In the fourth installment of our 2025 Water Webinar series, we explored the intersection of irrigation, infrastructure, and ecological stewardship. The discussion focused on innovative strategies that enable fish to thrive within heavily irrigated systems, and how landowners and engineers are working together to ensure that both people and rivers can flourish. Our featured panelists included Jeff Crane of Crane Associates, a veteran hydrologist and engineer based in Colorado. Additionally, we had rancher and conservation leader Merrill Beyeler who’s a former legislator from Idaho’s Lemhi Valley. Both men have spent decades building partnerships, shaping policy, and implementing practical solutions that bridge the needs of working lands and healthy stream systems. 

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Collaboration and Stakeholders 

Both speakers kicked off the webinar by emphasizing that the foundation of every successful project is trust and collaboration. Jeff Crane shared how during his early work in the North Fork of the Gunnison,  he co-founded the North Fork River Improvement Association (NFRIA), which wasn’t just about moving water, but about rebuilding trust among stakeholders in the basin. Today, the project stands as a template for stream restoration efforts across the region. Jeff also helped launch the Colorado Watershed Assembly in 1999 and was later tapped by the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) to help lead recovery efforts following the 2013 floods. 

Merrill Beyeler then reflected on the deep community work required to build successful partnerships. His own efforts span from the pastures to the statehouse: as a former Idaho State Representative, vice chair of the Idaho Rangeland Resource Commission, and 2024 inductee into the Idaho Agriculture Hall of Fame, Beyeler has long been an advocate for collaborative conservation. On his ranch, he’s worked with federal agencies, tribal nations, and community members to ensure that river health and local livelihoods move forward together. 

Infrastructure and Innovation 

Crane highlighted how modern engineering tools such as telemetry-enabled gates and real-time flow measurement are helping irrigators fine-tune diversions while protecting stream connectivity. He described how these upgrades make it possible to meet decreed water rights and keep fish-bearing sections of rivers intact. On the ranching side, Beyeler detailed how infrastructure tweaks like riparian fencing realignment and irrigation system modifications have improved both land productivity and habitat quality. He reminded participants that well-designed agricultural systems can also be healthy ecological systems and that small changes can have big impacts. 

Water Sharing and Conservation 

Water sharing emerged as a core strategy for balancing agricultural and ecological needs. Beyeler described Idaho’s Water Transaction Program, which allows landowners to temporarily release senior water rights to the river which creates important seasonal stream connectivity without sacrificing the productivity of their operations. This innovative model has helped reconnect critical tributaries to the Lemhi River and restore habitat for salmon and steelhead. Crane reinforced the idea that conservation and irrigation can coexist, especially when supported by sound engineering, community buy-in, and adaptive water management frameworks. 

Measuring Success and Scalability 

Success, Crane and Beyeler agreed, isn’t measured solely in acre-feet or fish counts. Crane pointed to Colorado’s basin roundtable process as a collaborative, scalable approach to project evaluation that brings landowners, agencies, and conservation groups together to vet and fund locally relevant solutions. For Beyeler, success is grounded in iteration: “At the end of each season, we ask what didn’t work, not just what went right.” That mindset, he said, allows landowners to adapt, improve, and ensure long-term sustainability. 

Funding and Policy 

Crane didn’t shy away from the tough part: funding and permitting. He emphasized that permitting can take longer and cost more than construction itself and encouraged landowners to treat permitting as a core project element rather than an afterthought. Through his consulting firm, Jeff has helped communities across Colorado navigate funding pathways that blend federal, state, and private resources. But he also expressed concern that federal funding streams may be tightening, particularly for collaborative watershed projects. Beyeler emphasized the importance of crafting projects that clearly benefit landowners, rivers, and local economies. Doing so, he said, builds local support and attracts funders who value outcomes that benefit all involved. 

Future Outlooks 

As the conversation turned toward the future, Crane highlighted advances in irrigation infrastructure modernization that could transform how we manage water in the West. With emerging tools for precise diversion control and fish passage integration, entire reaches of rivers that have long been disconnected could once again support native aquatic species. Scaling these technologies across the Colorado River Basin, he said, could make a real difference for water security and ecosystem health alike. Beyeler closed with a reflection drawn from Indigenous wisdom: true stewardship requires us to see the land from “ridge line to ridge line” and to think in generational terms. He reminded participants that restoration isn’t just about what we can achieve this year or what we do for the river channel, but rather setting the stage for future generations of land stewards, wildlife, and community members. 

This webinar underscored that modernizing irrigation systems is not just a technical challenge, it’s a social, economic, and ecological one. Thanks to the leadership of individuals like Jeff Crane and Merrill Beyeler, we see that success lies in collaboration, community empowerment, and a shared commitment to working lands and working waters. Their stories remind us that meaningful change often begins with listening to the land, to our neighbors, and to the generations who will inherit both. Whether it’s through rethinking infrastructure, realigning fences, or reimagining how partnerships take shape, the path forward requires both courage and humility.