Volume 7 Issue 10 November/December 2016
This July, I was fortunate to have participated in a tour of the St. Mary Diversion sponsored by the St. Mary Rehabilitation Working Group and the Montana Water Resources Association. It was a great experience. Montanans are enthusiastic, can-do Americans, and the scenery is wide open and beautiful. The glacial water in the project […]
Volume 7 Issue 9 October 2016
Shane Leonard is unique among irrigation district managers. His great-grandfather helped build the Roosevelt Water Conservation District and his grandfather and father both served as general managers to the district. So as a fourth-generation district employee and general manager, Shane is well acquainted with irrigation. He also has a passion for solving problems and […]
Volume 7 Issue 8 September 2016
Touring the Greater Wenatchee Irrigation District with General Manager Mike Miller was a great experience for many reasons. The scenery is beautiful, the climate is perfect, and the people are some of the nicest you could ever meet. As someone who grew up on a farm in southwestern Nebraska, it is always surprising to […]
Volume 7 Issue 7 July/August 2016
It has been my great honor to meet many irrigation district managers and to learn about their different management and leadership styles. Mark Zirschky, district superintendent for the Pioneer Irrigation District, is one of my favorite kinds of irrigation leaders, because he is a listener. Quiet and soft-spoken by nature, Mark is not one […]
Volume 7 Issue 6 June 2016
In early January, I phoned Mr. Damien Pearson, general manager, North America, for Rubicon Water, and said, “What do you think about our Irrigation Leader magazine working with Rubicon to co-sponsor a trip to Australia for irrigation district managers?” Damien’s response was a very Australian “no worries,” and “no worries” it truly was. Once […]
Volume 7 Issue 5 May 2016
This issue of Irrigation Leader magazine is about good people doing their best with bad circumstances and finding solutions. From natural drought to government-imposed regulations, our irrigation districts and farmers face tremendous challenges. Our interview with South San Joaquin Irrigation District General Manager Peter Rietkerk describes the extraordinary efforts by his district and farmers in […]
Volume 7 Issue 4 April 2016
This issue of Irrigation Leader focuses on groundwater: how it is managed in different states as well as some innovative programs and technologies for its conservation. Mr. C.E. Williams, general manager of the Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District in Texas, tells us about his district’s efforts to manage and sustain its supplies for as long […]
Volume 7 Issue 3 March 2016
The Bureau of Reclamation developed irrigation projects in the 17 western states that provide water to over 10 million acres of farmland. Managed directly by irrigation districts with locally elected boards of directors, the districts are responsible for the operation and maintenance of their facilities; however, the title or actual ownership of the districts is held […]
Volume 7 Issue 2 February 2016
True leadership, by definition, is effective. Jim Trull was an effective leader. In the nearly 25 years I knew Jim, I do not remember him ever raising his voice, using inappropriate language, or losing his temper. He was always congenial, soft spoken, and even keeled. A highly organized individual, Jim was a planner by […]
Volume 7 Issue 1 January 2016
“What is the purpose of the Endangered Species Act (ESA)?” is a question I often ask rhetorically during presentations. “Has it been successful in saving and recovering species?” is my follow-up question. Sadly, the reality is that since the passage of the ESA in 1973, less than 1 percent of the species on the […]