August 23, 2005
An Iowa public and private partnership which combined funding, outreach and
education efforts to promote conservation buffers to farmers and landowners will
be featured at next week’s White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation in
St. Louis, Mo., Aug. 28-Sept. 2.
Representatives from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship,
Division of Soil Conservation, Trees Forever and Pheasants Forever will join an
Iowa farmer in explaining how the Iowa Buffer Initiative worked help Iowa
farmers lead the nation in buffer
installation.
Buffers improve air and water quality, enhance fish and wildlife habitat, and
beautify the landscape. They slow water runoff; remove up to 50 percent or more
of nutrients and pesticides in runoff; and remove up do 60 percent or more of
pathogens in runoff.
They remove up to 75 percent or more of sediment in runoff; reduce noise and
odor; serve as a source of food, nesting cover, and shelter for wildlife and
stabilize stream banks and reduce water temperature in stream.
But getting them on the ground requires time, money and commitment from
individual private landowners.
“In other words,” said Rick Van Klaveren of USDA’s Natural Resources
Conservation Service, “a successful conservation buffer program relies upon
effective education, promotion and outreach, coupled with technical and
financial assistance.”
Riparian buffers, which are strips of undisturbed vegetation along waterways,
help to intercept pollution, guard against excessive soil erosion, improve water
quality, reduce flooding, enhance fish and wildlife habitat, and restore
biodiversity. By the mid 1990s, national and state agricultural agencies were
offering technical and financial assistance to landowners to install or enhance
buffers, one of the most beneficial, cost effective conservation practices
available.
To turn a good concept into on-the-ground conservation, a group of
conservation organizations and government agencies spearheaded by Trees Forever,
Pheasants Forever, and others, developed partnerships for funding and outreach
to individual landowners and producers to showcase the many benefits of using
trees, shrubs, and grasses as a natural buffer.
An on-farm demonstration and research site was developed by researchers at
Iowa State University with the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture to
provide practical examples and advice for establishing and maintaining the
buffers.
"All along our primary focus was the needs of the producer," Van Klaveren
said. "which was key to the partnership's success."
Van Klaveren said the partnership focused on providing education and outreach
through demonstration sites and field days, enhanced financial incentives,
statewide media relations, and publications and promotions.
Today, Iowa leads the Nation in the number of conservation buffers protecting
streams and rivers. Iowa landowners signed more than 41,000 contracts, creating
331,000 acres of buffers under the USDA Continuous Conservation Reserve Program.
Additional buffers were installed through USDA’s Wetlands Reserve Program,
Environmental Quality Incentives Program, and Wildlife Habitat Incentives
Program.
"This case study is a shining example of what a good partnership can achieve,
given the right timing, adequate funding and motivated producers," he said.
“In the end we all benefit from the Iowa Buffer Team partnership,” Van
Klaveren said. “Farmers received financial incentives while we all benefit from
the increased water quality and wildlife habitat. We are proud to have this
effort highlighted at this national conference”
-30-
For More Information contact:
Jim Gillespie, Division of Soil Conservation--515-281-7043
Shannon Ramsay, Trees Forever--319-373-0650
About Us
Back to Top