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A "Garden of Eatin" in the Mountains |
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| Pelicans Flying Over Lake |
Blue Green Reflections |
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| A Creek That Feeds The Lake | Wild Algae Cells |
SBGA |
Upper Klamath Lake is an authentic ecological paradise. Nestled in the Cascade Mountains in southern Oregon, in full view of legendary Mt. Shasta and Mt. Mazama, the lake is fed by a network of 17 pure streams, creeks, and natural springs as well as two major rivers supplying 650 billion gallons of water each year. While the source of these "rivers of light" remains a true geological mystery, for wildlife this environment is a virtual "garden of eatin'." With mountains to the north and west and the town of Klamath Falls lying downstream to the south, the lake is isolated and naturally protected from most industry, pollution, and commercial development that could compromise its purity.
Since the last retreat of the glaciers, the lake has served as a "nutrient trap" for a rich supply of minerals, volcanic silt, and other nutrients washing in from thousands of square miles of volcanic terrain. The minerals and silt were a gift of Mt. Mazama when 7,000 years ago the entire top 5,000 feet of the mountain blew off in an explosion 300 times the size of Mt. St. Helens'. Although the lake floor is covered with 35 feet of rich sediment that's replenished
constantly, just one inch contains enough nutrients to support the massive annual algae bloom for 60 years.
Considering the protected environment, abundance of minerals, natural nitrogen, pure water and 300 days of sunshine per year, it's little wonder that SBGA has been flourishing for thousands of years. And there's no end in sight. Each year, Upper Klamath Lake produces 200 million pounds of algae! Enough SBGA could be produced to feed one to two grams per day to everyone on the planet.
Algae, simple water plants, were the first organisms to use the power of the sun to split the water molecules; combining the hydrogen plant with carbon dioxide to create their own food. The oxygen half was liberated into the primeval atmosphere as a by-product, releasing the first breath of life.
Having brought about the conditions essential to more complex living things, algae have sat at the very bottom of the food chain throughout the history of creation, transforming minerals, water and gases into food for animals and plants. Today, these remarkable life forms are found in every drop of fertile soil, and they are directly responsible for an unbelievable 80% of nature's food supply and 90% of its oxygen production. Many biologists believe that even the green pigment packets in plants, that give them their characteristic color and allow them to photosynthesis, were once independent algal cells that integrated into simple plants billions of years ago -forming a mutually beneficial relationships.
