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CapitalPress.com
Friday, January 1, 2021
People & Places
Rake removes aquatic vegetation
By DIANNA TROYER
For the Capital Press
EMPOWERING PRODUCERS OF FOOD & FIBER
Established 1928
CHESTER, Idaho —
Frustrated with aquatic weeds
choking irrigation canal
flows, eastern Idaho rancher
Bill Fuchs brainstormed and
designed a chemical-free
solution to
the problem.
Fuchs
designed the
Aquatic Veg-
etation Rake
(AVR)
to
attach to var-
Bill Fuchs
ious sizes of
excavators. The AVR scoops
up plants, including the roots,
while they are growing. With
vegetation removed, water
flow is immediately restored.
“The AVR is cheaper to use
than herbicides and is effec-
tive on all aquatic vegetation
because it simply removes
them all,” Fuchs said. “It’s a
tool that water managers have
always needed.”
Fuchs developed a proto-
type in 2008 and hired engi-
neers to fine-tune it after see-
ing several “shop-made”
rakes built by canal managers
that had limited effectiveness.
“The AVR engineering
addresses the many aspects
of attaching a rake to an exca-
vator,” he said. “Newer exca-
vators have joysticks, lots of
capabilities, precision and
attachment options. With
minimal training, it’s easy
to learn how to use the AVR
to remove aquatic vegeta-
tion and floating debris from
waterways.”
The units are manufac-
tured in Paul, Idaho, in stan-
dard 8-foot, 10-foot, 12-foot
and other widths.
“They’re painted green
because the rakes are a green
solution to weed removal,” he
said.
The wide rake has metal
teeth of various lengths and
easily pulls up weeds while
allowing water to drain away
quickly. The removed veg-
Capital Press Managers
Western
Innovator
BILL FUCHS
Education: Graduated
from Idaho State Uni-
versity with a bachelor
of science degree in
marketing, 1985.
Occupation: Third-gen-
eration cattle rancher
outside Chester, Idaho;
guest lodge operator;
inventor.
Family: Wife and two
adult children.
Courtesy of Bill Fuchs
The Aquatic Vegetation Rake attaches to excavators of various sizes and cleans irri-
gation canals.
etation decays and becomes
nutrient-rich compost.
“The AVR teeth are made
of heavy steel to withstand
lava rock we have around
here,” said Fuchs, who lives
near Chester, Idaho. “If a
tooth does bend or break, it
can be easily straightened
or replaced. Teeth can be
changed depending on the
root depth of the targeted
plant. Lily pads, for example,
have roots like small pineap-
ples, so you use longer teeth
for them.”
Clients from Florida to
Idaho, New Mexico, Montana
and Arizona have bought the
rake from his website, www.
maximizedwatermanagment,
to remove moss, flowering
rush, bulrush, cattails, lily
pads and other plants.
Fuchs said a client at a
mosquito abatement district
in Florida told him the rake
“revolutionized their mainte-
nance program. Before using
the rake, vegetation was so
dense in their waterways
that an insecticide’s effec-
tiveness was limited because
the water weeds stopped the
flow. After the weeds were
cleared away, they were able
to keep their mosquito popu-
lation under control, and the
drainage canals had the flows
restored.”
Fuchs said the rake offers
long-term weed control.
“By removing the plant
and roots, it takes a long time
or years for them to grow
back,” he said.
Using the rake has carry-
over effects for future water
seasons, especially with con-
trolling flowering rush, said
Steve Howser, manager of the
Aberdeen-Springfield Canal
Co. in eastern Idaho.
“We tried controlling it
with herbicides but were
unsuccessful,” Howser said.
“The season follow-
ing removal of flowering
rush from our system’s I lat-
eral with the AVR, we had
less than 5% regrowth. Since
then, we have almost elimi-
nated flowering rush from our
system.”
Fuchs said another advan-
tage the AVR has over her-
bicides is that by remov-
ing plants from waterways,
it reduces the nutrient loads
flowing downstream.
His clients have also used
the AVR in versatile ways
unrelated to agriculture.
Fly fisherman and author
Mike Lawson of St. Anthony,
Idaho, used the rake to remove
stands of cattails that were
encroaching on his sloughs
and ponds.
“After one day of using the
rake, vegetation was cleared
in certain areas, and water
flow was restored through my
entire system,” Lawson said.
Fuchs said employees
at a national wildlife refuge
in Hawaii are planning to
use an AVR to control inva-
sive California bulrush and
water lettuce instead of using
herbicides.
While developing the
AVR, Fuchs said he learned
Website: www.maxi-
mizedwatermanage-
ment.com
SUTHERLIN, Ore. — Suther-
lin High School FFA students were
spread across the hillsides. Work-
ing in pairs, they helped volunteers
from the Friends of Ford’s Pond
plant 200 Oregon white oak seed-
lings on Dec. 5.
A week later, another group of
FFA students planted another 200
oaks.
The planting effort by about 35
students, a few helping on both
days, was the culmination of a
process that started in 2018 when
the school’s FFA program was
approached by Friends of Ford’s
Pond about helping to restore an
oak savanna habitat to the west of
the former log pond. Blackberry
vines and hawthorn bushes had
invaded the hillsides.
The 95-acre pond and surround-
ing 107 acres are undergoing a
transformation into an open space,
community park. Restoring the oak
savanna was one of several projects
in the park’s master plan.
The FFA officer team considered
the oak proposal and was quick to
agree to help.
“We thought it fit well as a com-
munity service project for us,” said
Wes Crawford, Sutherlin High’s ag
science teacher and FFA adviser.
