Columbia Gorge News www.columbiagorgenews.com Wednesday, June 23, 2021 B1 COMMUNITY At left, John Buckley, East Fork Irrigation district manager, at a recent event marking the district’s project to pipe and pressurize 56 miles of open-ditch irrigation canals. Honored for their contributions to supporting the progress and implementation of irrigation modernization projects are, from left, Jed Jorgensen, director of energy solutions; Farmers Conservation Alliance; Peter West, director of energy efficiency and renewable energy generation, Energy Trust of Oregon; Julie Davies O’Shea, executive director, Farmers Conservation Alliance; John Buckley, East Fork Irrigation District manager; and Brian Nakamura, East Fork Irrigation District board president. Contributed photos East Fork Irrigation District celebrates modernization project HOOD RIVER — In mid-May, East Fork Irrigation District (EFID) celebrated a project now underway to pipe and pres- surize 56 miles of open-ditch irrigation canals. Modernizing their irrigation infrastructure will conserve water, reduce energy use, improve reliability, increase public safety, and enhance fish and wildlife habitat in the Hood River watershed, said a press release. “This marks a significant step forward for our patrons, our natural resources, and for the entire Hood River watershed,” said John Buckley, East Fork Irrigation District manager. “By working together, we are saving money and increasing the reliability of our irrigation systems at the same time. The improvements we are making today will benefit generations of water users.” Once the 10-year project is completed, EFID will save more than $300,000 in patron pumping costs while improv- ing the overall efficiency and reliability of the entire irrigation system, said the press release. By converting open-ditch irrigation canals into under- ground, closed-piped systems, the project will eliminate water losses from end spills, saving an estimated 16.6 cubic feet per second, or 5,287 acre-feet annually. The district will allocate 75 percent of the saved water, or up to 12.45 cubic feet per second, to instream use during the irrigation season. “This project supports the span of diverse agricultural pro- ducers in the Hood River watershed who rely on irrigation, enabling them to produce more efficiently and cut costs,” said Jason Jeans, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Oregon acting state conservationist. “The vast ben- efits to landowners and the environment are significant and quantifiable.” “Farmers Conservation Alliance is honored to help the East Fork Irrigation District — right in our backyard — take steps towards a more efficient and reliable irrigation sys- tem,” said Julie Davies O’Shea, executive director, Farmers Conservation Alliance (FCA). “And to recognize visionary leaders like Sen. Merkley, East Fork’s John Buckley and Energy Trust of Oregon’s Peter West. Without Sen. Merkley’s leadership on PL-566, projects like this would not be possi- ble. Access to funding from PL566 has made things we never thought possible a reality. This plan will save more than $300,000 a year for EFID’s farmers, conserving water, reduc- ing energy use, improving reliability, and enhancing fish and wildlife habitat in the Hood River watershed.” “In the time I have been here, we have piped over 37 miles — they’ve been anything from a little ditch to a large canal,” said Buckley. “I didn’t think I’d ever see the day when we’d have an open system that would ever be closed.” Buckley is retiring after 41 years with East Fork Irrigation District; he has been manager of the district since 1996. “There are now 25 different projects in this state with FCA, in 14 different counties, representing 55% of the irrigable land in Oregon. It has been my joy and pleasure to be a part of these solutions,” said Peter West, Energy Trust of Oregon’s director of energy efficiency and renewable energy generation. With the support of Energy Trust of Oregon, FCA launched the Irrigation Modernization Program in 2015 to support farmers in their pursuit of comprehensive irrigation improve- ments. The IMP delivers full modernization strategies that identify infrastructure improvements, funding sources, and strategic partnerships that enable projects to become shovel ready, said a press release. The project is a joint effort among NRCS, East Fork Irrigation District, Bonneville Power Administration, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Hood River Watershed Group, Energy Trust of Oregon, Farmers Conservation Alliance and in coordination with other agencies, stakehold- ers, and the public. For more information on the project, visit fcasolutions.org/ EFID-celebration. Happy Kids, Healthy Smiles for a Lifetime Pediatric Dental Clinic Designed for Your Children Now offering dental laser technology anesthesia & pain free dentistry 1935 E. 19th St. Suite 200 The Dalles, OR 541-296-8901 419 State Street Suite 4 Hood River, OR 541-387-8688 What does Snoopy teach children? © 2021 by Vicki Whiting, Editor Jeff Schinkel, Graphics Vol. 37, No. 30 Snoopy teaches us that