Klamath Falls, Ore. – The Winter Wings Festival is grounded this year.
The festival, which began in 1980 as the Bald Eagles Conference, was scheduled to take place during the President’s Day Weekend in February.
The decision to cancel this year’s event was in part due to ongoing droughts that have left several areas in the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge complex, including the Tule Lake and the Lower Klamath National Wildfire Refuges, dry thereby reducing fish populations that feed the raptors.
The gathering has gained national attention attracting birders from around the nation.
The other reason it won’t fly this year is their challenge in attracting younger members to their organization.
Younger people don’t flock to birding the way the older crowd does, and the one-two punch of the waters running dry and the membership getting on in years caused them to clip the wings for the winter wings festival.
The Klamath Basin was at one time known for hosting the largest wintering concentrations of bald eagles in the lower 48 states, with populations of upwards of 500 and Peak migration periods between January and February.
