Ohio Lake Erie Buffer Initiative- Final Report
  Future Recommendations

The Buffer Team members have identified the following items/issues as important to the future and continued success of the Lake Erie Buffer Program:

1. The program needs to be kept at the forefront of the agencies priorities, and a way needs to be found to continue in some fashion the buffer team efforts. There is a danger now that the grant is finished, and new priorities or initiatives have arisen, that the buffer team effort will fade into the background. A way needs to be found to keep the group active in some fashion beyond the expiration of the Protection Fund Grant. It is likely the Lake Erie Buffer team goal will be reached as envisioned by 2005, however much more remains to be done and this goal should be viewed as the first step towards establishing all the buffers needed in the basin rather than an end point accomplishment.
   
   
            Graph 3- Progress towards Lake Erie Goal.  New Buffers
                  installed in the Lake Erie Watershed since 1997.
    
2. Long term maintenance of the CREP/Continuous CRP funding is the single most important factor to continued progress in restoring sufficient conservation buffers to improve water quality in the Lake Erie watershed. Despite all the marketing, publicity and other good things that have been done, the single most important factor in changing land-owners attitude to accept buffers is the offset of lost income when they convert those areas from income producing cropland to conservation buffers.
        
   Graph 4- Influence of CREP on Buffer Enrollment Success!
    
3. It appears the CREP program will reach the goal for tree plantings and wetland restorations before the goal for grass filter strips is reached. Trees provide permanent benefits. If the tree goal is reached within the CREP program, it should be revisited to shift some of the targeted acres within the program from grass to trees. This may necessitate an additional commitment for the State bonus funds for the tree practices over the amount originally budgeted. In recent fiscal years due to State budget constraints the CREP funding for state bonus payments has been reduced. This has slowed the rate of CREP practice signup and installation. Ways need to be found to either make up for these lost funds at the end of the project, or to extend the project to allow additional time to recoup the lost funds and fully realize the potential of the Lake Erie CREP program.
4. There is a need for a maintenance and installation bulletin to fully realize the wildlife potential of the buffers. While some landowners are embracing native grasses and reduced mowing for filter strips, there is still intense pressure in the agricultural community to frequently mow filter strips and to use cool season grasses. In addition, such a bulletin could emphasize the benefits of trees over grass or mixed grass, tree and shrub buffers for songbirds and wildlife.
5. A continued effort should be made to enlist golf courses in the buffer effort. Perhaps some funding or grants could be offered for demonstration projects, or maybe there is a statewide association of courses or superintendents which could be convinced to become active in the effort.
6. Those counties who at the local level have offered turnkey seeding or tree planting services to landowners have been highly successful. A turnkey service makes it easier for landowners who are often busy when the buffers should be seeded, or lack the necessary equipment needed to make the seedings or plant the trees. Ways should be found to encourage the offering of these services, be it SWCD offices, non-profit groups, or private vendors.
7. Additional means need to be developed to encourage buffer programs in urban areas. Possible ideas would include demonstration projects or grants, model ordinances, public officials training, etc. One thought would be to create an urban buffer team charged with developing an urban program.
8. In as much as buffers benefit society at large, perhaps properly designed and enrolled buffers should be treated as exempt areas or taxed at special tax rates under the Current Agricultural Use Value (CAUV) tax assessment program.
9. Good quality color aerial photos of conservation buffers are a highly effective, visual sales tool for brochures, presentations and displays. Taking of these pictures is beyond the means of most county offices and the current available images can be over used. There will be a need in the near future to update the photo base with fresh images with a new round of high quality photos taken at strategic times from a small airplane or helicopter.
   
   
   Buffer Team aerial photo shows the Benefits of an Auglaize
   County Filter Strip.  The Filter Strip is on the left side versus
   no filter strip on the right side.
    

Ohio Lake Erie Buffer Initiative FINAL REPORT- March 2004

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