By Pat Ratliff
Klamath Courier staff writer
May 3, 2006
This column will be a landmark of sorts. It’s such a good idea that I don’t quite understand why I never thought of it before.
If it is well received, I just may do it on a yearly basis.
Friends, with all the fanfare and bravado I can muster, I am now pleased to announce the “First Annual Take Your Best Shot at Pat” column.
What would such a column consist of, you ask?
It’s simple, for once; I am not going to assume I know everything about a subject. For once, I am not the absolute authority.
I’ve been busy for the past few weeks working on the special section about the Klamath Project. Should be simple right? How hard can it be, especially for someone who’s lived here most of their life?
Well, it turned out to be a little more than I had originally planned.
Every piece of paper or map I looked at showed me more and more of what I didn’t know, not what I did know.
I did what every enterprising cub reporter would do; I immediately went into writers block and put the project off for a few months. If I ignore it, maybe it will go away I figured. I had made one big mistake though; I had told my boss I was going to do the project.
After the writers block comes the part consisting of what I call ‘the stare’. As the weeks went by, Daniel, my boss, would occasionally bring up the subject of a special about the “Project”. I would just say, “Oh yea, I’m working on it”, and then stare in the opposite direction. Of course, I wasn’t working on it at all, and wasn’t even thinking about it. I was just trying to make one of those really awkward moments when no one knows what to say, and conversation kind of dies down and everybody leaves.
In retrospect, it seemed like a good plan, but like so many good plans, it had a flaw. My boss, Daniel Webster is stubborn, and as it turns out, even more stubborn than I.
After a few episodes of ‘the stare’, and then changing the subject, Daniel started changing the subject back to the Project and then staring off into space so I couldn’t give any more excuses.
A few weeks ago, in defeat, I said I would get busy on it and get it done.
In the meantime, I had realized how very little I actually knew about the Project. I’ve lived here most of my life, but dealt with the Project only on a small area, east of Hatfield.
I decided I’d need help, and went to those who would know and help me give the illusion I knew what I was talking about. Earl Danosky and Jerry Pyle from the Tulelake Irrigation District, Dave Solem from the Klamath Irrigation District, Rae Olson and Cecil Leslie from the Bureau of Reclamation and Dave Mauser of the Tulelake National Wildlife Refuge, Greg Addington from the Klamath Water Users Association and Bob Gasser from Basin Fertilizer all gave me information, graphics and explained their ‘parts’ of the Project, and were very helpful. I got very few of those ‘I can’t believe he’s been here all his life and would ask a question like that’ looks. I now had an all-star cast of characters who, unknown to them, were going to help me not make a fool of myself.
The deeper I got into writing these articles about the Project, the more I realized how much I didn’t know. There are ditches and canals and pumps I had never seen or heard of. There are irrigation districts I had never heard of.
To make a long story even longer, this was a learning experience for me. I doubt I understand the Project, but I know a lot more than I did a few weeks ago.
I’m also sure I’ve made a few mistakes and omissions. If I left out something important or missed something altogether, this is your chance to let me know. If I got it entirely wrong, let me know. You want a piece of me? Tell me what I missed.
I do know one
thing. We have one of the finest
irrigation projects in the world. Studies
have proved what we already know; it’s one of the best, and getting better
by the year. After being used up
to seven times, the water left over is put back into the
I’m sure I missed something though, or got some canal mixed up with another in my descriptions.
For this week only, I’m not the world’s expert on life and all things living. For at least a week, I am humbled by ignorance and awaiting your comments and criticisms.
You want a piece of me? Come and meet my little friend.