Happy coots

Miller Island Wildlife Refuge, Klamath Basin. This and other marshy refuges are going to ge increasingly in peril due to drought. We have had no significant snow this year and precipitation has dwindled steadily since 2009. At the same time, ranchers are also in crisis and this region is in the midst of a "water war" between environmentalists, ranchers and native tribes. Here is an article about last year's water problem at the larger refuge south of the one pictured. www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2013/07/key_wildlife_refuge_hit_hard_i.html