In late March I uprooted from my soggy and abundantly verdant home in Portland, OR and headed south to Klamath Falls, a place where snow still clung to northeaster slopes and buds were still small and closed. Not only was I headed toward a new experience, but I was going to get an opportunity to experience spring a second time. Klamath Falls, a town small in population but large in commerce as it supplies the large rural area around it, is nestled between the expansive upper Klamath Lake and the much smaller lake Ewauna to the south. The Link River, the United States’ shortest river, cascades past town and bridges the one mile between lakes.
On a weekend trip to the Lower Klamath Wildlife Refuge I saw my first Avocet! I have also added the white faced ibis, black-necked stilt, and a variety of duck species to my life list.
As an intern with the US Fish and Wildlife Service I get the opportunity to immerse myself in this ecologically, politically, and culturally complicated basin. Our work will mainly focus on species listed as threatened or endangered: the lost river and short nose suckers and Oregon spotted frog so far. Over the past two weeks we have surveyed for Oregon spotted frog egg masses at the Klamath Marsh Wildlife Refuge and property owned by the Nature Conservancy.
A congregation of three egg masses. The Oregon spotted frog generally lays eggs in shallow marsh where the water is warm enough that the eggs will hatch within a few weeks.
Oregon spotted frog tadpoles in a cluster after hatching.
The Klamath Marsh Wildlife Refuge is a great place for bird watching during frog surveys.
We are also helping with the recovery of two species of endangered sucker. This has involved using trammel nets to catch suckers with the Bureau of Reclamation in lake Ewauna. Once we catch fish we process them (insert a PIT tag if they don’t already have one, measure the fish, and inspect for damage or parasites) before they are transported to a river at the north end of Upper Klamath lake to be released. We will likely use eggs and sperm from some of these fish to start a reservoir population in ponds south of the lakes.
Inserting a PIT tag into a short-nose sucker.
Preparing to release a female ruddy duck that got tangled in our net.
Each day has been full of unexpected experiences and opportunities to expand my knowledge and perspective. I look forward to the months ahead full of fish, frogs, feathers, and more!
Molly Hayes, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Klamath Falls, OR