| Ongoing
Projects: Fish Friendly FarmingŪ Program The Fish Friendly FarmingŪ Program seeks to improve habitat conditions for salmonids and other native aquatic species by educating land managers in environmentally beneficial practices and carrying out restoration and erosion control projects. Fish Friendly FarmingŪ is an incentive-based program that focuses on the land manager as the central figure in achieving long-term environmental improvements as part of a sustainable agriculture system. The land manager, working with technical experts from the program, completes a Farm Conservation Plan – a comprehensive inventory and assessment of natural resources, agricultural lands and management practices – that documents all sediment sources and evaluates stream and river riparian corridors and water sources. Each unique plan is the strategy for that property which guides the improvement of land management practices and conditions. Various projects such as creek restoration and revegetation, water supply facility retrofit, water conservation methods, road repair and erosion site repair are identified in the plan as well as changes needed in management practices to produce environmental benefits. The farm plans and properties are inspected by agency staff in a certification process. Since 1999, over 75,000 acres have been enrolled in the program and over 22,000 acres have gone through the certification process. Properties will be re-inspected on a five to seven year basis to ensure that the farm plans are being followed. NOAA Fisheries Habitat Conservation Division staff from the Southwest Region served on the Technical Advisory Committees which helped to develop the program in its current focus areas of Napa, Mendocino, Sonoma and Solano counties in California. Habitat Conservation Division staff now inspect the participating properties as part of the third-party certification process, providing technical guidance on practices and projects as well as identifying deficiencies in the Farm Conservation Plans. Staff also continues to be available for question and answer sessions in the program classes or at promotional/educational events.
Back To Northern Science and Technology Projects 03/11/08 |
Click on picture to go to Fish Friendly Farming Wedsite. |
|
