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The Bill Lane Center for the American West
Walk the Farm 2008: Stanford Waterways, April 26, 2008
Bill Lane Center for the Study of the North American West Walks the Farm in Search of Water
On Saturday, April 26, 2008, Professors David Kennedy and Richard White of the Bill Lane Center for the Study of the North American West led an intrepid group of 20 Stanford faculty, researchers, and students on a walk covering more than 20 miles of Stanford lands examining issues of water conservation and water resource management.
The group met with researchers, ranchers, farmers and University officials discussing the Hetch Hetchy supply lines, the San Francisquito, Los Trancos, Corte Madero, and Bear Creeks, and the Lagunita, Felt and Searsville Lakes as they cross the land hydrating plants, animals and university students.
A great deal of the day's route was on privately held by leaseholders and they graciously shared their love of the ranching and farming life that keeps them close to the land. Rancher George Parker met the hikers on horseback along the trail to talk about managing a herd of cattle. David Murdoch of Glenoaks Equestrian Center, Giselle Turchett of Deer Creek Pastures, Tom Hubbard of Webb Ranch, and Kevin Chambers of Portola Valley Equestrian Facility offered rest stops and insights into the challenges of managing an equestrian facility.
Portola Valley Mayor Maryann Moise Derwin and Menlo Park Mayor Andrew Cohen joined the group as they hiked through the hills of Portola Valley. Jasper Ridge Administrative Director Philippe Cohen and Stanford Civil & Environmental Engineering Professor David Freyberg offered unique and extremely valuable guided tours of the restricted Jasper Ridge Biological Reserve and Searsville Dam. Ryan Navratil of the San Francisquito Watershed Council provided ongoing commentary on the environmental factors involved in water use, conservation and management. Stanford Archivist Maggie Kimball shared from her vast store of facts about the important Stanford sites along the way.
Tom Zigterman and Marty Laporte of Stanford Utilities were essential guides showing the group historic and current wells, the Fish Ladder, the Cardinal Cogenerator Facility and their impact on the use of water on campus. Ted Tucholski shared the University's current and future plans for irrigating campus.
Mark Twain once said, "In the West, whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over." The "2008 Walk the Farm" event provided a peaceful way for people to link their many different perspectives, needs, and plans for using and conserving the water throughout Stanford's Waterways.
