“The Klamath Basin serves as a critical habitat for nesting and migrating birds along the Pacific Flyway. The devastation happening here due to the botulism outbreak will have long lasting impacts across the entire west coast,” said Teresa Wicks, Eastern Oregon Biologist. “The refuge and the birds can’t keep taking hit after hit, year after year. Something has to change. Without wetlands, there are no birds.”
Bird Alliance of Oregon and 15 other conservation groups sounded the alarm in August when the outbreak began, sending a letter to urge the Bureau of Reclamation to release water to the refuge. Early in the outbreak the Tribes, water users, and waterfowl groups also expressed support for water for wetlands on the refuge. The Bureau of Reclamation delivered 5,000-10,000 acre feet of water to Tule Lake and Lower Klamath NWR on August 17, but while it likely improved conditions, it wasn’t enough to stop the catastrophe.
“On September 15, I saw approximately 500 dead birds in the water, from waterfowl to shorebirds to gulls to songbirds,” explained Teresa Wicks. “The most common species were Northern Shovelers, Northern Pintails, and American Coots, but other species are being affected as well, including songbirds and predators who are either eating the carcasses or the insects off the carcasses. It’s likely we won’t ever know the true death toll since not all birds or mammals will die in the water.”
Historically, botulism outbreaks would have infected perhaps hundreds of birds. But, as wetlands continue to shrink and dry up across the Intermountain West, birds are forced into smaller bodies of water. This creates larger concentrations of birds than would occur in a more natural system. In the Klamath Basin alone, more than 90% of wetlands have been lost. This packs birds into available wetlands. Combined with longer warm, dry periods in summer and early fall, this creates perfect conditions for massive, non-natural, outbreaks.
Bird Ally X’s emergency botulism response team is operating its hospital at the refuge seven days a week, saving as many lives as possible. Over the last 18 days, they have treated 835 waterbirds. With appropriate treatment, rescued birds have an excellent recovery rate. So far 288 migratory waterbirds have been released back out into the wild.
”I feel like we have an obligation to respond to these human induced catastrophes,” said January Bill, Bird Ally X Co- founder/Botulism Co-Director. “I hope the hospital’s efforts bring light to the bigger issue of the dying wetlands of the Basin. Without healthy wetlands there will be no waterbirds.”
Long-term solutions are necessary to prevent massive outbreaks such as this one from happening. With the Klamath Dams below Keno coming out, and with a renewed interest in climate resiliency, the region has a rare opportunity for collective action. Tribes, water users, agencies and conservation are now working together to find meaningful solutions to restore hydrologic connectivity and function in the Klamath Basin.
Background
On The Klamath National Wildlife Refuges:
The Klamath National Wildlife Refuge Complex is one of the most important stopover and breeding sites for waterfowl and waterbirds in the Pacific Flyway and historically supported millions of waterfowl and other birds. It straddles the Oregon/California border, with refuges on both sides. Unlike other flyways in North America, the Pacific Flyway’s population of waterfowl and waterbirds are not stable and another botulism outbreak would not bode well for the flyway population., Ducks Unlimited estimates a 25% decline in the Pacific Flyway waterfowl population as of 2023.
On Botulism:
Botulism is a natural toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Shallow, stagnant water provides an optimal environment for it to proliferate. The toxin attaches to nerve endings, where it causes weakness, lethargy, and the inability for birds to hold up their head or fly. Many waterfowl simply drown, and the presence of infected carcasses in turn exacerbates the outbreak.
