01/03/06 Farming on a wildlife refuge

Oregon's Klamath Basin has been the center of debate between species protection and water use for quite some time. However, one ag-based operation in the Klamath has demonstrated that it is possible to provide needed species habitat and still sustain a successful farming entity. Bill Kennedy owns over 3,000 acres of land along the Lost River in the Klamath Basin with its primary use as a cow-calf operation. However, Kennedy's property also has a unique distinction. In 1975, the Kennedy ranch was designated as a private wildlife refuge under the international program, Operation Stronghold, which increases the feeding needs of migratory water fowl. KENNEDY: We operate our cow-calf operation with wildlife in mind and change our operation to benefit the nesting and feeding needs of migratory water foul along with about four hundred other species of wildlife that make our place their home. But Kennedy says that flexibility between habitat protection and productive ag operation has not been difficult. KENNEDY: We have taken some land that is class one agriculture land that we do farm actually and grow Lucerne and grain for hay, and we've put some of that into sprinklers. But we still have quite a bit of ground that is flood irrigated. And that's what really benefits the wildlife is the return flows from the flood irrigation operation. What has also benefitted Kennedy's attempts to merge habitat protection and ag production is the identification of several areas along the Lost River as wetland pots. KENNEDY: These are areas close to the river they allow grasses and forbes to grow in this area, and then in the fall, after those grasses and forbes have seeded out, we can dry those areas up, go in and flash graze them, and reseed them naturally. Kennedy says one question that comes up is why is his emphasis more on producing a home for species despite his livelihood focusing on producing food for people. He says his operation can do both, but there needs to be a balance. KENNEDY: It's so important to give wildlife privacy, and especially certain times of the year. We have to keep that in mind when we're doing our practices on the ranch. We have 3,800 acres of private wildlife refuge. We offer privacy. We don't have a bunch of people tromping through our place trying to see the nestings, or trying to see the goslings. We give those aspects of wildlife the privacy they need.