Field Notes
By Ziani Paiz, Eastern Sierra Land Trust
Ziani works as the Rangelands Conservationist in Bishop, California. This position was created out of a partnership among the USDA – Natural Resources Conservation Service – California, the Intermountain West Joint Venture, and the Eastern Sierra Land Trust.
“In the next five years, over 180 new and improved irrigation structures will be built in Inyo and Mono counties through funding from the NRCS. These structures will support not only local agriculture but also critical habitats for migratory birds, meadow biodiversity, and the Bi-State sage grouse.“
Every spring in the Eastern Sierra region, snowpacks begin to melt, water flows down the mountains, and flood irrigation season begins, as it has for thousands of years. In the modern era, irrigators (typically ranchers of beef cattle) are allotted portions of this free-flowing water per acre by the most prominent landlord in our area: the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). Much of the water that historically has been used to irrigate our desert valleys into productive meadows is now allotted to the City of Los Angeles, about 300 miles south.
With this substantial reduction in water available for local agriculture, irrigators must get creative to sustain their ranching ecosystems. This is where modern infrastructure becomes essential.
LADWP typically allows irrigation to start on April 1. For many ranchers, including those in the Round Valley, the spring season means negotiating irrigation days with neighbors, ensuring the needed amount of ‘on’ and ‘off’ days for each of their pastures.
I visited one of these Round Valley ranches in mid-April, where meadow pastures began turning green after just two weeks of water. I spent the morning with Emilio, who has run beef cattle and Boer goats on this ranch since he took over in the early 2000s, after working as a ranchhand since 1985.
With a ranch about a mile away from Pine Creek, Emilio holds a deep connection to this valley and the water that sustains it. He manages a complex irrigation system with dozens of headgates, adjusting them multiple times a day depending on water availability and field needs. Equally complex, flood irrigation follows seasonal variations in water supply. This means that in wet years, Emilio may receive more water, thus enabling him to irrigate more extensively.
In drier years, he must be even more resourceful and creative. Maintaining the main ditch and head gate becomes one of the most essential tasks.
On this particular visit, I was checking in with Emilio about his new headgates, which were partially funded by the NRCS’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Emilio is one of many ranchers in the Round Valley and the broader region starting to utilize these programs to modernize critical infrastructure. By replacing tarps and dirt dams with concrete and wood structures, Emilio’s control over water remains the same, but less water will be lost to blown-out dams that require constant maintenance.
On these flood-irrigated ranches, it’s also not just about the cattle. Many wildlife species thrive and depend on the wetter habitats, too. In the Intermountain West, agricultural flood irrigated pastures account for 2.5 percent of the region’s irrigated footprint but provide the majority (58 percent) of temporary wetland habitat. These temporarily wetted habitats are vital stopovers for transient wildlife traveling across the arid West, such as mule deer, mountain lions, and migratory birds.
Flood irrigation in our region is far from new, but to adapt to modern challenges, it must be updated, not abandoned for improved ‘efficiency.’ With growing water demands from Southern California, increased instances of drought, and overall climate variability, staying flexible will remain essential for ranchers like Emilio.
In the next five years, over 180 new and improved irrigation structures will be built in Inyo and Mono counties through funding from the NRCS. These structures will support not only local agriculture but also critical habitats for migratory birds, meadow biodiversity, and the Bi-State sage grouse. Setting up the next generation of ranchers for success while continuing this historic practice will ensure these lands continue to provide for the people, plants, and animals they have for generations.
When he is in the fields moving cows or changing flashboards on wooden headgates, Emilio notices the constant sound of birds, drawn to these wet meadow havens in the high desert. He knows where most nests are and who lives there. We continue checking the headgates before slowly making our way back to one of the pastures near the road.
“It’s beautiful here,” Emilio shares. “This is ours to be proud of, taking care of this valley. My season is already almost done, you know, but there are people coming behind taking care of this. That’s important–people who understand this valley, and everything.”
