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Ohio Lake Erie Buffer Initiative- Final Report
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RESULT: This document was created and designed before the team was established. Due to the demand, the supply had been exhausted. The brochure was reprinted to restock Ohio Soil and Water Conservation Districts. They are still being used as an educational tool to explain to landowners the benefits of conservation buffers.
RESULT: Signs were created to demonstrate to the traveling public what conservation buffers are and to denote landowners who are good conservation stewards. Signs were designed to denote (1) Filter Strips, (2) Riparian Forests, (3) Windbreaks, and (4) Wetlands Each sign came complete with posts and hardware and are made of heavy gauge coated aluminum. Over 1300 signs were ordered. The signs were available to the SWCD offices in the watershed in early October 2000 for installation on sites of good-looking, high quality practices where they will get some visibility and provide positive advertising. Soil and Water Conservation District Staff donated time to deliver and install the signs.
RESULT: Team members and various organizations created a slide library of buffer images for use. The slides showed examples of conservation buffers from various locations in Ohio as well as artwork explaining the practices and the benefits. The slide collection was put on a CD as digital images and was distributed to conservation field offices, extension agents and news media. This CD was a valuable tool in promoting the installation of buffers in the watershed.
RESULT: The buffer team spent a considerable amount of time researching this issue. It finally was determined that there were other better and more economical products that could be produced by the team to promote buffers. Thus, the team decided not to follow through with this action item.
RESULT: A series of fact sheets, handouts and brochures to support, promote and explain the CREP were designed by NRCS and printed by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Soil and Water Conservation. Members of the team designed and published a windbreak brochure that was widely distributed throughout the watershed to support the CREP field windbreak program.
RESULT: At the June 18, 2003 Lake Erie commission Meeting, John Dorka,
Chief
of Ohio DNR’s Division of Forestry introduced Ohio’s Windbreak Guide. This
comprehensive 46page publication includes information on the benefits of
windbreaks, windbreak design, and maintenance and species selection. The Guide
contains graphs and charts that provide the reader with a quick reference to
selected species such as trees and shrubs that protect open farmland and
structures, and play a conservation role in Ohio agriculture. The Windbreak
Guide was distributed statewide through Ohio DNR and also local soil & water
conservation district offices. This Guide will help to increase windbreaks in
Ohio as well as diversity for songbird species and will continue as a marketing
tool for the CREP Program.
A committee of Steve Davis, Greg Guess, Greg Maxfield, Don Schmenk and Bob Flickinger designed and published 5,000 copies of the windbreak guidebook. This publication has been distributed to conservation field offices throughout the Lake Erie Basin. In March of 2004 the publication was recognized by the Ohio Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society and awarded the Dan Kush Outstanding Educational Publication award.
RESULT: Two tabletop and one floor mural display were created to showcase how buffers can be utilized. Included with the displays are halogen lighting, table covers and shipping case with wheels. Each of the displays have two sets of panels, one specifically suited for an urban audience and the other more geared for the agricultural community. These displays have traveled through the watershed and state to county fairs and conservation field days. The displays are currently housed at different locations in the watershed and are actively used. These displays will be used by conservation groups long after the project is completed.
RESULT: A video was produced, however it was in a different format than originally planned. A July 2000 broadcast of the Ed Johnson AgriCountry farm show, WRFD Columbus, featured Steve Davis, buffer team leader, and several Ohio farmers who had successfully installed buffers. The show was filmed entirely in the watershed and the farmers discussed the benefits of buffers, why they installed them and why they liked them.
Buffer Ohio award Winner Dwight Wise and
the late Ed Johnson
discuss the benefits of this buffer strip on the TV show AgriCountry.
The show also featured and highlighted the Ohio CREP program. Approximately 750,000 viewers watched this program. The show was a two part series with the first part airing on the land and the second part filmed on a boat on Lake Erie itself, courtesy of the Lake Erie Charter Boat Association. The theme of the two shows was to connect what happens with the care of the land to the fishery resources of the Lake. This was the first time that the AgriCountry show had ever done a two part series. A tape of this broadcast has been distributed to conservation field offices in the watershed. Because of the fame of the late Ed Johnson, this broadcast and tape have been a great boost to the promotion of buffer strips.
This Buffer Team picture, showing a riparian forest
buffer, has
appeared in
numerous publications in Ohio.
RESULT: The team members, especially team leader Steve Davis, took numerous slides during their travels in the watershed. Three trips were taken in a plane for aerial photos of completed practices. These were very useful for slide shows. A CD was produced with these buffer images and was distributed to the conservation field offices and other conservation partners. The photos were used in newsletters, news releases, and public presentations. Some photos were requested nationally for use by National Buffer initiative.
