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Living With the Methow River Monthly Activities and Learning Opportunities June 2016
Fish rely on river flows for their survival. Low flows warm up more easily and dropping water levels isolate pools, stranding fish without oxygen or a way out. Agriculture also relies on river flows to suppy irrigation water for crops, especially during the hottest part of the summer—when the river is at its lowest. This has led to tension between irrigators and the salmon restoration community. In many cases, water diverted for irrigation is lost through aging infrastructure. This means that the water isn’t in the river, and it isn’t in the fields, either. Projects like the MVID IFIP work with irrigators to improve their equipment so that more of the water diverted makes it to the fields, reducing the total that must be diverted from the river. The MVID West project also replaced the in-stream irrigation diversion structure on the Twisp River with a groundwater system, meaning that the ditch no longer draws directly from the river. Removal of the structure was finished last July. Further work to restore fish habitat in the stretch of river previously impacted by the old diversion will resume at the end of this June.
Removal of the MVID West diversion in 2015 For more information on the MVID Instream Flow Improvement Project, click here. (Looking for last month? Click here.) 
This year’s MRC calendar connects to ADVENTURES, ACTIVITIES AND INFORMATION tailored to each month. If you haven't gotten your calendar yet, you can download an electronic version here. Come back each month and find interactive activities, print outs, and suggested learning opportunities in our community.
Just follow the fish and engage in learning.
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