“We had never dealt with trees before
so there was the plant science, the
greenhouse management, the ecol-
ogy and the forestry to learn from
the project.”
Previously the FFA program had
only planted and grown flowers and
vegetables.
Craig Reed/For the Capital Press
Sutherlin High School seniors and FFA members Libby Whited, left,
and Katie Price work together planting Oregon white oak seedlings
on Dec. 12 on the hillside to the west of Ford’s Pond. Sutherlin FFA stu-
dents are helping to restore the hillsides near the pond to oak savanna
habitat.
Students collected 1,000 acorns
from 15 oak trees in the Ford’s
Pond area, sorted them and planted
700 of them in pots in the school’s
greenhouses. Students watered and
weeded the pots.
“Overall, we’re pleased with the
result,” said Crawford. “The kids
did a great job. They were enthusi-
astic about helping out.
“This was the type of activ-
ity that can happen during these
COVID times,” he added. “We
were outside and spaced out across
the hillside.”
Katie Price, a senior and the
about guidelines of state and
federal agencies concern-
ing how weeds are removed
from public waterways. Cer-
tain chemicals can be used
or plants can be dug up with
a shovel, or scuba divers can
pull them out.
“These are good meth-
ods for small infestations,”
Fuchs said. “But when there
are estimated hundreds and
thousands of acres that are
infested, these methods are
like trying to put out a forest
fire with a squirt gun. They’re
ineffective, time-consuming,
and have a minimal impact
on the overall expanding
problem.”
Fuchs said the AVR has
proven its effectiveness as a
green weed removal method.
“It’s catching on,” he said.
“When people see how easily
and effectively it works with-
out chemicals — they wish
they would have thought of it.
It’s such a simple and afford-
able solution.”
president of Sutherlin FFA, was an
officer on the team that agreed to
help with the project back in 2018.
She has been involved in the proj-
ect from collecting acorns to plant-
ing the seedlings.
“We need more of these get-
ting-your-hands-dirty projects,” she
said. “Students have been able to
learn about and understand ecosys-
tems first hand rather than just in a
classroom. This definitely gave us
a different opportunity, a different
experience from what we usually
do, which is planting flowers and
vegetables in the greenhouse.”
Price estimated that almost 100
FFA students helped during the
three-year project. Crawford said
the 2021 FFA officers will decide
if they want to collect more acorns
and start another crop of oaks for
future planting. There is more
ground on the park’s property avail-
able for additional trees.
Libby Whited, a Sutherlin High
senior, said the restoration taught
her the benefits that wildlife, birds
and insects get from oak savanna
habitat.
“I’ve got faith that all of these
young trees, or at least most of
them, will grow up to be big strong
oaks,” she said. “We want them to
be there in 200 to 300 years. It’s
definitely been a great experience.
It’s been a great project to be a part
of.”
Price agreed.
“To think in about 10 years I
can come back, to see the trees
that I helped plant as little acorns,”
she said. “I’m definitely excited to
watch them grow up and to know I
had a part in this.”
CALENDAR
Submit upcoming ag-related
events on www.capitalpress.com
or by email to newsroom@capital-
press.com.
SUNDAY-WEDNESDAY
JAN. 10-13
American Farm Bureau
Annual Convention (virtual): The
convention will focus on top issues
including the impact of COVID-19,
sustainability and the future of the
supply chain. Website: https://www.
fb.org
THURSDAY, JAN. 14
Create a Plan for Your Land
Workshop (virtual): Learn from
experts about soil, water and wild-
life conservation. Classes are geared
toward small farms and rural prop-
erties, but anyone is welcome. We
will provide technical assistance to
complete conservation plans and
potentially find funding for conser-
vation projects on your land. Plan to
attend all four free sessions, which
will be from 5 to 8 p.m.:
Jan. 14: Conservation planning
— Soil.
Jan. 21: Water and vegetation.
Jan. 28: Streamsides and
woodlands.
Feb. 4: Working lands — Put-
ting it all together.
Contact: Marion Soil and Water
Conservation District, 503-391-
9927. Registration: http://virtualp-
fyl.eventbrite.com
TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY
JAN. 19-20
Dairy Strong Annual Confer-
ence (virtual): The annual confer-
ence is organized by the Dairy Busi-
ness Association. More details to
come. Website: https://www.dairys-
trong.org
WEDNESDAY-
SATURDAY
JAN. 20-23
41st EcoFarm Conference (vir-
tual): Save the date for the 41st Eco-
Farm Conference Jan. 20-23. Building
upon its farmer-to-farmer education
model, EcoFarm is an essential net-
working and educational hub for
ecologically minded farmers, ranch-
ers and all who work to support their
success in growing a healthy food
system and world. Mark your calen-
dars for Jan. 20-23 and get ready for
an EcoFarm Conference unlike any
before as we will convene online for
our 41st event. Phone: 831-763-2111
Email: info@eco-farm.org Website:
https://eco-farm.org/conference
FRIDAY JAN. 22
Family Foresters Workshop (vir-
tual): The Family Foresters Workshop
is designed to strengthen the skills of
consulting foresters, state-employed
service foresters and other natural
resource professionals who work with
family forest owners. It serves as a
forum to provide updates on emerg-
ing technology and knowledge appli-
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FFA students plant oaks they grew from acorns
By CRAIG REED
For the Capital Press
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CORRECTION
Tyson Foods reported that
a cattle supplier misap-
propriated a total of $285
million over four years
by misrepresenting the
number of cattle bought on
behalf of the company. An
incorrect total was reported
in a story on page 4 in the
Dec. 25 edition.
The Capital Press regrets
the error.
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