RESULT: A marketing committee was developed and items were purchased and distributed throughout the watershed to give visibility to conservation buffers. Items purchased included, key chains, coolers, yardsticks and insulated can holders. All of these items had the Lake Erie Buffer logo and buffer slogans on them and were distributed at county fairs and SWCD annual meetings.
RESULT: A volunteer set up a temporary site in early 2000. After gathering additional information a permanent site was completed by a summer buffer intern. This site is housed by NRCS on its server and it can now be found at:
This web site highlights different conservation buffer practices and explains their purpose and use. The site also lists other conservation programs and identifies the benefits of buffers through testimonials of Ohio farmers and landowners who have installed buffers on their land. The strategic plan, awards program, team members and news releases of the Lake Erie Buffer Team are also highlighted at this site. This web site has attracted interest from other states and even resulted in requests for information from other countries. The team leader has traveled to other states and Canada promoting the Ohio Lake Erie Buffer Initiative and the accomplishments of Ohio thanks to contacts made as a result of the web site.
RESULT: The Lake Erie Buffer Team assisted USDA-NRCS and Congresswomen Marcy Kaptur in hosting the Great Lakes Symposium in May of 2000 in Toledo.
Individuals interested in conservation in the Great Lakes, attended this meeting from several states and Canada. The Buffer Team organized a tour for one afternoon of the conference which included stops and demonstrations at newly installed buffer strips. The tour and conference were highly successful in making local officials and the general public aware of the work being done in the watershed to improve the water quality of Lake Erie.
RESULT: A day-long conference was held in which experts from the USDA Forest Service and the private sector were brought in to discuss this issue and the concept of “timber banking” conservation easements. It was determined by the group that the potential to develop a timber-banking program from the timber in these riparian areas is not feasible at this time. The main reason for this belief was the fact that in most cases these areas are long fragmented narrow strips that are isolated from other similar areas. In the future, as more riparian forest areas are restored, this idea may have renewed potential.
RESULT: This item proved difficult to achieve. Since most landowners are enrolling land into the CRP or CREP program, harvesting of products is prohibited. The committee searched for alternative crops but was not successful in identifying anything other than timber, which takes a long time to market. One positive development is the interest in tree planting on CREP buffers, which is being carried out at twice the project rate of enrollment due to the higher incentives offered for trees. In time these areas can be self-sustaining stand of hardwood products. In some instances use of these areas for hay crops has been successfully promoted. However, the low amount of hay acres in the Maumee and Sandusky watersheds limits the practicality of this approach.
RESULT: Buffer interns were hired for the summers of 2000, 2001 and 2002. The first two summers, five interns were hired. Funding was available to hire eight interns for the summer of 2002. These individuals were located in SWCD conservation field offices throughout the watershed. While working closely with field office staffs they performed the following duties:
The Buffer Team provided funding for the wages of the interns and NRCS, under an agreement with the Buffer Team, provided space, vehicles, equipment and supervision for the summer interns.
The Landols... Award Winners in Huron
Co.
RESULT: The Lake Erie Buffer Team provided plaques to soil and water conservation districts in the watershed to be presented at annual meetings to the outstanding individual in each county involved in the buffer programs. Many times team members made the presentations at the annual meetings, which promoted not only the buffer programs but also the Lake Erie Buffer Team. Plaques were provided for a 3 year period at no cost to any SWCD in the watershed which wanted to present the Lake Erie Buffer Award.
Also the Buffer Ohio Program was established. The Buffer Ohio Program is a
statewide awards program co-sponsored by 14 different organizations, Lake Erie
Buffer Team participated as one of the members, which recognized outstanding
examples of promotion and/or application of conservation buffer practices on the
Ohio Landscape. Approximate five to eight awards were presented annually in each
of the following categories (1) soil & water conservation district awards (2)
individual awards (3) group & organizational awards. These awards were presented
at the Annual Meeting of the Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts
in Columbus each year. Team Leader, Steve Davis, was on hand to make the
presentations. The Lake Erie Buffer Team contributed $1,500 each year to this
very worthwhile program. As a result of the popularity of the Lake Erie buffer
programs, nearly three-fourths of the awards presented went to landowners
located within the Lake Erie Watershed.
RESULT: The Buffer Ohio Program was developed to recognize outstanding conservation farms in the State of Ohio. As mentioned previously, this award is presented yearly to outstanding conservation farms throughout the state. Many of those receiving the awards are located in the Lake Erie watershed. The Lighthouse Farm concept was never fully developed. What is needed is to find some incentive, beyond just recognition, to cause landowners to want such a designation, in order for a program to achieve widespread acceptance. The Buffer Team was never able to generate a plausible idea as to what that incentive could be. This item, although not achieved, merits further study.
