Friday, February 25, 2022
CapitalPress.com 7
Environmental concerns
increasing in the West
By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Capital Press
OSU
Bernadine Strik, Oregon State University Extension
berry specialist, received a lifetime achievement award
from the industry.
‘Berry goddess’ earns
lifetime achievement
award from industry
By GEORGE PLAVEN
Capital Press
SALEM — For her fi nal
presentation to the Oregon
blueberry industry before offi -
cially settling into retirement,
Bernadine Strik had one hour
to condense 34 years of hor-
ticultural research that has
helped the region to become
a leader in global production.
Strik was hired by the Ore-
gon State University Exten-
sion Service in 1987, spe-
cializing in berry crops and
winegrapes. Since 1992, she
has led the berry research pro-
gram at OSU’s North Willa-
mette Research and Extension
Center, where one administra-
tor bestowed on her the title of
“berry goddess.”
A lot has changed over
the decades, Strik told grow-
ers Feb. 14 at the annual Ore-
gon Blueberry Conference in
Salem. Her experiments led to
widespread changes in farm-
ing practices — including
the adoption of raised beds,
trellises and narrower spac-
ing between plants — greatly
increasing yields and harvest
effi ciency.
Today, Oregon produces
the highest volume of blue-
berries in the world, with 160
million pounds from 15,000
acres in 2020.
In recognition of her
work, the Oregon Blueberry
Commission presented Strik
with its lifetime achieve-
ment award, bidding a fond
farewell to the trailblazing
scientist.
“I was raised on a farm,
and all I’ve ever wanted to
do was to make a diff er-
ence,” said Strik, who retired
from OSU on Jan. 1. “I can’t
think of an award that means
so much to me, because it’s
from the industry. It’s a big
part of the job I love to do.”
Strik gave a career ret-
rospective that highlighted
key fi ndings from her blue-
berry trials at NWREC, and
off ered her thoughts for the
future.
When she fi rst started at
OSU, Strik said the stan-
dard for blueberries was to
grow on fl at ground, without
mulch or trellises, and 4-5
feet between plants in rows.
Machine harvesting was just
beginning to gain steam.
Her fi rst industry-funded
proposal looked at increasing
planting density to maximize
yields faster during estab-
lishment years. The results
showed that yields actu-
ally increased 50% plant-
ing bushes 3 feet apart, as
opposed to 4 feet.
“We were having a huge
impact on yield during those
establishment years,” Strik
said.
Higher density plantings
are now common among
northern highbush blueber-
ries. “I’ve never seen any-
thing I’ve done be adopted so
quickly,” Strik commented.
Most growers space plants
2.5 feet to 3 feet apart in
rows.
As part of the same exper-
iment, Strik also began study-
ing trellises, which similarly
became commonplace. Her
fi ndings showed that, with-
out trellising, an average of
20-24% of yield was lost on
the ground during machine
picking. With trellises, effi -
ciency of machine harvest-
ing improved 4-8 percentage
points.
Another project found that
cumulative blueberry yields
increased 22% over eight
years when planted in raised
beds versus fl at ground.
As for organic systems,
Strik found using a weed mat
helped reduced weed man-
agement costs by 75% com-
pared to sawdust or compost
mulches. To avoid losing soil
organic matter, she suggested
a layer of sawdust under the
weed mats.
Coming off the 2021 heat
dome during which tempera-
tures at NWREC soared as
high as 113 degrees, Strik
said more research will be
needed to better understand
how diff erent blueberry vari-
eties tolerate heat, and possi-
bly breed new varieties bet-
ter adapted for a warmer
climate.
Strik said evaporative
cooling systems and over-
head sprinklers may also be
necessary to help blueberries
withstand higher summer
temperatures — though she
acknowledged that would be
a signifi cant investment for
growers.
Following the presenta-
tion, T.J. Hafner, a certifi ed
crop adviser with AgriCare
and chairman of the Oregon
Blueberry Commission, pre-
sented Strik with the award.
“There is no doubt that
you want to see the best for
the industry, and have it be
successful and thrive,” Haf-
ner said.
The commission also
showed a video tribute to
Strik, with several farmers
off ering their congratulations.
”We are going to miss
you more than you will ever
know,” said Jeff Malensky,
president of Oregon Berry
Packing in Hillsboro.
We’ve
Got You Covered
A new survey shows
growing concerns over how
drought and other factors
are impacting the Rocky
Mountain region.
