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Land purchase could help Klamath refuge solve water shortage BY MARK FREEMAN KLAMATH FALLS -- The Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge could grow by almost 7,000 acres in upcoming decades under a plan to boost the refuge's ability to create bird-friendly wetlands. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hopes to buy specific parcels of irrigated farm land adjacent to the 46,900-acre refuge straddling the Oregon-California border south of Klamath Falls. The lands would be bought only when they come available by willing sellers, and no properties would be condemned. If and when any land is bought, it would be the first additions to the refuge since Teddy Roosevelt declared it America's first waterfowl refuge in 1908. The added lands contain precious water that would be used to enhance wetland habitat. Eighty percent of the waterfowl migrating along the Pacific Flyway stop in Klamath Basin wetlands, and thousands more make the refuge their permanent home. "Control of the use of water on the land is as important -- if not more important -- than the land itself," refuge Manager Fran Maiss said. Refuge wetlands are low on the Klamath Basin's pecking order for water use, leaving the refuge short of enough water for bird habitat two of every five years. Moreover, studies show that ongoing draining and grazing of wetlands harms production of some duck species like mallards and pintails. By funneling water on and off the newly acquired lands as birds need them, the refuge could more often reach its annual goal of 12,000-16,000 acres of seasonal wetlands for birds, Maiss said. "These properties would help us solve the water-shortage issues on Lower Klamath Lake," Maiss said. The refuge, which can only pay market value for any property, has no money to buy lands as they come up for sale, Maiss said. However, the agency would likely petition for federal duck stamp money or tap the Land and Water Conservation Fund for money. Maiss said negotiations are under way to purchase two large tracts totaling more than 3,100 acres along the refuge's eastern side just south of the Oregon border. The nonprofit Trust for Public Lands is negotiating with the two Merrill-based landowners, identified as Gary Orem and Ralph Stearns, to buy the lands and hold them in trust until they can be sold to the government. Stearns would not comment on the negotiations. Orem said the "potential is there" for him to sell his 1,069 acres -- currently preserved as wetlands -- to the nonprofit trust for eventual inclusion in the refuge, but he declined to discuss the topic further. Some landowners like Virginia Liskey, whose 360 acres near the refuge are eyed for purchase, said she has no interest in selling in the immediate future. The land, which her parents bought 50 years ago, contains alfalfa, hay and cattle-grazing lands. Liskey is no great fan of the refuge, saying the service's wetland program pushes birds off federal lands and onto adjacent farmlands, much to the chagrin of local farmers. "They mismanage their property so bad, it makes me furious," Liskey said. Maiss acknowledged that, although the desirable properties have been identified, it could be 20-30 years or more before they become available. The refuge took its first major step toward acquiring these lands this week by releasing an environmental study on the pros and cons of buying the properties. The agency is required to conduct such a study before buying any lands for the refuge, Maiss said. By doing the study now, it will act like a blueprint for land acquisitions and make individual studies on each parcel moot, he said. The Lower Klamath Lake Wildlife Refuge was more than 81,600 acres when Roosevelt created it, but homesteading allowed in 1915 and 1921 shrunk it to its present size of 46,902 acres -- most of which is in California's Siskiyou County. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA