Hi everyone
I'm looking for temporary as well as longer term control measures where stock have degraded pasture and / or waterway banks to the point that there is no more vegetative cover. We want to be able to provide advice to landowners on how they can prevent longer term erosion / sediment loss until pasture cover or plantings can be restored or regenerate in the spring. Often the property is very waterlogged so bringing in machinery may not be an option. We do have regulations in place - this is to mitigate where they haven't been complied with.
Thanks in advance.
Jodi
Jodi Thompson
Pollution Prevention Officer
Environment Southland
New Zealand
Waterway Protection Post Bank Degradation, Erosion
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Hi,
The Cows and Fish Program, founded in Alberta by a fisheries biologist and an agrologist some years ago, has been sucessfully used in the northern interior of British Columbia. The BC Cattlemen's Association also has a riparian management program.
Joan Chess
Fraser Basin Council
Canada
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/search/?ss=16&navtype=SEARCH&cid=FSE_003585&navid=790000000000000&pnavid=null&ttype=search&pname=NRCS%20-%20Search
The above link is to the USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service home page. I entered "streambank stabilization" into the search box and found 1450 responses.
Generally speaking, you have to provide "offsite" (i.e., water away from the stream) watering facilities for livestock and fencing to keep the animals out of the stream for as long as it takes for the streambank vegetation to recover vigor.
There are many recommendations for revegetating the streambanks if there isn't enough residual native vegetation to do the job. Also, there are many types of bioengineering methods that may have to be employed if the erosion is too severe to rehabilitate itself.
There are several methods of taking water out of a stream and putting it into a tank and trough system. Some are basically gravity-flow systems that can use perforated pipe (similar to the pipe used in sewerage leach fields) underneath a gravel bed in the stream to collect the water then pipe it to a tank with a trough. Other systems use pumps (solar pumps don't require any electrical connection or pump engine) to put water into a tank.
Livestock induced strambank erosion may be a symptom of a greater grazing management problem. If this is the case, then you need to involve a qualified grazing management specialist to work with the grazier to educate them on forage growth requirements and the impact of herbivores on vegetation.
Ron Harben
Air Quality Coordinator
California Association of Resource Conservation Districts
United States
The San Juan Islands WA Conservation District has run a very successful program called, "Horses for Clean Water." This link will take you to the manual for the program and may have other useful info as well. http://www.sanjuanislandscd.org/Agriculture_Programs/Agriculture_Programs.html
Helen Venada
San Juan County (WA) Public Works
US
Helen Venada
San Juan County Public Works
United States
...
Hi,
Try the Alberta Habitat Management Society http://www.cowsandfish.org. They are doing some interesting riparian work.
Don
Donald Quigley
Executive Director
Northeast Avalon ACAP
Canada