Names of Note: Lyons family gives once again to river restoration in Modesto area
The Lyons family has donated $50,000 to the restoration of Dos Rios Ranch, a floodplain zone close to its farmland southwest of Modesto.
The gift reflects the family’s efforts to farm in a way that enhances wildlife habitat. This has included the recovery of the once-endangered Aleutian cackling goose, along with fish and other creatures in the floodplain project.
Dos Rios stretches across about 2,400 acres where the Tuolumne and San Joaquin rivers join. It is close to a decade into a $45 million-plus restoration aimed at enhancing habitat, buffering flood damage and recharging groundwater.
The donation went to River Partners, the nonprofit leading the project with help from public agencies and the Tuolumne River Trust.
The family members include Bill Lyons Jr., a former secretary of food and agriculture for California.
“There are plenty of opportunities for Valley farmers to work with groups like River Partners and find common sense solutions to the many resources issues we are facing,” he said in a news release. “My father and mother were considered both agriculturalists and true conservationists and instilled in our family the value of taking care of our natural resources.”
River Partners works with farmers and other allies to restore some of the floodplain that once spread across much of the Central Valley.
“The Dos Rios Ranch Preserve is a powerful model of how floodplain restoration can keep the Valley thriving as we face tough challenges related to intensifying droughts and floods,” President Julie Rentner said.
MID campaign wins award
The Modesto Irrigation District received a statewide award for its campaign involving river health.
“Until the Last Drop” received the Huell Howser Excellence in Communication award at the annual meeting of the Association of California Water Agencies. The late Howser was best known for hosting travelogues on public television.
The campaign advances MID’s argument that fish habitat projects could reduce the volume of reservoir releases being sought by the state. It features the Tuolumne River, which the district taps, and other tributaries to the San Joaquin River.
The campaign involves print and other advertising, along with an 83-minute film that started streaming in September 2020.
And finally ...
Nicholas Callahan, who works at Speedee Oil Change & Auto Service in Turlock, received a Master Automobile Technician of the Year award.
Callahan was among 48 recipients at a meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona, of the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence. They were the top scorers among about 250,000 technicians certified by ASE.
Names of Note recognizes people and organizations for their contribution to their communities. Submit items to jholland@modbee.com.
