A retired surgeon’s effort to convert a barley field into a wetland near Upper Klamath Lake has helped improve water quality and revitalize endangered fish species, creating new grounds for cooperation between farmers and tribes in the region.
Jacques Leslie reports for Yale Environment 360.
In short:
- After discovering high phosphorus runoff from Lakeside Farms, Karl Wenner transformed part of the land into a wetland that soaked up nutrients, boosted biodiversity, and helped endangered fish survive.
- The success adds momentum to broader restoration efforts, including dam removals and large-scale reflooding projects led by tribes, signaling a new era of cooperation across the historically divided Klamath Basin.
- Despite recent federal funding cuts that threaten data collection and long-term planning, farmers and tribes continue collaborating on hydrological restoration that benefits both agriculture and ecosystems.
Key quote:
“It is quite a story that after 35 years of the Feds having responsibility for keeping these fish from going extinct, the parties that [succeeded] are the two entities — the tribes and ag — that have had a very contentious history.”
— Jeff Mitchell, former chairman of the Klamath Tribes of Oregon
Why this matters:
Wetlands once covered large portions of the Klamath Basin, filtering water, sustaining fish nurseries, and buffering floods and droughts. But a century of agricultural development drained 95% of them, unleashing phosphorus that now fuels toxic algae blooms. These blooms choke oxygen from the lake, stopping endangered suckers from reaching adulthood. The collapse of sucker populations has strained relations between Native tribes with senior water rights and farmers dependent on irrigation. Restoring wetlands could help mend this conflict by cleaning water, reviving fish habitats, and improving soil quality for future crops. These nature-based solutions come at a pivotal moment, as recent dam removals and tribal-led projects create new possibilities for healing one of the West’s most contested watersheds.
Related: Federal judge upholds rule protecting wetlands from farm development
