Why Waterfowl in the Klamath Basin Need Help Right Now (Ep. 794)

Learn what’s driving a new botulism outbreak in the Klamath Basin and what conservation partners are doing to help protect thousands of waterfowl. 

Host Dr. Mike Brasher is joined by Jeff McCreary, Ducks Unlimited’s Director of Operations for the Western Region, and Dr. Dan Smith, DU waterfowl scientist, to discuss deteriorating habitat conditions in one of North America’s most important waterfowl landscapes.

After a winter of record-low snowpack and a spring that produced exceptional numbers of ducklings, water levels in the Klamath Basin are rapidly declining.  Those conditions have created an elevated risk of avian botulism, threatening young ducks and molting birds concentrated on the region’s wetlands. Jeff and Dan explain how the outbreak developed, why the Klamath Basin remains critical to the Pacific Flyway, and how Ducks Unlimited and partners are working to bring additional water into the refuge system before conditions worsen. 

Topics Covered

• Why botulism outbreaks occur during drought conditions
• The connection between snowpack, water availability, and wetland health
• How more than 100,000 ducklings were produced despite current challenges
• What “flow-through” water management could mean for the Klamath Basin
• The importance of Lower Klamath and Tule Lake refuges
• Why collaboration is essential to solving long-term water issues
• How DU and partners are responding to current conditions
• The future of waterfowl habitat in the Pacific Flyway

Listen now: www.ducks.org/DUPodcast
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