The Conservation in the
West poll by Colorado Col-
lege’s State of the Rockies
Project showed a spike in
Idaho Conservation League
concerns over issues such
as drought, water supplies, A survey of residents of the Rocky Mountain region
wildfi res, climate change revealed growing concerns over drought and climate.
and the loss of wildlife hab-
itat and natural spaces.
opinion research company. to 77% in 2022. In addi-
“We are seeing a per-
The new poll found 69% tion, those who see climate
fect storm of threats that of voters surveyed are more change as an extremely or
are driving higher lev- worried about the future of very serious problem have
els of concern than ever nature. That’s up from 61% gone from 27% in 2011 to
before for the state of lands last year.
52% in 2022, she said.
and water in the Mountain
“We have fewer that are
There’s also been a dra-
West,” said Katrina Mill- telling us that they are hope- matic increase in those say-
er-Stevens, director of the ful,” she said, adding that ing climate change is a seri-
State of the Rockies Project 28% said they were hope- ous problem that needs
and an associate professor ful. That’s down from 36% immediate action. That went
at Colorado College.
last year, she said during a from 24% of those surveyed
The poll surveyed 3,400 webinar Thursday on the in 2011 to 44% in 2022.
registered voters in Arizona, poll results.
Another 21% think some-
Colorado, Idaho, Montana,
Climate change was the thing needs to be done, she
Nevada, New Mexico, Utah No. 1 reason people were said.
and Wyoming.
feeling pessimistic in 2021,
“The vast majority say
The survey is increas- and that probable carried something needs to be done
ingly getting pessimis- over in 2022. Concern over in this respect,” she said.
tic responses on the future climate change “has really
That could be related to
of nature, defi ned as land, inched up quite dramatically recent events in responders’
water, air and wildlife, said over the years,” she said.
states. Drought and reduced
Lori Weigel, principal of
It’s gone from 55% of snowpack were listed as the
New Bridge Strategy, an those surveyed in 2011 strongest concerns at 86%.
More frequent and severe
wildfi res followed with
82%, she said.
Concerns over inade-
quate water supplies shot up
from 40% in 2011 to 70%
in 2022. Surveyors are see-
ing a signifi cant increase in
concern about drought and
reduced snowpack, from
43% in 2011 to 74% in 2022.
The concern over low
levels of water in rivers has
risen from 42% in 2011 to
75% in 2022, and the con-
cern over inadequate water
supplies has gone from 35%
to 70%, she said.
The survey also polled
voters on a range of policy
questions to address inad-
equate water supplies. It
found 81% of respondents
said water supplies should
be used more wisely by
encouraging conservation,
reducing use and recycling,
she said.
Concerns about air qual-
ity and extreme weather
events also really reso-
nated with respondents, she
said.
Three-fourths of voters
say they are at least some-
what concerned by wild-
fi res, and four out of fi ve say
the lack of planning for natu-
ral disasters is a serious prob-
lem, she said.
Idaho Senate panel backs bill on post-sale water rights
By BRAD CARLSON
Capital Press
The
Idaho
Senate
Resources & Environ-
ment Committee Feb. 16
advanced a bill that aims
to make more of the state’s
new residents aware of what
happens to water rights
when a property sells.
Senate Bill 1278 would
amend the real property
code to say water rights
transfer to the new owner
unless expressly retained
by the seller — including
entitlements and require-
ments from an irrigation
district, canal company or
city irriga-
tion system.
The legis-
lation would
put into state
code what is
already done
by
com-
Paul
mon law and
Arrington
practice.
Paul Arrington, Idaho
Water Users Association
executive director and gen-
eral counsel, said courts
have long held that water
rights automatically go to
the buyer unless the deed
says otherwise.
The legislation “serves
as a reminder,” he said.
“This is a reminder that
these processes exist.”
Idaho Title 42 covers
water rights and reclama-
tion related to irrigation and
drainage. Title 43 covers
irrigation districts.
But it is Title 55 that SB
1278 would amend. This
part of the state code covers
property in general. It has
a chapter on the transfer of
real property.
Arrington said the leg-
islation proposes to amend
the property code “because
that is the fi rst place realtors
and buyers will look.”
It is important consid-
ering that properties sell
faster amid growth and
increased urbanization in
much of the state, he said.
Arrington said it would
help more new owners
understand water rights and
obligations. That in turn
would benefi t irrigation dis-
tricts and canal companies
as they address challenges
related to urbanization.
The committee voted
to send the bill to the full
Senate with a do-pass
recommendation.
Chairman Steve Vick,
R-Dalton Gardens, said is
important “as we develop,
and also as we drift away
from common law.”
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