Botulism outbreak kills more than 100,000 birds

The big picture: Botulism thrives in warm, stagnant water and the refuge, which has historically been home to vast wetlands, has been hit hard in recent years by drought and high temperatures, both of which have been made worse by climate change.

• Botulism is a naturally occurring toxin that proliferates in shallow water.
• It attaches to nerve endings and causes weakness and lethargy, leading affected birds to drown.

Context: The refuge relies on water released from Upper Klamath Lake by the Bureau of Reclamation, which also supplies water to local farmers, ranchers and tribes.

What they're doing: In August, conservation groups asked the bureau to release water to the refuge to stem the outbreak.

• The bureau delivered roughly 10,000 acre-feet of water earlier in the summer, but it did not stop the illness from spreading.

What they're saying: Teresa Wicks, a biologist with the Bird Alliance of Oregon, has seen the outbreak firsthand, calling it a "pretty traumatic thing."

• "Their necks become paralyzed and they can't keep their head out of the water," Wicks said. "It's devastating."

What's next: It's likely the outbreak will continue until the first freeze in the area, Wicks said, but the severity of this year's outbreak has spurred what she called "productive" conversations among the Klamath Basin community about ways to reconnect the wetlands to natural water sources.