RESULT: The original plan was to pass seed money for localized initiatives down to local groups from the grant received from the Lake Erie Protection Fund. However, due to constraints on the Lake Erie Commission regarding the use of grant money, the team was notified that this was not possible.
RESULT: ODNR Division of Wildlife, Pheasants Forever and the Wild Turkey Federation provided joint funding to purchase several warm season grass drills for use in the watershed. These drills have been widely used within the counties and have made it much easier for landowners to use native warm season grasses on the conservation buffer areas. This equipment is still in use in the watershed.
RESULT: Ohio Wetland Foundation made contributions to conservation groups to restore wetlands. Also, Ohio Corn Growers, Ohio Wetland Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, and Ohio Farm Bureau Federation have all contributed financially to support the Buffer Ohio Awards Program.
RESULT: Workshops for Certified Crop Advisors were held in February of 2001. Approximately 125 individuals attended the one-day workshops held at four locations throughout the state, two of which were in the Lake Erie Watershed. Meetings were held in the Toledo, Akron, Zanesville and Dayton areas. The title of the program was called, “Conservation Buffers: Understanding the Where, When, Why, What and How.” Each attendee received a notebook filled with technical information, marketing materials, and information on the Lake Erie Buffer Program. The agenda included (1) overview of National Buffer Initiative (2) Benefits of Conservation buffers (3) summary of conservation buffer research and (4) understanding and applying conservation buffer practices. Attendees received 5 hours of Continuing Education Credits. It was felt that this activity reached a large number of private agri-business consultants who are an influential voice in agricultural decisions.
Buffer Training Reference Manual for CCA's
RESULT: This group was formed through the creation of the Buffer Ohio Program. Members of the Ohio Corn Grower’s and other agri-business groups served on an advisory committee to select the recipients of the awards. This committee will remain intact after the grant is completed.
RESULT: Buffer team members, working with farmers involved in various buffer programs, spoke at numerous functions such as SWCD annual meetings eliminating the need for a creation of a speakers bureau. Landowners appeared on panel discussions at numerous meetings throughout the state. Landowners, with buffers, were interviewed and quoted in newspapers and on TV. The Lake Erie Buffer Team leader, Steve Davis, made presentations at the International Meeting of the Soil and Water Conservation Society, and the International meeting of the American Society for Agricultural Engineering (ASAE). He also spoke at a major agricultural conference in the Province of Ontario.
The Lake Erie Buffer Team leader also represented Ohio in participating in two national Conservation Buffer Conferences. He attended the First National Conservation Buffer Conference held in San Antonio, Texas and the National Conservation Buffer Workshop in Nebraska City, Nebraska. By participating in these conferences he was able to bring back and share with Ohio the latest information in conservation buffer technology and programs, and also to share with leaders around the country the Ohio Lake Erie Program success story.
RESULT: While the agricultural efforts were very successful the urban buffer program accomplishments were less than the team had hoped for. The success of the agriculture buffer program consumed most of the team member’s time and there were programs and an extensive infrastructure in place to deliver the agricultural efforts. However, the agricultural model did not work well for the urban areas. Moreover, since most of the buffer team members were serving as members with a collateral duty in an agricultural based organization, their existing jobs made it difficult to devote much time to new urban initiatives. It is recommended that a separate program be developed for the urban sector of the watershed. It is the feeling of the Lake Erie Buffer Team that the need is there, and it should be addressed in the future through a separate program targeted towards more urban audiences.
RESULT: The Erie Basin Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D) office provided the fiscal services for this grant, paying the bills, maintaining financial records, providing financial reports at team meetings and insuring the money was spent according to the directions of the buffer team and in accordance with the Lake Erie Protection Fund contract.
RESULT: Steve Davis, United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service, was selected by the team to be the team leader. Steve developed the agendas, organized and led the meetings. He also prepared needed reports, publicity materials and kept the team and sub committees moving in the right direction over the last three plus years. NRCS provided supplies, postage, travel and other support for his work which enabled less of the grant money to be used for overhead and grant administration costs.
RESULT: A budget of $6,000 was established, however, very little funding was been utilized for this item. NRCS provided for all of the travel of the team leader and much of the needed postage, copy paper, supplies, etc. Other agencies contributed from their own sources for other team members activities. This budgeted travel money was reallocated to support other project objectives and actions.
RESULT: A grants committee was formed with the members being as follows: Steve Davis, Katie McKibben, Robert Flickinger, Diana Holt and Ed McConoughey. This group made executive decisions on items which came up from time to time between team meetings. This group also prepared additional grant applications to seek additional funding for the team, applying for these via the Erie Basin RC&D. The group applied for two US EPA Grants, which were unsuccessful, and also for one grant through The Great Lakes Commission, which was approved. This grant provided $12,080 in funding for the four GIS summer intern positions which were created in the summer of 2002.
