Tag: water conservation

Water Conservation in Orchards

Resources & Funding Sources

Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project has worked over a decade to help growers benefit from Colorado’s endangered heritage apple trees. In the face of climate change, drought, and agricultural water deficits, MORP believes there is an urgent need to help area farmers plan for future water shortages, and a timely opportunity to demonstrate resilient orchard management practices as we rebuild a fruit economy.

Today’s generation benefits from a still productive crop made possible by the hard work of Colorado’s early fruit growers. But now, this abundance is at risk of disappearing if new trees are not planted to take their place. MORP, with support from its partner The Nature Conservancy, works to address this urgency by creating knowledge and incentives for farmers to embrace resilient orchard management practices by converting degraded fields back into sustainable apple orchards—today.

This work recognizes that bringing back apples is not only about preserving cultivar diversity and restoring a fruit economy, but also about sustainability. Heritage orchards can be grown using water efficient technologies. Historic, wide-spaced orchards planted in native drought tolerant grasses and wildflowers will improve water conservation, soil health, biodiversity, and pollinator habitat.

By implementing and demonstrating resilient orchard management practices, and taking steps to ensure continued apple production, MORP works to increase farmers’ understanding and ability to manage land and water resources sustainability for the area.

Orchard Hub

MORP owns 36.35 acres of historic orchard property – now known as the Orchard Hub – in Dolores, Colorado, irrigated with 35 shares of Montezuma Valley Irrigation Company water.

Historically the property was used for orchards, but most of the trees were cut out by 1960 in favor of water intensive crops such as alfalfa. Over time the fields became unproductive, riddled with prairie dog holes, and overgrown with invasive species. This is a scenario that repeats itself across Southwest Colorado as the weather gets hotter and drier and farmers face water shortages (see Colorado Water Plan).

MORP offers hands-on demonstrations to incentivize farmers to adopt resilient orchard management practices that conserve water, soil health, and biodiversity by re-establishing 22 acres of heritage apples at the MORP Orchard Hub property, and hopefully on your farm too! Join us in this work today. Sign up for our e-newsletter to know of upcoming workshops.

Template for Water Conservation

Support from a Water Supply Reserve Fund grant helped make possible MORP’s work to install the first phase of orchard establishment and irrigation improvements on 6.20 acres of Orchard Hub property. We will continue this work until we complete the full system build out for a total of 22 acres. Please see the documents below to use as a model on your own farm to support orchard expansion using water efficient solutions. Reach out to us anytime with questions. Resources and funding sources are also listed at the top of this page.

Gold Medal Orchard

At the historic Gold Medal Orchard in McElmo Canyon, Colorado the spring mountain irrigation runoff is so dirty with debris by the time it reaches the canyon bottom, that even with simple inline filters we were having to remove many drip emitters EVERY day to keep them unclogged, a frustrating and labor filled process. And when the emitters were not flowing water efficiently the rare apple cultivars which fill the orchard were not getting sufficient water, threatening their preservation.

Despite this challenge we were still determined to reach our goal to switch from historic flood irrigation to a more water conserving irrigation method. A settling pond was not possible but we had another possible solution.

To improve the system, we reached out to the LOR Foundation with an idea: Purchase a SELF-FLUSHING filter* to convert the irrigation to a drip system that actually worked, thus conserving scarce community water and heritage fruit resources.

It worked! The emitters no longer clog up and water will now flow for a 24 hour period before we need to rinse out the new, self flushing filter. We now save hours on labor.

Most importantly, it is essential to conserve water through drought and shortages. The ability to efficiently deliver water to the trees is critical, and towards this end, working filtration was the key to our success! Thank you LOR Foundation!

* We installed an Amiad mini sigma filter recommended by and purchased through Quality Irrigation Solutions. Anthony Valdez is an excellent contact at QIS.

Conservation Project to Bring Heirloom Apples Back to Western Slope

A 36-acre property near Cortez in southwestern Colorado soon will be transformed into a sustainable community apple “orchard hub.” With help from The Nature Conservancy, the Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project was able to purchase the land. Jude Schuenemeyer, who co-directs the project, said they’ll use beneficial insects instead of pesticides to protect the apple trees, and underneath, there will be a range of native wildflowers to create a safe space for pollinators to refuel.


