Headgate Awards presented
Once again, the Four States Irrigation Council took time this winter to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions in the irrigation, agriculture and water infrastructure industries.
During a Jan. 15 awards banquet in Northglenn, Colo., the organization distributed its annual Headgate Awards, which are given to industry leaders in each of the four states – Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska and Wyoming – who have been active in and supportive of irrigation and water resources development.
Each year, the Four States Irrigation Council Awards Banquet takes place as part of the organization’s broader two-day annual meeting.
Wyoming Headgate Award
Joan McGraw is the recipient of the 2026 Wyoming Headgate Award.
McGraw has worked in water, water quality and water conservation since 2012, when she started working for the Medicine Bow Conservation District. After a short time there, she became the district manager and kept a constant flow of grants moving through the district to complete needed conservation projects.
Then in 2023, McGraw became the district manager for Casper Alcova Irrigation District (CAID), where she hit the ground running.
She has accomplished a lot with CAID, including securing funding for cost sharing on an automation project for the district which saved hours of drive time for ditch riders.
McGraw has also strengthened relationships with the Bureau of Recreation, State Engineer’s Office, Wyoming Water Development Commission, City of Casper and other government agencies. Landowners, too, have been pleased with the level of communication McGraw has brought to the role.
She has spent countless hours reorganizing operational processes within the office, including researching and updating landowner water rights, restructuring the district’s accounting system and organizing the office to better research various topics.
She is known by those she works with as the first one into the office and the last to leave.
In 2024, McGraw was elected to fill a three-year term on the Wyoming Association of Irrigation Districts Board of Directors and has provided helpful leadership to the organization as well.
Colorado Headgate Award
This year, the Colorado Headgate Award was given to Joel Schneekloth, a longtime water resources specialist for Colorado State University (CSU) Extension and the Colorado Water Center at CSU.
Schneekloth will soon be wrapping up a multi-decade career devoted to irrigation and agriculture research, as he plans to retire this spring.
Having been with CSU since 2000, he has spent his career conducting research and educational programs related to irrigation and crop production, primarily focusing on limited water supplies, system management and design and alternative crops and their potential impacts on water management.
Based at the Central Great Plains Research Station in Akron, Colo., his most recent research and demonstrations have included large-scale limited irrigation and crop systems projects in the Republican and South Platte basins and also focused on the impacts of cover cropping in irrigated production.
Over the years, his projects have also examined various aspects of irrigated forage production, irrigation response of sunflowers, water response of oilseeds and residue management impacts on water – all aimed at the critical need to help farmers produce more with less in a region facing long-term water scarcity.
Growing up on an irrigated dairy farm in northeastern Nebraska, water has always been a part of his Schneekloth’s life.
After attending the University of Nebraska, Schneekloth went to work for his alma mater for 11 years, holding the positions of water resources Extension educator and water resources coordinator in southwest Nebraska before eventually going to work for CSU.
Nebraska Headgate Award
Bernie Glos and Rick Preston both received the Nebraska Headgate Award this year.
Glos has been with the Twin Loups Reclamation and Irrigation District for 40 years, having been employed with the district since it started in 1986. He has served in several different roles, including maintenance, ditch riding, executing water right transfers and Reclamation Reform Act compliance.
He has recently served as office manager and administrative manager, and is currently the assistant manager for the district.
Having been in various roles over the years, Glos’ expertise has proved valuable to daily operations of the district.
In addition to his responsibilities as assistant manager, Glos also does water rights mapping and has set the district up with data loggers to monitor flows throughout the project to assist both experienced and new ditch riders. He also enjoys assisting fellow employees and meeting farmers the district serves.
Glos has dedicated everything he has to providing outstanding customer service to every farmer in the district, assisting with any and all needs they have, as well as fellow irrigation districts by providing insight on current issues and guidance for day-to-day operations.
Preston was general manager for the Gering-Fort Laramie Irrigation District from 1993 until his retirement in December of 2024.
Prior to his employment in Nebraska, he worked for the San Luis Irrigation District in Los Banos, Calif. for 10 years as a ditch rider.
Over the course of his employment, Preston made some difficult but necessary changes and improvements at the district. One of the huge stresses he had to work through was the Fort Laramie Canal Tunnel collapse in 2019, which continues to be an ongoing process.
Preston worked with Gering Irrigation District for 17 years, helping them navigate through years of water shortage and continues today as an advisor to their board.
In 2017, Enterprise Irrigation District reached out to Preston seeking help to restructure their district, which he also did until his retirement.
During his time at Gering-Fort Laramie, he served on the Board of Nebraska Water Resources Association, Nebraska State lrrigators Association, Gering Valley Flood Control Committee and the Lake Alice School Board.
Preston is widely regarded as a very knowledgeable person who has a love for agriculture and deeply values surface water.
In 2023, he was inducted into the Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement.
Kansas Headgate Award
Dan Reynolds, the recipient of the Kansas Headgate Award, began his career at the Kansas Bostwick Irrigation District in 1979 as a ditch rider for the Lower Fifth Canal.
Following the first irrigation season, his ditch-riding duties were transferred to the White Rock Canal, where he remained for the next 40 years, until his retirement following the 2019 irrigation season.
While serving as a ditch rider in the summers, Reynolds was also promoted in 2012 to co-foreman of the field crew during the off-seasons, a position he also held until his retirement.
While being a skilled ditch rider and supervisor of the field crew, Reynolds was also known as one of the best heavy equipment operators Kansas Bostwick has ever had.
In his retirement, Reynolds and his wife Mary maintain a small herd of cattle and spend a great deal of their time chasing grandchildren to sporting events and other activities all over the state of Kansas.
The Four States Irrigation Council, established in 1952, serves as a forum for farmers, ditch and irrigation company representatives, water district staff and board members, engineers, professors, Extension agents, government officials and others to discuss water-delivery and irrigation-related issues, exchange ideas and develop solutions. The council hosts an annual meeting each January, as well as biennial summer tours, and promotes the wise use of the nation’s water resources, encouraging effective and diverse use of this limited resource. To learn more, visit 4-states-irrigation.org.
