Habitat News

Good news from the Elliott State Research Forest

At their September meeting, the board of the Elliott voted unanimously to add 10,000 acres to the existing 32,000 acre “Big Block Reserve,” expanding it to >42,000 acres (more than half the forest). Strong protections in this reserve will allow for growth of older, more complex forests, providing more habitat and biodiversity. This also increases carbon sequestration capacity in this state forest, lowering harmful greenhouse gas emissions by storing carbon dioxide in trees and enabling the potential to sell those benefits as carbon credits.

Sad news from the Klamath Basin

A devastating outbreak of botulism at the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge in the Klamath Basin, near the California-Oregon border, has killed more than 75,000 birds. This is the worst botulism outbreak in the recorded history of the refuge, surpassing the 2020 outbreak. The Klamath Basin wetlands act as critical habitat for nesting and migrating birds along the Pacific Flyway. In August, along with 15 other conservation groups, we requested the release of more water to the refuge. Although the delivery of this additional water provided some short-term relief, hot and dry conditions through the end of the summer continued to shrink the wetlands. Bird Ally X, a nonprofit organization that rescues injured birds in the region, set up an avian botulism response team and successfully treated some of the affected birds, but most could not be saved. Although autumn’s coming cold will stop the outbreak, the number of deaths is unacceptable. Long-term solutions must be enacted to prevent massive outbreaks in the future. We hope that the time is right for tribes, farmers and other water users, agencies, and conservation organizations to form a productive partnership that works to restore resiliency, hydrologic connectivity, and function in the Klamath Basin.

Habitat at home

We strive for a community that can provide resources for birds and insects where we live. If enough of us plant natives and take other steps to support wildlife, we can create the connectivity needed for successful coexistence. Check out the great information in our resources list on the Habitat Haven page or join our Habitat Haven program.