The brief life of one mallard illustrates the plight of tens of thousands of migratory birds relying on the Lower Klamath Basin. With information from a USGS GPS transmitter, biologists were able to track her movements before locating her carcass at Tule Lake in early August of this year. The cause of death: botulinum toxin.
In an effort to help three species of endangered fish, water usually shared with the Lower Klamath Basin is either being held back in Upper Klamath Lake or sent down the Klamath River bypassing the National Wildlife Refuge. The result is a man-made drought in addition to a natural drought in the Lower Klamath Basin. High temperatures have activated botulinum toxin found naturally in the soil and there is no water to dilute it. 20,000 birds and counting have died and fall migration is just beginning.
More information on this story and how you can help is available from California Waterfowl.
Mallards at Effie Yeaw Nature Center by Dan Brown