MALHEUR LAKE RESTORATION
About this project
Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, one of the great refuges of the West, is in serious trouble. Malheur Lake, the biological heart of the refuge and the largest freshwater marsh in the West, is in a state of ecological collapse, the result of an exploding population of non-native common carp.
Carp foraging activities in Malheur Lake and elsewhere on the refuge have depleted the food resources available to migrating and resident bird populations.
Water quality has been so impacted by carp that natural plant and insect cycles have been permanently disrupted. No food source means no birds; in fact, migratory bird productivity on the Refuge is down almost 90%. Research on invasive common carp has shown that if enough can be removed from a water body, the aquatic plant community will rebound. Through a cooperative agreement with the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and partnership with Silver Sage Fisheries and Nutrient Company, common carp are now being removed from the waters of Malheur Lake. While our goal is to remove as many carp as possible from the lake, we don’t have to take all of them to have success. Subscribe to our newsletter for periodic updates regarding the restoration of Malheur Lake and other Foundation supported projects.
Your charitable donations will be used to restore the health of Malheur Lake.