Bravo to Suzanne, her project partners, and her clients! Bravo also to the Dubois Anglers & Wildlife Group (D.A.W.G.S) for their work promoting this project’s impact on fish. More from D.A.W.G.S. at dawgsonline.org.

The Scott Ditch screen is a 26 CFS custom Farmers Screen that was installed by WDFW last March for the South Naches Irrigation District near Naches, WA. Complete details about the project are available here.

The project engineer, Paul Tappel of Fisheries Engineers, Inc. graciously hosted a big BBQ celebration at the project site last week. We were there to partake in the great food, drinks, and conversation with landowners and neighbors who were all happy to join in congratulating the project partners on a job well done.

Fisheries Engineers did a great job demonstrating the screen function and fish protection capabilities with the release of several juvenile salmon over the screen. This was followed by the release of the “Tappel Apples” – great fun and a really creative way to demonstrate how the Farmers Screen works to be self-cleaning.

Also on hand at the BBQ was public radio and EarthFix reporter, Courtney Flatt who published this article on the EarthFix blog, and this radio story for Northwest Public Radio.

All of us at FCA would like to thank Paul Tappel, Yakama Nation Fisheries, WDFW, and BPA for their partnership on this ground-breaking project. As FCA’s first Farmers Screen project in Washington state, this one is special. Thank you!

FCA’s Les Perkins and Dan Kleinsmith had a great time traveling to the 31st Annual California Salmonid Restoration Federation conference in Fortuna, CA last month. A great time, that is, until Les suffered the weirdest knee injury ever, then it was just Dan having a great time.

The California Salmonid Restoration Federation always puts on a terrific conference. FCA really enjoys exhibiting there, learning from all the great presenters, finding new potential Farmers Screen projects, and meeting all the amazing people working on the front lines of salmon restoration in California.

We will definitely be back next year, without the crutches!

Dave Iverson near the Upper Badger Creek diversion, photographed by FCA's Dan Kleinsmith

We first met Dave Iverson during a site visit to the Upper Badger Creek diversion in Wasco County, Oregon, during the planning stages of a 30 CFS Farmers Screen install. This project was in a very remote site and opened 6.91 river miles for safe fish passage while serving 3,610 acres of farmland.

Dave has been the ditch walker for a long time and knows his stuff. His weekly trek to the site is 2.5 miles one-way. I say “trek” because there are no roads to the site. Rain or shine, the ditch walker is responsible for maintaining proper water flow down the ditch to the users. He is also the guy that has to jump into the creek to adjust the check boards across Badger Creek and after getting to know him, I doubt he cares if he’s wearing any hip waders. This is one tough individual. Dave is the go-to guy for getting things done, and he does a great job for his irrigation group.

We look forward to chatting more with Dave and learning how the Farmer Screen installation has helped him get his job done.

– Dan Kleinsmith, FCA Project Manager

We were so excited to see Farmers Irrigation District (FID) highlighted in the January 2013 issue of Irrigation Leader! Their article, Farmers Irrigation District: Creating Revenue through innovation focuses on FID’s innovative advances in screening, hydro, pipeline conversion and habitat restoration. (Click the link to download the PDF. Article is on pages 32-33)

The article applauds FIDs “many technological accomplishments,” that Irrigation Leader says “results in significant gains.”

For more information on the Farmers Irrigation District, visit its website at www.fidhr.org or call District Manager (and former FCA’er) Jer Camarata at (541) 386-3115.

Great job, guys!

Here’s that link: http://www.waterandpowerreport.com/newsletters/January%20_2013.pdf

It was back in 2010 that FCA first experienced the River Network’s ‘River Rally’ conference. High up above the Salt Lake Valley floor, surrounded by the best snow on earth at Snowbird Mountain Resort, we learned about this group and the Rally. It left such an impression on us that once we heard that the 2012 Rally was going to be held in Portland, OR, we immediately signed up to host one of the field trip days here in Hood River.

Farmers Screen at Coe Creek, during the River Rally Field Trip tour.

Working with River Networks’s Katherine Luscher, we secured a full-day field trip, bringing 23 folks from 12 states from the conference center in Portland up to the Hood River valley to tour a Farmers Screen installation, have a wine tasting and talk about organic practices and irrigation management with Scott Hagee at Pheasant Valley Winery, and to tour and taste at Full Sail Brewing company while learning about their water use practices that have set them apart from most of the industry.

Pheasant Valley Winery's Scott Hagee talks to the group.

The weather couldn’t have been better, the group nicer, or our itinerary stops more impactful. We were able to show these great people around this amazing area that we work and live in, introduce them to some people that are working hard to protect fish and resources, and let them have a great time in the process.  A big “thank you” goes out to the kind people of River Network for making this tour possible, Craig DeHart with Middle Fork Irrigation District, Scott at Pheasant Valley winery, and Lisa and Randy at Full Sail. Everyone enjoyed the day and the time that you took out of your day to be with us.

River Rally conference - that's Roy in the lower right.

Rally Ho!