History

TRAIL PROJECTS NEWS

We had some major projects on our agenda for 2023.

1) Dave was in charge of erosion control on the lakeside trail. He raised $500, THANKS to Sky Lakes Medical Center Community Grants program to help us buy gravel.

2) Phil wrote a successful grant for $3800 for a solar pump. SPECIAL THANKS TO: the Schwemm Family Foundation. Then he had to build and install it in the South Pond to control the water level that threatens our dikes. THANKS to Phil. Our trusty work crew then installed the piping, THANKS to Allan on Clo Cone’s tractor and A LOT of grunt work by our team.

3) Leslie, Mark, Bill, & Allan were in charge of planting the space between the Ken Hay trail and Highway 97 for 1500’ and installing a timed drip feeder to each of 112 new plants plus 9 that were already there. SPECIAL THANKS TO: Mennen Foundation $4000, USF&W Klamath Refuges $750, Ford Family Foundation $1800, children of Ben Kerns $500, Mountain Valley Gardens 10% discount and guidance, City of Klamath Falls and John Bellon for guidance, water source, and pressure reducer. Our Board and volunteers spent hundreds of hours to install pipe and the 4 dripfeed controllers and get them operative. THANKS to IYS for help planting and covering pipe. Leslie put in all 121 drip feeders.

4) AND, we reprinted our Guide to the Link River, THANKS to Klamath County Transient Room Tax grant. We just got approved for a 2nd Transient Room Tax grant for $2025 to reprint our trail brochures.

5) And, THANKS to Mark and team, our new shed is mostly completed and serving us well.

Ralph Opp and Terry Boyer, founding members of Wingwatchers

B.J Matzen, a founding member of Wingwatchers

Klamath Wingwatchers contributions to community of Klamath Falls over last 30 years

  1. Almost 2 miles of fairly level trail easily accessible at the west end of Klamath Falls; used by joggers, families, dog walkers, people walkers, birders, nature photographers, and tourists.

Features developed over 30 years

    1. Trail by Lake Ewauna and 4 ponds

    2. Benches

    3. Picnic tables

    4. Wetland informational signage

    5. Views of pond turtles, land and water birds, occasional beaver, skunk, otter, and mink

    6. Eagle perch, also used by cormorants

    7. Native plants brochure guide, available at trail entrances: planted 30 different varieties

    8. Trail brochure with birds by season, available at trail entrances

    9. Informational kiosks

    10. Doggie poop bag stations

  1. Pelicans on Parade POP statues which fund our Connect Kids to Nature grant program (your office has one of those pelicans on loan); most POP sculptures currently on exhibit at Discover Klamath

  2. Wetland Education exhibits in Discover Klamath exhibit area and Klamath County Museum

  3. Participation and leadership for International Migratory Bird Day in May for last 15+ years (interrupted by Covid)

  4. Winter Wings Festival leadership in early 2000’s and participation with children’s booth for over 20 years

  5. Production and distribution of Guide to Link River Trail

  6. Production and distribution of Klamath Basin Birding Trail guides

  7. Organizational Partnership with Blue Zones; 3 of their staff now sit on our Board

  8. Participation in PLAY day at Fairgrounds each January

  9. Bird house construction projects in elementary classes with some houses placed on trail

  10. Free Trail tours for birders, kindergarten classes (recently toured over 90 kids!), others as requested

  11. Site for Klamath Union High School Give Back Day for 3 years (interrupted by Covid)

  12. Site for LWV (League of Women Voters) 100th Anniversary; planted 2 trees and a new bench on trail

  13. Site of several memorial benches for deceased community members

  14. Site of 3 Boy Scout Eagle Badge projects and an OIT engineering dept. bridge

  15. Site of 3 USF&W floating nest platforms in South Pond – produce Canada Geese babies every year now

  16. Lakeside Trail is rescue area from what was proposed to become a dumping ground after highway was built

  17. Recipient of numerous grants; Transient Room Tax, Mennen Environmental Foundation, Klamath Basin Audubon Society, Wal-Mart

  18. Participant in SOLV litter cleanup programs

Annual Work Plan Accomplishments as of May 24, 2018

BYLAWS: Completed April 27, 2017: Language regarding what happens to assets if KWW disbands

TRAIL WORK

  • Completed October 2016: trail from South Portal to highway overpass on west side of Highway 97.

