Thursday, July 9, 2009

Question: Klamath River Foam

User question: "Driving on Highway 96, I saw a foamy type of debris in the Klamath. What is it?"

For a long time we had heard concerns from rafters and other visitors about the occasional foamy matter spotted in the Klamath River. Quite a few folks speculated that it had something to do with pesticides, wastes, or pollution -- until about 15 years ago when a study was completed showing it was basically vegetable matter. If I remember correctly, I think the biologist quoted in the Siskiyou Daily News explained the process like what would happen if you put several heads of lettuce in a washing machine. (Sorry no reference available.)

1 comment:

  1. I'm sad to report that due to habitat loss, sasquatchs can no longer be found in Western Canada so a big part of the appeal of Cycle Oregon's visit to Jefferson State would be the propects of photographing a sasquatch up close.

    Do you think I could lure a creature close with peanut butter sandwiches and cold milk?

    Looking forward to my trip!

    Thank you;
    D. Wayne Mather
    Langley BC
    Canada(eh!)

    ReplyDelete

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