The water you see is only a few inches deep in many places, soon to be drier due to severe drought. This big marsh is a major resting stop for migratory birds such as geese and ducks. Bald eagles and other raptors live here year round and station themselves on what few trees and snags there are.

The western USA is in a state of severe drought. There will be federal help for states making an emergency declaration for the financial and environmental toll it will take. The governors of Oregon and California have already declared a Drought Emergency. With fire season imminent, everyone is very much on edge about the combination of record temperatures,* low-to-no surface water, no beneficial amounts of rain for at least a year and fire crews that will be stretched beyond their limits.

*Death Valley, California, reaches the highest summer temperatures on earth. It was 129F Saturday (54C). Tomorrow will be hotter all over the west. Phoenix, Arizona with be 116F (46.7C). Redding, in northern California, will be 110F (43C). The highest temp I've ever experienced was 112F in Red Bluff, California and it felt horrible.