By TY BEAVER

H&N Staff Reporter

September 28, 2010

 

     Marshall Staunton says the walking wetlands program has been good for him and his brothers.  

   The three third-generation farmers were the first to farm a part of the Tulelake lease lands called Lot 5 that was flooded as part of the program. Now about 20 percent of the land they farm has been flooded at some point for a number of seasons.

   “Where the walking wetlands get so popular,” said Marshall Staunton, “is after a cycle, you do get better yields and quality.”

   Despite the program’s popularity with growers and those concerned about wildlife and the environment, it was suspended this year because of the water shortage in the Klamath Basin, leaving many fields barren.

   Those working on the program are trying to ensure the program’s survival, but indicated that it could be difficult if droughts persist in the future and solutions to the Basin’s water woes can’t be found.     

 

   “ We’re all working real hard to turn this around,” said Ron Cole, manager of the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges.

   The program grew out of research on how land that is temporarily flooded can improve soil conditions for crops. At the same time, the temporary flood serves as a marsh that can be used by wildlife.

   Fewer pest problems

   Staunton and his brothers said fields that go through the program have fewer pest problems, specifically from a nematode that can devastate potato crops. Treated lands pose additional benefits, from richer soils to the ability to grow organic-rated crops after just two irrigation seasons of flooding. As a result, such lands often lease for one and-a-half times that of an ordinary parcel on the Tulelake lease lands.

   Cole said the temporary marshes can help improve water quality. They also yield a different biology than that of the older, established marshes that remain of the former Tule and Lower Klamath lakes.

   “We’ve seen a tremendous gain for numerous species, including shore birds and wading birds,” he said.

   The benefits come with a high demand for water. The treated fields have to be flooded to a minimum depth of six inches, requiring a little more water than is needed to irrigate a similarly sized field of alfalfa.  

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flooding fields

   Dikes have to be constructed around the land to keep water in and water has to be constantly pumped in to counteract seepage. Also, not everyone likes having a flooded field next to theirs, as it can lead to more birds that can impact crops, Staunton said.

   The need for water is currently the greatest concern facing the program, Cole said. All the water that goes to the flooded fields has to go through the wildlife refuge, which has gone   without this year. Irrigators on the Klamath Reclamation Project received less than half of the water they’d typically receive in a season.

   “This year, the fields are just dry,” Staunton said of the fields meant to be flooded this season.

   Sub-surface water

   Some of the fields have been put to some use, thanks in part to sub-surface water still in them, allowing some farmers to grow crops needing only a short season or only some irrigation water.

   Staunton and his brother, Sid, said they managed to get by this year but they still had to pay full price for the formerly flooded lands despite not getting to fully use them.

   They and Cole said continued efforts toward stabilizing the Basin’s water supply are crucial to preserving the program and the benefits it has provided to farmers and wildlife alike

 

Side Bar

 

Land-idling program deadline set for Oct. 15   

 

   Irrigators who receive their water from Upper Klamath Lake or the Klamath River have until Oct. 15 to sign up for a land-idling program that will pay between $90 an acre to $180 an acre for not irrigating, according to a press release from   the Klamath Water and Power Agency.