03/23/05 Keppen`s new gig

It was back in December that Dan Keppen announced he was stepping down as Executive Director of the Klamath Water Users Association. That came after three years of leading the charge to reverse the effects of the 2001 water shut off, secure water for irrigation, and deal with battles with environmental and tribal interests over balancing irrigation needs and endangered species recovery. KEPPEN: The Water Users position was very, very intense. It was down in the trenches, dealing with crisis's that erupted almost every week if not every day at some points of the tenure there. And that eventually took a toll. Since then Keppen had been serving in an advisory role with the K.W.U.A., until recently. That was when he was approached by another Oregonian, who just so happened to be the Executive Director of the Western based water group, The Family Farm Alliance, about a unique opportunity. KEPPEN: They really are a quietly effective organization that generally picks up two or three federal types of policy issues and just birddogs them until they're done, and so last couple of years I've served on the technical advisory committee for the Alliance. And I've also known Craig Smith for quite a while and so when I made the announcement to step down from the Klamath Water Users back in December, Craig approached me at a water conference in January down in California and said "Hey, I'm thinking about moving in a different direction and would you be interested in taking over". So when Smith announced he was taking on an expanded role with the Northwest Food Processors Association, Keppen was appointed by the Alliance board to take over the Executive Director's position. He says the difference in this position versus his job with the Klamath Water Users Association is the more proactive approach towards water issues, versus the reactive measure needed to handle the issues of the Klamath. KEPPEN: It is, at least for the time being, much more of a big picture approach focusing strictly on policy issues, working with Congress and the Administration. Both Keppen, and new Alliance President and Wyoming rancher Patrick O'Toole, hope to expand and step up two of the Alliance's more important programs & the visit of farmer lobbyists and federal water users to Washington D.C. to discuss water issues, and Congressional Outreach which brings Washington D.C. based Congressional and Administration staff members to the West to see farm and irrigation operations first hand. But make no mistake, there will be a focus on new and various water issues during Keppen and O'Toole's tenures. More on that in our next program.