Acres Of Green

9/6/08 - Otis CO  Rick Vorce

This story won't sell novels or anything else for that matter, unless it would be a horror story.

 This incredible story begins back in the 1930's when a pact or compact was written to give Kansas and Nebraska a share of Colorado water flowing to the east of the Rocky Mountains. For some reason our Governor and legislators agreed to give a portion of our water to these states. The only problem is instead of a percentage of flow they agreed to an actual figure known as acre feet. An acre foot would be the amount of water one acre would hold to a depth of twelve inches. One acre = 43000 square feet.

At the time this was done the eastern plains was in a drought, remember stories about the great depression and the dirt storms that occured? These dirt storms could cover an entire state.

Irrigation, water ditchs had been used since Biblical times to water land and cities of old, but must have been an alien concept to our folks in charge.

Now our frontrange and two states want that water and will do anything to get it. I fully understand a city wanting to maintain and provide water to it's residents but we have had an explosion in population and building in this state, and that takes water! Some states were smart enough to keep their water and put their agriculture first. The county next to mine is one of the largest corn producers in the nation, due to the sizze and irrigation.

Now we have farmer against farmer and the future of irrigation doesn't look to good.

  I'll have more on this in the future because this whole thing is going to get ugly.

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8/11/08 Rick Vorce

Otis, Co.-  This week is the thing that sells novels. I can't believe we can go from three weeks of serious drought and high temperatures, to hugh rain storms dropping some four inches of rain per storm.

This storm washed roads, fields and sent barbed fences across the road, uprooting posts as the water flowed making people here in these small communities wander what is coming next?

A quick check shows the grasshopper invasion may still be on and is something to be dealt with. I am not sure what our county commissioner's stand is on spraying roads. I know they need to mow ditches more often. We'll see!

7/28/08 Rick Vorce

Otis, CO - This is one of the worst infestations I have ever seen. They are even getting into the corn, finding younger or stressed plants then devouring them. Notice the photo below, you will see two grass-hoppers on one small stalk of this plant. Grasshoppers are devastating this year and I want to attribute this to the changing weather and scrub-brush. This property had a fair amount of rain early in the season but is now dieing for lack of moisture. Of course the hoppers are finishing it.