The quote, “Whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting over” has been attributed to Mark Twain and frames the controversy over western water policies. Euro-American settlement of the west cannot be separated from the moving of water from sources to distant mines, farms, and cities. While California is the most plumbed of all states, Oregon has a fair share of dams, ditches, and water diversions — including in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.

Western water development went into high gear with the 1902 passage of the Newlands Reclamation Act. Under the act, the Bureau of Reclamation began development of projects all over the west, including the Rogue Basin Project. This project saw water storage on both sides of the Cascade Crest and deliverance of a secure supply of water to the orchards and towns in the Rogue Valley. Many projects also include flood control and hydroelectric power generation. This presentation will look at the overall history of western water development up to the current removal of dams on the Klamath River.

John Schuyler is a retired forester who received a B.S. in forestry from the University of California at Berkeley. During his 32-year career with the USDA Forest Service, he worked on national forests in Oregon, California, and Arizona — working in timber management, recreation, minerals, planning, and administration.

The Friday Night Lecture will take place at the SOU Science Building in room 161 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Friends of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument is a nonprofit organization, and our mission is to support the protection, restoration and conservation of the monument through service, advocacy and education. Our Hike and Learn programs are designed to introduce the public to different topics and locations within the Monument. Hike and Learns are co-created with local scientists, historians, artists, students, and more.