Greenies, ranchers find common ground in Harney County
Tuesday, 21 June 2016 02:00
Esther Lev, executive director of The Wetlands Conservancy in Portland
Four years ago, four Harney County ranchers invited me to talk with them about flood irrigation, in the hope we might have a common vision.
It took only a few minutes to find a common appreciation of the benefits that spring flood irrigation provides to ranching operations and millions of water birds that stop, feed and rest on their migration north. Wetlands in the Harney Basin, which includes Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, provide critical habitat for a diverse number of bird, plant and amphibian species, and livelihoods for farmers and ranchers. Harney Basin wetlands and Malheur Lake are among the most important places on the continent for migratory birds, supporting more than 320 species of birds ...
After stories, jokes and occasional ribbing, (after all, they are ranchers from Eastern Oregon, and I'm a conservationist from the Willamette Valley) we recognized a shared love, awe and respect for the landforms, wetlands, water, birds, wildlife and human inhabitants of the Harney Basin. This shared respect for the land, and the value it brings to the people and wildlife, led to brainstorming some wetland and water system restoration and enhancement ideas and projects.
Several weeks later, we took some of our new ideas back to our diverse group of partners who had been working together since 2009 on a collaborative Malheur Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan. In parallel with the conservation plan process and the birth of the Harney Basin Wetlands Initiative, there were days spent in the field, ranch visits, phone calls and burgers, beer and bourbon ...
http://portlandtribune.com/sl/311589-189138-greenies-ranchers-find-common-ground-in-harney-county