RESULT: The buffer team spent considerable time investigating potential sites for this activity. In the end it was determined that the cost would be substantial for a project with scientifically based monitoring exceeding the amount budgeted in the grant. The idea was originally conceived to promote acceptance by agricultural landowners. However, with the launching of the CREP program landowners actively embraced this idea when given sufficient financial incentives. Thus funding that was designated for this project was transferred by the team into other activities.
RESULT: Team members determined this was being adequately funded via other programs, so the efforts of the team were devoted to other activities.
RESULT: This was not able to be completed by the buffer team.
RESULT: Demonstrations of this type are being carried by USDA NRCS in other parts of Ohio. It was felt that the efforts underway there could be easily transposed to the Lake Erie watershed and thus these funds were redirected to other project activities.
Iowa Consulting Forester Demonstrates
planting
RESULT: It was determined that a limiting factor to reforesting some of the riparian areas is the difficulty of timely planting of tree seedlings on wet sites in the spring of the year. In many years these areas are not dry enough to get into until it is too late to plant trees. Recent experiences in other states has shown that direct seeding of seeds and nuts in the fall of the year can produce as good or even better stands than planting seedlings.
A technical workshop was sponsored by the Lake Erie Buffer Team, the ODNR Division of Forestry, the Ohio State University School of Natural Resources and other partners to demonstrate the direct seeding method of reforestation and the benefit of this versus planting seedlings. The buffer team brought in several experts, including some private forestry consultants, and University Forestry Professors from the Riparian Forest Agro-Ecology Team at Iowa State University. The workshop was held in June of 2003 and attended by over 50 Ohio Resource professionals. At the workshop the participants received both classroom lecture and hands on field demonstrations in the techniques and procedures of successfully utilizing this means of reforestation. An Ohio Direct Seeding handbook was also developed and distributed to the class participants as part of this workshop. The buffer team also amended its work plan to purchase some equipment for reforestation direct seeding, which will remain with the SWCD’s and Erie Basin RC&D for use in the watershed. In the fall of 2003, a demonstration planting was made on a farm in Fulton County using this technique.
RESULT: County maps were completed and distributed to field offices. These maps proved to be of limited use at the county level, due to the small footprint of a buffer strip on the landscape. At a scale of the entire county the maps showed only a thin line. They were more useful at the township level.
Some work was done by University of Toledo in trying to remote sense existing buffers. At the present time, this technology has difficulty in discerning the thin strips from existing growing crops, especially winter wheat or forages when they are planted adjacent to the buffer area. This area needs considerably more work in the future.
RESULT: Each year the annual report contained acres of buffers installed during the past year. The project coordinator tracked installation of buffers via the cost share program. At the present time the limitation of this approach is the lag time between the time a practice is certified by the field office staff and the time that it shows up as a completed contract in the FSA national data base. (See Table 1 for a summary of buffer accomplishments by all programs. See Graph 1 showing progress by years.)
RESULT: An annual report was submitted to the Ohio Lake Erie Office each year outlining the progress made during the past year.
RESULT: Grant reports were submitted in a timely manner.
Table 1 – New Buffers Installed In the Lake
Erie Watershed by program by Fiscal Year
RESULT: The Ohio Lake Erie Buffer Team’s Strategic Plan was published and served as a guide for the Buffer Team to follow and also as a document to show others what was being done. In addition the strategic plan was put on the Buffer Team web site. As a result of this, the team received requests for copies of the plan from across the U.S. and even from some foreign countries.
RESULT: This was not accomplished through the grant. The team investigated this idea and it was determined that monitoring these effects would be beyond the resources and funding available to the team. Monitoring, which captures only the effects of the buffers, has been proven to be very difficult and expensive. The team leaned heavily on research work that has been done in other places to document the water quality effects of these practices. One area where substantial research and monitoring has been done is the Bear Creek Watershed in Iowa. The Lake Erie Buffer team brought Dr. Richard Schultz, the Bear Creek Lead Researcher and Director of the Iowan State Riparian Forest Agro-ecology Team, to Ohio to share what they have learned.
Graph 1 Trends in Conservation Buffers Installed in Lake Erie Watershed.
Dip in
1999 shows year in which cost share incentives were reduced. CREP
was launched
in 2001. Low number in 2000 reflects landowners waiting for
announcement of CREP
Program. Peak in 2001 reflects 2 years CREP dollars
being available in one
calendar year.
Ohio Lake Erie Buffer Initiative FINAL REPORT- March 2004
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