Ep.91 The Legacy of California Waterfowling: A talk with Conservationist Yancey Forest-Knowles Pt. 3
Description
In this new episode—part three of our California history series—Jeff Smith and Carson Odegard close out the Klamath Basin saga and head south to the 240,000-acre Grasslands, where water rights, teal limits, and hard-fought tradition still rule the marsh.
Topics include:
Klamath’s boom-to-bust timeline—from 100,000-duck openers in ’52 to today’s drought-strangled refuge drama
Miller & Lux’s canal gamble that turned alkali flats into duck country and sparked 180 active clubs
Jay Martin Winton vs. the Bureau of Reclamation—the bare-knuckle fight that created the Grasslands Water District and still floods your blind every fall
Small-gauge, big smiles—why teal limits, wigeon straps, and tight-knit club culture make the Grasslands the most approachable duck scene in the state
Habitat truths—cocklebur takeovers, raven predation, and the management grind needed to keep mallards finishing today
The next battle on the horizon: a 20-foot high-speed-rail viaduct aimed straight through prime wetlands—and how locals are pushing back
Plus: steamboat blinds on Lower Klamath and the mystery of the lost-and-found clubs.
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