Klamath Basin Water Partnership, Oregon

The Nature Conservancy and the federal Bureau of Reclamation in April 2002 announced a joint partnership to both advance wetland restoration on the shores of Oregon’s Upper Klamath Lake and provide urgently needed water for fish and wildlife across the Klamath Basin.

Under the partnership, the Bureau of Reclamation would increase its support of wetland restoration at the Conservancy’s Williamson River Delta Preserve. The restoration project will improve water quality, restore marshland habitats for endangered fish, and increase water-storage capacity in Upper Klamath Lake.

In turn, The Nature Conservancy will agree not to divert a quantity of water – up to 13,000 acre-feet – annually for the next two years to increase flows into Upper Klamath Lake. Conservancy ecologists have determined that the water will not be needed for restoration or farming on the Conservancy’s property during this time.

Lost River suckers in Upper Klamath Lake

Strategic Importance

• Ecological significance: The Williamson River project is one of two major wetland restoration efforts considered critical to the future health of Upper Klamath Lake. Wetland restoration will provide habitat for two fish that are federal endangered species, the Lost River sucker and the shortnose sucker, and will improve water quality and increase water storage capacity.
• Partners: Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Natural Resource Conservation Service, PacifiCorp, Cell Tech, the Klamath Tribes, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and local farmers.
• Related Projects: The Conservancy's first initiative in the Klamath Basin was the 1980 purchase of Sycan Marsh Preserve, which has grown to 30,539 acres of high-elevation, sedge-dominated marshland surrounded by upland forest in the headwaters of the Klamath Basin. The Conservancy has revitalized over 20,000 acres of wetland for fish, waterfowl and waterbirds, including bull trout and a breeding population of sandhill cranes, while supporting a grazing lease on the property held by the historic ZX Ranch.

Williamson River Delta Preserve Facts

• Location: On Upper Klamath Lake at the mouth of the Williamson River.
• Size: The preserve includes about 7,500 acres including the lower six miles of the Williamson River.
• Acquisition: The Nature Conservancy purchased about 4,800 acres (formerly Tulana Farms) north and west of the Williamson River in 1996. The Conservancy purchased about 2,700 acres (formerly Goose Bay Farms) east and south of the river in 1999.

Williamson River Delta Preserve

Learn More

• About the Klamath Basin Water Partnership
• About the Williamson River Delta Preserve
• About the Conservancy's work in Oregon
• About The Nature Conservancy's success stories worldwide
• About how The Nature Conservancy works to achieve conservation results