Walla Walla County Conservation District

District Seeks Applicants for Appointed Supervisor Position

audrey — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 12:45:25 +0000

The Walla Walla County Conservation District is seeking applicants for an opening on the Board of Supervisors. A district supervisor is a public official who serves without compensation and sets policy and direction for the District. The position is for a three-year term on a five member board and is currently being held by Pat McConnell. Application forms are available at the District office and Here: Application for Appointed Supervisor. The deadline for applying through the District is 4:00 p.m. March 25^th or applicants may obtain forms and apply directly to the Washington Conservation Commission; all forms must be to the Commission (not just postmarked) by March 29^th and can be sent to the following address: Conservation Commission, PO Box 47721, Olympia, Washington 98504-7721

The Gardena North 2800 Gets Underway

audrey — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 17:35:05 +0000

Delivery of 66″ pipe for the 2800 project. Each truck carries one 48-foot long section.

Work has commenced on the Gardena North 2800, so named because it consists of 2,800 feet of piping and is part of the Gardena North Lateral project. The complete project will replace the present Gardena Farms Irrigation District #13 (GFID) open north canal with a closed gravity-fed pipeline approximately 7 miles long. It will save conveyance water (water lost due to evaporation and seepage in open canals) and allow for much more efficient delivery of irrigation water, resulting in even more water savings. The 2800 project will use pipe as large as 66″ in diameter! As part of their contribution towards the project, irrigators have agreed to put 5.1 cfs into permanent trust which will remain in the river for fish. The remainder of the Gardena North project is scheduled for construction in late fall. Funding for these projects has been provided by the Department of Ecology and Bonneville Power Administration with support from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Unloading the 66″ pipe

Ground Breaking Ceremony Held

audrey — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 16:12:59 +0000

A ground breaking ceremony was held on July 19^th for the Bergevin-Williams/Old Lowden (BW/OL) diversion and pipeline at the diversion site. This ambitious project will eliminate two gravel push up dams that impede fish migration, replacing them with a state-of-the-art self-cleaning fish screen and diversion structure. The new consolidated diversion will be followed by construction of the BW/OL pipeline, which will replace almost 8 miles of open ditch with a water-saving pipeline. The irrigators have placed a substantial amount of water in permanent trust which will be left in the river for fish; in return they will have an efficient piped system that will eliminate conveyance loss (the water lost from evaporation and leakage in an open ditch) and aid in managing and conserving irrigation water. The projects are funded by grants from the Department of Ecology and Bonneville Power Administration with support from the Washington Conservation Commission, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the irrigators of the Bergevin Williams and Old Lowden ditch system.

John Barkley, CTUIR, gives his enthusiastic endorsement of the project.

Rick Jones, District Manager, explains how this project supports irrigators and benefits fish.

Todd Kimball to Serve Three Year Term as WWCCD Supervisor

wwccd_admin — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 17:51:39 +0000

The Walla Walla County Conservation District held its 2012 Annual Meeting and Supervisor Election on Thursday, January 26th, 2012, at the Walla Walla Regional Airport in the Blue Mountain Community Meeting Room. Todd Kimball is a veteran Board member who has served Walla Walla County in this capacity for two three-year terms. During this time, he has served in every officer position on the Board from Chairman to Member-at-Large and now serves as Treasurer. Todd had filed to run for re-election but since he ran unopposed and collected 25 valid county elector signatures, he was automatically elected in accordance with conservation district election guidelines.

A Drive to Revive Arbor Day

wwccd_admin — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 22:09:02 +0000

Arbor Day will be celebrated on April 11, this year and more than 620 Fourth Graders in Walla Walla County, will rollup their sleeves and plant a tree. The kids will become members of the Fourth Grade Foresters. The project’s goal is to help revitalize a remarkable idea-observation of Arbor Day in America’s schools. Fourth graders at Berney Elementary, Blue Ridge Elementary, Assumption Catholic School, Edison Elementary, Green Park Elementary, Rogers Adventist School, Sharpstein Elementary School, Waitsburg Elementary, Prescott Elementary, Touchet Elementary and Dixie Elementary. All Elementary Schools in Walla Walla County will receive trees to take home and plant.

Fourth Grade Foresters USA was created to provide a simple and inexpensive way for any individual, business or organization to send the 4th Grade students at an elementary school, home with a tree of their very own to plant and care for. Each fourth grader receives an individually packaged 12”-18” evergreen tree seedling packaged by workers with disabilities. Planting trees is a simple, inexpensive and easy way to improve the community.

The Walla Walla County Conservation District who sponsored the trees said, this is one way we can share the message of our mission with students and their families to help youth build citizenship values and respect for the environment. There are more than 3.5 million 4th Graders in the United States. Together they can begin to plant a forest of their own, a forest that will benefit everyone for generations to come.

Our Motto is “Leave a Legacy, Plant a Tree, according to Marguerite Daltoso, Project Coordinator for the Walla Walla County Conservation District.