Journal Staff Report

James C. Fisher, a retired hydrologist and native of Cortez, has been appointed to the Dolores Water Conservancy board of directors.

Fisher joined the board at its September meeting. He replaces long-time director W.T. "Dopey" Butler, who passed away July 14. Butler had served on the board 24 years and was vice-president at the time of his death.

In lieu of immediate election of a new vice president, the board decided to wait until its January meeting to elect one for a full term.

Butler’s term was to end Nov. 1, so District Court Judge Sharon Hansen officially appointed Fisher to the remaining time and to the full four-year directorship that will follow. His term will end on Nov. 1, 2000.

Fisher attended Lakeview School and then graduate from Montezuma-Cortez High School in 1962. He graduated from Colorado State University’s Forestry School in 1967 with a bachelor of science degree in watershed science. He spent his 29-year professional career as a hydrologist in Texas with the U.S. Geological Survey, retiring in 1996 and returning to this area, where he owns property and has many friends.

He remembers "Dopey" Butler very well, he said, including a vivid recall of a summer as a 10-year-old watching the long-time contractor building a pond near Lakeview. Interestingly, it was only two years ago that he again watched Butler at work on another pond. Butler’s fascinating command of machines was one of the reasons for his choosing hydrology, Fisher said.

He is the brother of the late Adrian Fisher, who was an outstanding agricultural expert in the area, serving as a member of the DWCD board for six years. Adrian Fisher passed away in 1992.

Jim Fisher was in Texas during the time of approval and construction of the Dolores Project, but "it’s quite a boost" for the entire area, he said, recalling the difference between the condition of farms from here to Dove Creek in the 1960s and now.

"It seems like a lot of water projects turn out a lot better than people think they will" when they are being planned and constructed, he said, recalling the many similar works in Texas.

The other members of the board of directors and their term endings are Donald W. Schwindt, Cortez, president, June 1, 2003; Billy F. Smart, Cortez, secretary-treasurer, March 14, 2002; Lawrence H. Deremo, Dove Creek, July 31, 2002; Joe L. Mahaffey, Yellow Jacket, Nov. 21, 2000; Nellie E. Donovan, Pleasant View, Dec. 20, 2002; and Abdel Berrada, Pleasant View, Nov. 21, 2000.