June 24, 2020

Liz Writes Life

OK, I bit off more than I realized, when I decided to write about the history of the Klamath Project, which includes lands in Eastern Siskiyou County, Modoc County and Klamath County in Oregon. During the past 20 years, I have learned a few things about the Klamath Basin and became friends with several farmers in the Klamath Project as they have voiced frustrations over losses of irrigation water. After reading additional various histories on the Klamath Basin and the Klamath Project, I realize the word “complicated” correctly describes the development of the area.

I grew up here in Siskiyou County and learned that the basin grew lots of agricultural crops – especially sugar beets (back then) and potatoes. I did not understand that the Klamath Project was established through the National Reclamation Act of 1902. As a result of that act, the new Bureau of Reclamation agency was authorized to construct and operate federal water supply projects for the irrigation of lands in the western states.

U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt is known for his protective actions for natural resources; and this also included his crusade to develop federal programs for irrigation and hydroelectric development in the West. He supported the National Reclamation Act of 1902 and signed it into law. This legislation opened arid, dry and swampy areas to settlement with the federal government investing in large scale irrigation and water storage projects.

At the turn of the 20^th century, agriculture had expanded throughout the West and water wars were a major problem. Territories and States worked to settle disputes and create water rights. Water is the ultimate power.

The beginning of the development of the Klamath area goes back to Peter Skene Ogden, who is known to have trapped the area for the Hudson Bay Fur Company starting in 1826. Capt. John C. Fremont led a U.S. military expedition to the area in 1843. He noted it was a rugged area with fertile valleys, huge swamps of water and lakes -- and high dry desert.

It was after the ending of the wars with the Modoc Tribe, when farmers began creating irrigation systems in the 1880s. It was difficult and hard. Cold, snowy winters slowed progress even after the Klamath Project was started in 1903. Various European immigrants moved into the area and survived. Others did not. But, the need to build and improve irrigation canals and ditches continued. Support from the federal government was a solution.

Many of the farming families in the Klamath Project today are also descendants of veterans, who fought in World War I or World War II as they were able to apply for homesteading plots. Other homesteaders also moved into the area in the 1920s and 1930s. I will reiterate that it was a monumental task to create farm land, but stubborn, determined folks met the challenge.

It needs to be mentioned that the United States was still struggling to feed its growing population in the early 1900s. The Reclamation Act was also meant to grow agriculture, with supply chains, to establish regional and national economies.

Congressional legislation to the act was later extended to include hydropower, industrial and municipal uses along with recreation, fish and wildlife protection, flood control and navigational benefits. Whew, talk about multiple-uses for water that was initially intended to feed America! No wonder there is conflict.

Today, there are more than 20 irrigation water districts that represent around 1,200 farmers in the 210,000 acres of the Klamath Project. Water is re-used up to six times as it flows south. Several wildlife refuges were created as part of this intricate water and agricultural system. When Reclamation shut-off all the irrigation water to the project farmers in 2001, more than 400 species of birds and wildlife lost their habitat. Many animals died.

This year, the wildlife may also be affected, as irrigation water was cut back to less than 40 percent of the legal allotment. Then in May, the Bureau of Reclamation announced an even further reduction down to about 20 percent of their annual legal allotment. This was devastating. Seeds were in the ground and crops were growing. The stoppage of water in June, July and August would see crops die and financially destroy the growers.

The project farmers, along with supporters, water districts, groups and elected national, state and county officials, voiced huge frustration of this additional water loss. On May 29, 2020, a 20-mile long rally of pickups, semi trucks, log trucks, cars, you-name-it, drove through the basin, including Klamath Falls. The rally was called “Shut down and Fed Up.” Apparently, these voices were heard as Reclamation announced, in mid-June, that the farmers should receive most of the April 1^st allotment of the 40 percent of water. I certainly hope this happens.

Because of the Covid-19 virus pandemic, we have recently found our food supply and its infrastructure of supply-lines affected. Our country needs its farmers and ranchers who own private property and have water rights. We also need the reclamation projects, where family farmers also grow our food.

I have only touched on the basics of the history of the Reclamation Act, which also built the Hoover, Shasta and Grand Coulee Dams and put millions of acres of otherwise non-productive lands into agricultural production. Mostly, I just want to encourage respect for the people that grow our food. It looks like tough times are ahead. Farmers and ranchers are certainly a necessity – and they must have water.

Garden

So, I got another big batch of lawn clippings (from my source that has a very large lawn) and the entire garden in now mulched. The clippings quickly dry and shrink, so I will continue to add them weekly. I weeded around the cucumbers, bell peppers, zucchini and cantaloupes. Haven’t pulled-in the clippings around the plants yet as the cucs and cantaloupes are at just three or four leaves big and I don’t want to lose them in the clippings. I did toss clippings into the two-foot-tall red potatoes and the smaller, younger foot-tall Russet potato plants. Already, I can tell they are holding in the moisture – and that is the object!

Personally, I am not looking forward to the 100 degree temps this week, but it should really make the garden plants grow!

Liz Bowen began writing ranch and farm news, published in newspapers, in 1976. She is a native of Siskiyou County and lives near Callahan. Columns from the past year can be found at: lizwriteslife.blogspot.com. Call her at 530-467-3515.

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