Lands taken out of irrigated agricultural uses and converted to wetlands as the primary usage above Upper Klamath Lake

Submitted by Ed Bartell

Following figures from Klamath Relief Fund office:  One acre irrigated ag land uses approximately 2 to 2½ Acre Feet (AF) water. One acre wetlands uses 4 to 4½ AF water. Wetlands use over 2ce as much water as ag lands.

The following is a list of lands, which have been removed from agricultural production as the primary land management, above Upper Klamath Lake.

Cattle production peeked in the Upper Basin in 1960, the start of the major decline was when the Tribal Grazing lands at Klamath Marsh was converted to Wetlands under the Management of US Fish and Wildlife in 1960.

The most dramatic increase in lands taken out of agricultural production and converted to wetlands has been past 1980.

*TNC Tulana Farms East (ADJ Claim 91) 4,600 Acres (TNC properties 1980s forward)

*TNC Goose Bay Farms (ADJ Claim 81) 2,187 Acres

*TNC Sycan Marsh (ADJ Claim 34) 9,790 Acres

*TNC Brattain Ranch Inc. (ADJ Claim 23) 3,098 Acres

*TNC Sycan Marsh (ADJ Claim 36) 8,255 Acres

*NWR Klamath Marsh 38,766 Acres (1960 major additions in 1989-90)

*NWR Upper Klamath Lake 14,440 Acres (1928)

* Trout Creek Ranch 1,200 Acres

* Private WRP (NRCS) 1,480 Acres

* Wood River Ranch 3,000 Acres (1994)

* Agency Lake Ranch 7,123 Acres

* Runny Y Wetlands 550 Acres

* Lakeside Farms 50 Acres

Nature Conservancy partners with feds for Klamath wetlands, Capital Press 2/24/06

Total Land changed to wetland from 94,539 Acres

Agricultural as primary water usage (above Klamath Lake)

*TNC (The Nature Conservancy) land estimates are from the Klamath Adjudication process, TNC may have more irrigated lands that are not in the adjudication. The extent of agricultural use prior to Upper Klamath Lake NWR is unknown, the rest of the lands had extensive agricultural use prior to conversion. Agency Lake Ranch, Wood River Ranch, Lakeside Farms, and Running Y acres come from 2002 FWS draft Sucker BO. Trout Creek Ranch acres comes from the National Archives, not all in wetlands. WRP acres were provided by NRCS

Following figures from Klamath Relief Fund office:  One acre irrigated ag land uses approximately 2 to 2½ Acre Feet (AF) water. One acre wetlands uses 4 to 4½ AF water. Wetlands use over 2ce as much water as ag lands.