Help with leaves !!!

[cigar-]

I am experiencing a problem with leaves falling into and under the cowl in front of the windshield. Eventually they drift down into the kick panel vents and blow into the cab when the vent is opened.

I know I'm missing something that will prevent this from happening. Is there a solution? I am about to buy a used cowl cover and weld small screen onto the bottom to prevent the leaves (and dirt and such) from entering the underside and into the vents. Not sure if that's a good or correct solution. The factory must have had something in place to prevent this.......