From Dust to Ducks - Fragile Hope for Klamath

Added: 2026-04-29

[00:00:09]In 2024, more than 100,000 birds died in the Clamoth Basin. It was one of the worst waterfell die-offs on record.

[00:00:23]For more than a decade, Clamoth had been starved of water. Historic wetlands were reduced to dust. Habitat that once supported millions of water foul disappeared as water levels dropped and birds concentrated into shrinking pools.

[00:00:38]Disease aven botulism spread rapidly across the basin. The crisis was visible and it demanded a response.

[00:00:48]And that crisis matters far beyond this basin. For generations, the lower Clamoth refues have been one of the most important breeding, molting, and migration staging areas in the Pacific flyway. Birds from across the West depend on this landscape. In strong water years, it's one of the most productive waterfellout regions in North America. But the refuges stand at the end of a long and complicated water system. When water is scarce and other demands are prioritized, Clamoth is left dry.

[00:01:23]California Waterfell understands the future of waterfell hunting depends on conservation. That's why we'll always stand for Clamoth. And we don't stand alone. Working alongside the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Clamoth Drainage District, the Tuli Lake Irrigation District, farmers and other committed partners, California Waterfell helped change the trajectory of the refugees. Together, we worked to find solutions. We restored hundreds of acres of wetland habitat across the region.

[00:01:54]Our advocacy team worked with lawmakers and decision makers to ensure that water foul were part of water allocation and infrastructure decisions. And most recently, through coordinated effort and partnership, water was pumped back into the refuges. For the first time in at least a decade, lower Clamoth was flooded at scale.

[00:02:15]And when the water returned, the birds responded.

[00:02:57]Duck production reached levels not seen since the late 1980s and early 1990s.

[00:03:02]Botulism declined. Fish and migratory birds found habitat again. The landscape looked alive. What we saw was remarkable. Thousands upon thousands of ducks and geese returned to the basin.

[00:03:16]Pintail, wijon, malards, speckella geese, and more, filling the wetlands once again. Flocks stretched across the horizon, lifting off the water in waves and settling back down into habitat that had been dry for years. For the first time in a long time, Clamoth looked the way it was meant to look. When the water returned, Clamoth didn't just improve, it transformed. Wetlands that had been dry and silent filled again and were alive with birds. What had become a duck desert was restored to functioning habitat.

[00:03:50]This is what happens when conservation is backed by action, investment, and partnership. We've proven that Clamoth can recover when water is delivered and habitat is restored.

[00:04:02]But Clamoth remains vulnerable. It remains at the end of the line when water is scarce. Without long-term solutions, the basin could face the same crisis again.

[00:04:14]That's why California Waterfell is committed to facilitating the flow through concept, reducing pumping costs through solar and hydropower investments, strengthening water infrastructure, and securing reliable operation and maintenance funding for the refugees.

[00:04:31]This isn't a short-term fix. It's a long-term commitment to one of the most important waterfoul landscapes in the Pacific Flyway. When Clamoth thrives, the flyway thrives. When it dries up, the consequences are felt across California. We've seen what happens without water. We've seen what's possible when conservationists, agencies, irrigation districts, and partners work together. Now, we must secure lasting solutions.

[00:04:58]Help California waterfell support the Clamoth refugees. Raise your voice to ensure that water remains part of Clamoth's future because the future of waterfell hunting depends on Clamoth and Clamoth depends on hunter conservationists like you.