recycle" the water, said Larry Bigoni, a maintenance worker for the
refuges.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>The pump pushed water back to the head of the refuge canal
system, keeping levels up in the permanent marshes. But the recycling of water
was starting to pull up salts from the soil, Cole said. <BR> <BR>With
this summer's plan, there will be about 4,500 acres of permanent marsh and about
7,500 acres of seasonal wetland being drained. Water will be allowed to
evaporate slowly from another 8,100 acres of seasonal wetland.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Cole said the drying of wetlands give plants a chance to
germinate and go to seed, providing food for wildlife. <BR> <BR>This
fall the Bureau of Reclamation will buy at least 2,000 acre-feet groundwater to
be spread over the refuge, said Christine Karas, deputy manager of the Klamath
Project.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Although that won't entirely replace the 8,500 acre-feet
drained this summer, Cole said the timing of the 2,000 acre-feet in the fall
will come at a critical time for migratory birds. <BR> <BR>And the
timing of the refuge's water release will help the river and the Bureau, Karas
said.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>"It is a lot help for the salmon downstream and it will also
allow us to have higher lake levels," said Christine Karas, deputy manager of
the Klamath Project. <BR> <BR>Earlier in the year, when the mountain
snowpack looked healthy, Bureau officials thought Upper Klamath Lake would fill.
But that didn't happen, and now the Bureau is looking for ways to boost flows on
the river.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Wendell Wood, Southern Oregon field representative for the
Oregon Natural Resources Council, said it is better to have water coursing
through the wetlands rather than being recycled. But he added that the
underlying problem is not enough water being delivered to the refuges.
<BR> <BR>"There is no denying that the river needs more water, but there is
no denying the refuges need more water," he said.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>A month ago, the ONRC, along with WaterWatch, Earthjustice and
the Wilderness Society, released a report outlining the problems the groups see
in the six Basin refuges. <BR> <BR>The report, titled "Refuges in
Peril," called for expansion of the refuges, and an increase in water
allocation.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Steve Kandra, president of the Klamath Water Users
Association, said the groups that put out the report don't want to work with
others in the Basin to find things that will help, like the refuge putting water
downstream. <BR> <BR>"They put more money into a glossy brochure than
into restoration efforts," he said. #
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