COASTLINE PILOT

November 21, 2002

 

Chasing the Muse

By Catharine Cooper

 

Frost settles mist-like over the rust colored alfalfa fields as I drive slowly along the earthen dikes in the Klamath Wildlife Refuge.  Gold light marks the end of day and the waning sun shimmers on flocks of Canadian geese as they root for grubs within the spent grain.  Barely visible within the tall stalks, their long necks and social “cackle and honk” ruffle the chilling air.  

 

Cameras, tripods and water bottles fly as I slam on the brakes and leap from the SUV.  Binoculars and camera dangling, I crouch low on the side of the road.  There, tucked among the geese - the object of my journey.  Two majestic black bodies topped with snow colored heads stand tall in the cold field - bald eagles. 

 

The bald eagle was chosen on June 20, 1782 as the emblem of the United States because of its long life, great strength and majestic looks.  It is the only eagle unique to North America.  Its scientific name, Haliaeetus leucocoephalus, signifies a sea (halo) eagle (aeetos) with a white (leukos) head.  At one time the word “bald” mean “white,” not hairless.  The bald eagle is found over most of North America from Alaska and Canada to northern Mexico.  About half of the world’s 70,000 bald eagles live in Alaska, with another 20,000 reside in British Colombia.

 

Klamath Basin is a varied mix of shallow freshwater marshes, open water, grassy uplands and croplands that are intensely managed to provide feeding, resting, nesting and brood rearing habitat for waterfowl and other water birds.  Geographically, it sits in the midst of the Pacific Flyway, one of three major migratory bird patterns in the United States.  In mid-November, over one million birds pause in the basin.

 

Called the “Everglades of the West,” because of is great diversity and abundance of fish and wildlife, the area is host to five national wildlife refuges:  Lower Klamath, Tule Lake, Clear Lake, Upper Klamath, Bear Valley and Klamath Marsh.   Lower Klamath was the nation’s first waterfowl refuge, established in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt “as a preserve and breeding ground for native birds.”  More than 80 percent of the western migratory birds use the refuges’ wetlands.  In the winter months, they provide the essential habitat for the largest concentration of bald eagles in the lower-48 states.

 

The basin is in the midst an environmental crisis.  Only 80% of its original wetlands remain, and the quality of water is both degraded from chemicals used in agriculture and the ravages of drought.  It is the only wildlife refuge in the US that allows broad scale commercial farming.  Bureau of Reclamation land practices have allocated and diverted water from the Klamath River to farmers in the region where onions, alfalfa and potatoes have consistently been rewarded at the expense of herons, geese and eagles.  A major salmon die-off that occurred in October prompted a lawsuit to be filed by ten conservation groups to challenge the current administrations mismanagement of these wildlife refuges.  The groups have asked the federal courts to order the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to review current policies of giving commercial farming interests precedent over wildlife in low water years.

 

Cold stings my fingers as the light fades.  My water bottle slips to the ground and startles the eagles.  They had been keenly aware of me before, but now, uneasy, one stretches forth his enormous dark wings and takes to the air.  One eye cast on me, the other skims the earth.  The second follows and the pair soars low across the grain, their strength and grace produce emotions of reverence.

 

 So how is it, that we, having duly named these incredible creatures as our national emblem, could allow anything to threaten their health and habitat?  The marshes of Klamath Basin and the salmon in the rivers provide their winter home and sustenance.  Without healthy wetlands, the eagles suffer the threat of weakened species and thinned numbers.

 

As they wing their way out of sight, I am saddened, but also filled with conviction.  To lend my voice to their plight seems like a small start.  To do whatever I can to protect their habitats, and those of other wildlife, a mission.   Current information on litigation and other can be found through The Wilderness Society, www.wilderness.org. 

 

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