Saline Lakes Restoration and Policy Options
Global declines in endorheic basins—that is, basins that have no external surface drainage other than evapotranspiration or groundwater seepage—are not new. Lake Abert and Summer Lake in southeastern Oregon—the remnants of Lake Chewaucan—are also silently disappearing but without much fanfare, even though both lakes are important stops for migrating waterfowl and related ecotourism. IWW is working in concert with a University of Oregon Conflict Resolution Program graduate student on inventorying global engineering and policy responses to drying lakes for the Oregon Lakes Association and the Cheuwacan Basin Collaborative.