having an active imagination is not only fun, but important. Snoopy is very creative. He loves to write stories. He also paints, performs puppet shows (which he calls “Pawpet Shows,” often retellings of his favorite movies), and he dances a lot. noopy was created as a cartoon character by Charles M. Schulz in 1950. Snoopy is based on a real dog Schulz had when he was a teenager, named Spike. Spike had a white body with black ears (like Snoopy!) and was a very smart dog—also like Snoopy! And Snoopy spreads love and friendship throughout the Peanuts comic strip, especially when he kisses Lucy, even if she doesn’t like “dog lips.” Spike’s name was also used for one of Snoopy’s brothers. In the Peanuts comic strip, Snoopy’s brother Spike lives in the desert and sometimes talks to the cactus! Snoopy makes mistakes, too. He often forgets the name of his owner, Charlie Brown. Circle every other letter to find out what Snoopy calls him instead. Standards Link: Reading Comprehension: Follow simple written directions. Use the number code to find out some amazing facts about Snoopy! 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Number of Peanuts comic strips Charles M. Schulz drew during his 50-year career: Snoopy Through the Years As he sits on his doghouse, Snoopy imagines himself to be much more than just an ordinary dog. One example is the World War I Flying Ace shown above, who is always in search of his enemy, the dreaded Red Baron. Snoopy started out as a small puppy in Peanuts and acted a lot like a real dog. But as the Peanuts comic strip developed, Snoopy grew up, stood on two feet, climbed on top of his doghouse, and had wild, imaginative adventures! Compare the versions of Snoopy. Circle three things about Snoopy that stayed the same through the years. Although Snoopy is perhaps the world’s most famous beagle, his breed had not been mentioned at all for the first 10 years or so of Peanuts. And when he was first called a beagle, Snoopy denied it! How did Snoopy “meet” his little bird buddy, Woodstock? Woodstock was born in a nest built on Snoopy’s stomach one day while he was napping on top of his doghouse. A mama bird laid two eggs in the nest, and two chicks hatched. One of the chicks flew away. But the other couldn’t quite fly right and never seemed to want to go far. That little bird was Woodstock. And Snoopy and Woodstock soon became best friends. The astronauts _____ the lunar module in outer space when they returned to Earth. So Snoopy (the lunar module) has been orbiting in space for over 50 years! Today, Snoopy’s image is used on a special pin given to astronauts and NASA scientists called The Silver Snoopy Award. The Silver Snoopy Award is awarded for __________. Number of Snoopy and the Peanuts gang feature films: TV specials: Number of newspapers in which Peanuts appeared: A Very Special Award Make Pictures Talk Cut out a photo in the newspaper that has a person or an animal in it. Make up something for each person or animal to say. In 1969, Snoopy soared into _________ in the Peanuts comic strip and declared himself the “first Beagle on the Moon.” At the same time in real life, ___________ were trying to land on the moon. The lunar module that was part of the Apollo 10 mission that ______ astronauts to the moon in May 1969, was nicknamed Snoopy. Images courtesy: Peanuts Worldwide, LLC Which of the characters below has Snoopy pretended to be? Do the math under each character below. If the answer is an even number, circle that character in green. If it’s an odd number, cross it out in red crayon. ASTRONAUTS WOODSTOCK PEANUTS F S M R O F R E P U STOMACH N C E E L G A E B S SNOOPY S I D Y O N A N P S BEAGLE P M A D P N Y I D A SAFETY I O L M U O L P O F SPIKE COMIC K C O T S D O O W E SMART E O S M A R T N G T MEDAL N S T O M A C H S Y MOON S T U A N O R T S A LIPS Standards Link: Letter sequencing. Recognize identical DOG words. Skim and scan reading. Recall spelling patterns. Charles Schulz won many awards for his Peanuts work. Shortly after his death in 2000, the U.S. Congress voted to recognize Charles Schulz’s work and life with the highest honor the United States government can bestow upon a citizen. Hold this page up to a mirror to discover the name of this award. Standards Link: Writing dialogue. Comic Strip Puzzles Find a comic strip in the newspaper and cut the frames apart. Then read the comic and see if you can put the strip back together in the correct order. Standards Link: Sequence information. Toon Opinion What is your favorite cartoon? Why is it your favorite? Use examples to back up your opinion. Children are born curious. From their earliest days, sensory exploration brings delight and wonder. New discoveries expand their minds. When they unlock the joy of reading, their world widens further. Magic happens. Kid Scoop opens the doors of discovery for elementary school children by providing interactive, engaging and relevant age-appropriate materials designed to awaken the magic of reading at school, at home, and throughout their lives. For more information about our literacy non-profit, visit kidscoopnews.org