District Manager’s View

By Rick Woodley

June 2006

June marks the end of my sixth year as the District Manager of the Klamath Soil and Water Conservation District. As I begin my seventh year, I would like to take the time to recognize some outstanding individuals I have had the privilege to work with. As with any list, I am sure I will miss some people who have contributed to the District and our success. First and foremost are the men and women who have served as members of the Board of Directors. The amount of time they contribute and their insight into the farming and ranching in the Klamath Basin is remarkable, and it is done without any compensation. You will find their names listed in the newsletter. Following the directors are the members of my staff. Larry Peach, Lee Ashford, TJ Woodley, Joyce Guthrie and the late Linda Jaymes have been outstanding. Their day starts and finishes when the work is done, which is in stark contrast to many public employees. Their support and advocacy for landowners is well established. Next on my list of notables are the present and past members of the Klamath County Board of Commissioners. Their public support and financial contributions have allowed the KSWCD to become a trusted source of technical information for landowners.

Oregon State University employees, Chair Ron Hathaway and recently retired staff members, Ken Rykbost, Kerry Locke and Rodney Todd, have been a great resource for our organization. I want to extend a personal thank you to each of them for their contributions to the landowners of the Klamath Basin.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture has contributed several outstanding, knowledgeable and supportive employees. Larry Ojua provides each conservation district in Oregon with top-notch administrative support. Ellen Hammond and Tim Stevenson have also provided valuable insight and support.

Oregon NRCS employees, Cliff Fox and David Chain, have been extremely supportive of the District and local landowners. On the California side Lin Brooks and Gene Kelley have worked unselfishly with the above mentioned to assist our District and the Lava Beds-Butte Valley RCD work together in providing conservation programs that work in conjunction with each other and provide equitable treatment of landowners in both states. In addition, Lin and Gene made it possible for our District to take the lead in the formation of the Klamath River Coalition of Conservation Districts, which joined all the Resource Conservation Districts in the Klamath River Watershed both in Oregon and California.

Finally, and certainly not least with their assistance to the District and landowners in Klamath County are Ken Bierly and Rick Craiger of OWEB, John McDonald with OACD, John Snider of Congressman Greg Walden’s office, Danette Watson of the Klamath Watershed Council, Roger Smith of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Don Gentry and Kris Fischer of the Klamath Tribes, Dave Sabo, formally with the local Bureau of Reclamation, Denise Martin and Linda Watson, former local Farm Service Agency employees. Each of them deserves special recognition in working for and with local landowners, farmers and ranchers.

In spite of often tragic decisions, such as unnecessary water cutoffs, conflicting scientific data, unwarranted listing of species, environmental extremists, wasteful groundwater pumping, while keeping extremely and dangerously high lake levels leading to failing dikes, the waste of valuable farm land taken out of production for the water-bank, and the refusal to continue to provide reasonably priced power in exchange for free water resources, the Klamath Soil and Water Conservation District has remained a constant and stable source of assistance for landowners.

We have provided many new and successful programs for landowner’s that are hi-lighted by the overwhelming acceptance and growth of our no-till drills and minimum tillage program.

I look forward to my continued affiliation with and working for the KSWCD and the Directors.