ABSTRACT This poster is an overview of the Klamath River Basin, designed to familiarize the audience with this area. Maps, figures, and pictures of this lovely place are provided to illustrate data. Other information included is a physical description of the landscape, climate, amount of rainfall, vegetation types, and other interesting facts. Physical Description of Landscape The Klamath River Basin covers 10.5 million acres, and spans from southern Oregon to northern California. (Figure 1) This area is long known for its agriculture, lakes, rivers, and hunting and fishing opportunities. It is home to 6 federal tribes, and several National Wildlife Refuges, Parks, and Forests. The Basin is divided into 2 parts, the upper and lower Klamath Basins. The habitats found in the Klamath Basin include open water, grassy meadows, freshwater marshes, coniferous forests, sagebrush and juniper grasslands, rocky cliffs and hills, and agricultural lands. Over 433 species of birds, fish, and wildlife reside here. The Klamath Basin is also home to the Williamson, Sycan, Klamath, Trinity, Lost, and Sprague Rivers. It also contains Crater, Clear, Tule, Upper Klamath, and Lower Klamath Lakes. National Wildlife Refuges also mark this area. The Bear Valley, Tule Lake, Clear Lake, Lower Klamath, Upper Klamath, and the Klamath Marsh Wildlife Refuges attract many visitors year round. The Lower Klamath Basin l Within the lower basin, the Klamath River is cut deeply into bedrock, forming a narrow canyon. The lower basin is also where most of the valley agriculture land is located. l The mountains that surround the lower basin, including the Coast Ranges and Trinity Alps are rugged with conifer and fir forests. These mountains also produce steep tributary streams. l Now into the Coast Range region, the climate of the lower basin is variable with usually very high annual rainfall and mild temperatures. This rainfall is pertinent to the recharging of this areas groundwater, and freshwater for irrigation, fishing, and drinking. (Figure 3) l The lower Klamath Basin is also home to the Lower Klamath Basin Wildlife Refuge. Established in 1908 by Theodore Roosevelt, it was America’s first national waterfowl refuge. Throughout the 49,600 acres of freshwater marshes, open water, croplands, and grasslands, many different species of birds can be seen, as well as various crops. (Figure 4) Conclusion The Klamath River Basin is a very beautiful area and I hope you are now familiar with this lovely place. However, in addition to the picturesque landscape and wildlife, this area is also plagued with many disputes concerning water rights, supply vs. demand, and much more. If you haven’t already visited this lovely area or one of its several Wildlife Refuges, I hope you do because it very well could get taken by the perplexity of society and politics. You’ll be glad you did! References Cited 1.Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology, Committee on Endangered and Threatened Fishes in the Klamath River Basin, Division on Earth and Life Studies,2004, Endangered and Threatened Fishes in the Klamath River Basin- Causes of Decline and Strategies for Recovery : National Academy of Sciences, Washington D.C., p Geography 185 Lecture Notes, 2005, Internet Web Resource,URL: notes.html (Last updated September 2005) 3.United States Geological Survey, Internet Web Resource, URL: (last updated March 17,2006) 4.Great Basin Visitors Association, Klamath County Oregon, Internet Web Resource, URL: (Last updated May 1,2006) 5.U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges Complex, Internet Web Resource, URL: (Last updated April 13,2006) 6.United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service National Water and Climate Center, Internet Web resource, URL: (Last Updated May 29,2006) 7. United States Environmental Protection Agency, Internet Web Resource, URL: (Last Updated May 30,2006) WELCOME TO THE KLAMATH BASIN-PHYSIOGRAPHIC SETTING Prepared by: Renae Burger ES 473 Environmental Geology Figure 1-Location Map of the Klamath River Basin Figure 2- Location Map of Upper Klamath Basin Overview of the Environment-Upper Basin The Upper basin extends north and east from the Iron Gate Dam on the main stem of the Klamath River. (Figure 2) This area is part of the Great Basin and Range region. It is dominated by the activity of large volcanoes and active faulting. This controls the location and shape of the many broad valleys here. These valleys contain all the natural lakes and large wetlands of the Klamath Basin. The second deepest lake in North America, Crater Lake, is one of these grand natural rivers. This area has a relatively dry, high desert climate with little rainfall, typical of areas that lie east of the Cascade Range. The upper basin is also home to six wildlife refuges, the most notable being the Upper Klamath Refuge which was established in This 15,000 acres of freshwater marshes and rivers are home to many species of birds and animals. Figure 3- Land Use/Land Cover Map of the Klamath Basin Figure 4- Average Annual Rainfall (cm) of the Klamath Basin Area. Note the difference between the Upper and Lower area amounts. Figure 5- One of the lovely freshwater marshes seen all throughout the Basin.