The resource management history of the Upper Basin is long and complex. For close to 100 years, challenging demands have been placed on water availability; timber; and avian, terrestrial, and aquatic species. Social conflicts between Native Americans, post-European pioneers, and state and federal governments have further complicated the Upper Basin ’s history. It is in this context that numerous decisions made through the decades have led to continuing conflict and controversy regarding the most appropriate way to manage these important resources. In 1996, the 104th Congress of the United States chartered the Upper Klamath Basin Working Group (Public Law 104-333 – the Oregon Resources Conservation Act) to develop a plan for the Upper Basin that focuses on enhancing ecosystem restoration, improving economic stability, and minimizing drought-associated impacts on all resources and stakeholders.

Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, California Waterfowl Association, Crater Lake Realty, Klamath Basin Audubon Society, Klamath Basin Ecosystem Restoration Office, Klamath Compact Commission, Klamath County Cattlemen’s Association, Klamath County Commissioner, Klamath County Economic Development Association, Local Businesses, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Oregon Department of Fish and Game, Oregon Institute of Technology, Oregon Water Resources Department, PacifiCorp, Soil and Water Conservation District, The City of Klamath Falls, The Klamath Tribes, Tulelake Growers Association, Tulelake Irrigation District, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution, U.S. Timberlands, U.S.D.A. Forest Service, and others. (Length of list due to extraordinarily extensive and diverse funding, cooperation, and participation.)

The group’s recommendations led to restoration of key wetland habitats for endangered fish at the Williamson River Delta on Upper Klamath Lake, fish passage at the Chiloquin Dam, and development of a plan (“Crisis to Consensus”) to help resolve issues of endangered species, restoration and water allocation in the basin.  The Upper Klamath Basin Working Group (UKBWG) sponsors a stakeholder-supported Science Team to evaluate funding needs and prioritize restoration actions.  Members of the UKBWG started a local nonprofit organization to help with project implementation called the Klamath Basin Ecosystem Foundation, and work with the Klamath Watershed Council on community-driven watershed assessments.  The UKBWG has worked with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Reclamation to help put over $20M of restoration projects on the ground. In the coming year the UKBWG will help lead the development of a conservation implementation plan that will merge ongoing efforts in the Upper and Lower Basin under one unifying umbrella.