Biodiversity in the Klamath Region

Biodiversity of the Klamath

A hidden gem amongst the magnificence of the Pacific Northwest, the Klamath Region possesses a beauty that rivals few similar areas. Its uniqueness attracts visitors from all over the world, and the World Wildlife Fund has designated it one of the ten richest temperate (moist and cool) forests in the world. The Klamath Region ranges from Crater Lake, south to Redding, and from the Oregon Coast, east to the Cascade Range and the Great Basin. Within the Klamath region there are numerous mountain ranges including the northern Sierra Nevada, Cascade, and Coast Ranges and the Siskiyou, Marble, and Trinity Mountains. It has the greatest number of wild and scenic rivers in the nation, and the largest roadless area in the Pacific Northwest.

Within it you can find over 3500 plant species, and 281 species (both plants and animals) only found in this spectacular area. You can explore a range of habitats from the coastal redwoods and the alpine tundra, to the deepest natural lake in the United States. Other things you can find while exploring this diverse region are hot springs, volcanic caves, and rare and keystone species such as the spotted owl, coho and chinook salmon, Port-Orford cedar and Brewer’s spruce.

All of these add up to a region with immense biological treasures. In the following pages we are going to go on an adventure through the Klamath Region and explore more closely what makes it so rich in biodiversity.

An Outreach and Education Project made possible by the National Park Service, Klamath Network Inventory and Monitoring and Southern Oregon University