“You start to create an ecosystem there,” he said, “and, within that ecosystem, it’s a place where all the different species of bees can be in there without getting sprayed out and killed.”


Plans for a hybrid water system, using native grasses throughout the orchard with roots up to nine feet long, will create a natural underground reservoir, conserving water in an area prone to prolonged drought. Read more or listen to the full story at KDNK Public Radio…


By Eric Galatas | KDNK | July 21, 2020

MORP Announces Property Purchase for Orchard Restoration Project

Orchard Hub By The Nature Conservancy | July 20, 2020

In the southwestern corner of Colorado, thousands of historic apple trees dot the landscape, producing an estimated 50,000 bushels of fruit that currently go to waste. Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project (MORP) hopes that one day soon all those apples will be turned into juice. This hope is one step closer to reality as they have now acquired a new property to serve the community as an “Orchard Hub”. The property purchase was made possible through a successful capital campaign with major support from The Nature Conservancy, Gates Family Foundation, Kenney Brothers Foundation, El Pomar Foundation, Onward! A Legacy Foundation, and individual supporters of MORP.

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has partnered with MORP on both the purchase of the property and the restoration efforts. The 36-acre property located just north of Cortez provides a place to launch the on-the- ground efforts MORP began contemplating more than a decade ago. The partners plan to demonstrate water conservation in orchards while saving Montezuma County’s rare and endangered apples and turning them into a value-added product, such as juice or cider. This work will preserve the area’s unique heritage while providing local farmers with a reliable income for their fruit for the first time in a generation.

Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project was started with a goal to preserve Colorado’s fruit growing heritage and restore an orchard culture and economy to the southwestern region. In the early 1900s, apples were a big part of the economy in southwestern Colorado along the Dolores River. In fact, apples were once Colorado’s main fruit crop. But over time, apple orchards gave way to hay, alfalfa and other crops that were more lucrative—and also more water intensive.

“Bringing back apples is not only about preserving the past,” said MORP Co-Director Jude Schuenemeyer. “Apples use less water than other common crops in the area, and historic, wide-spaced orchards provide habitat for native pollinators, wildlife and plants. By testing irrigation strategies and looking into reviving apple production, we can increase the understanding of how to best provide food and manage water sustainably for the area.”

MORP plans to convert their 36 acres from flood-irrigated pasture grass back to an heirloom apple orchard. There, The Nature Conservancy will help MORP improve irrigation efficiency and showcase efficient water use practices, such as drip irrigation and soil moisture monitoring, to local farmers. By planting native grasses between the trees, like buffalo grass and blue grama, the soil will hold in more moisture and the whole area will become more resistant to drought.

The Nature Conservancy became involved in the project as a way to investigate and test options for switching crops to conserve water. Crop switching can be a tool to benefit both rivers and the rural communities that depend on them.

“We are excited to support MORP’s efforts to address water use and community resiliency,” said Celene Hawkins, Western Colorado water project director for The Nature Conservancy in Colorado. “This partnership will enable us to learn more about the benefits of crop switching and what it could mean for water use in southwest Colorado.”

MORP is also involving the local community at every step of the process. By building a classroom, hosting community events, working with Americorps volunteers and partnering with local farmers, the organization is aiming to make orchard cultivation replicable for others in the region. This new property will be a hub to make this work possible.

“I see this as a community-based project that supports local agriculture, while also helping the region think about its options in an increasingly dry future,” added Hawkins.

MORP is also using the historic orchard property to create a genetic bank for the rare heirloom apples they’re saving. All these efforts are pointed toward reviving the apple economy on a broader scale.

Growing Apples to Conserve Water

For Jude and Addie Schuenemeyer, growing apples preserves a rich cultural history in Colorado. And, growing apples might just be a viable solution to supporting their local economy while sustainably managing water in the drought-stricken Colorado River Basin.


The Colorado River is often called America’s hardest-working river. Demands for water exceed supply, causing the river to dry up before it reaches the sea. Water from the river irrigates more than five million acres of agricultural land and provides drinking water for 40 million people across seven states and two countries. And the lack of water will only get worse as climate change increases drought and water scarcity in the West.


The scale and consequences of water and the Colorado can seem insurmountable. But, Jude and Addie are hoping their pilot project will provide a solution and spread hope for the river.  Continue reading at The Nature Conservancy…


By The Nature Conservancy, March 3, 2020