  • Dedicated KEN HAY Trail, October 2017; Constructed new Trail Head on South Portal property.

  • Created two floating islands to replace submerged ones in South Pond THANKS TO USF&W who gave us floats placed in South Pond on March 29, 2018

  • Installed brochure box at South Portal parking area. Ralph, with help from K.U. Orchestra, on May Give Back Day 2016

  • Completed Eagle Scout project in 2016: Alex Vasko set up mileage markers on Lake side trail for those who want to use as exercise trail. Created an enlarged trail map with trail marker info.

  • Completed 2017: Installed refurbished metal sign in Terry Boyer Memorial Picnic Area: Phil Dussel repaired old sign that had been vandalized and thrown into the lake. Bill and Ralph re-hung it.

BENCHES, SHEDS, ETC

* 2017 Ralph, Allan, and students from Give Back Day, Installed Bonnie Hay’s refurbished picnic table at the entrance to Ken Hay Trail in grove of trees.

TRAIL PARTNERSHIPS

  • 2016: Tied a Library reading activity with a trail walk (Story Hike). Installed 30 posts with numbers to match pages in story book.

KLAMATH WINGWATCHERS 2010-2011 ACHIEVEMENTS

1) Trail Enhancements:

  1. John Bellon, K. F. City Parks Dept

Donated 2 storage sheds and 3 picnic tables, plus additional assistance to move sheds on to the trail, plus tree planting; the tables allowed us to create the Terry Boyer Memorial Picnic Grove

  1. Ralph Opp – KWW Board Member: Trail signage, especially visible from freeway off ramp and off of Main Street

  1. Bill Wood – KWW Board Member and Trail Coordinator: Trail work from invasive weed control to spreading gravel to managing work crews, and there were many this year!

  1. Jeff Sturgeon, Mazama High School Wood Shop: Refinished picnic tables and produced metal sign for Terry Boyer Memorial Picnic Grove (coming by June 8)

E) Jeld Wen work crew, thanks to Akimi Kin Trail maintenance work on April 22

F) IYS: Trash pick up and trail maintenance work throughout the school year

2) International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD)

A) Cindy Deas: Savior of IMBD for 2011 and under-paid coordinator!

B) Ken Hay, K. F. City Parks Dept and KWW Board Member

Networker par excellance! So many more people are now working with us because of Ken – Ken has filled in so many little and big spaces with his vast knowledge and contacts, including taking on the sponsorship of IMBD 2011

3) Dave Menke - KWW Board Member: Newsletters that are so very professional looking!

4) South Portal Wetland Education Exhibit- It wouldn’t have happened without them, especially Ginny

  1. Ralph Opp – KWW Board Member - Builder extraordinaire for display boards

  2. Ginny Monroe and Nathan Jackson, Klamath Watershed Partnership

  1. KOSS - staff provided school projects for exhibit

  2. Todd Kepple, Klamath County Museum – provided jewelry display case and 11 shadow boxes from Boy Scouts, and follow up venue for exhibits

  3. Akimi King, USF&W – provided many exhibit materials

5) Belinda Kerzel – KWW Board Member: Outreach booths at various events throughout the year thanks to

6) Ron and Kathy Larson

POP project revitalization thanks to Ron and Kathy Larson’s willingness to take pelicans to new venues in other communities – second pelican sold, which created the “Connect Kids to Nature” fund at KWW

7) Emily Russell: Donated 3 Discovery Scope kits, DVD’s, and books which will open up a whole new world of field trip explorations and classroom science opportunities

20240206_172522_resized.jpg
20240206_174851_resized.jpg
20240206_174840_resized.jpg