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Press Release- December 7, 2001

Ohio Lake Erie Buffer Team Successfully Promotes Farm Conservation Efforts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LIMA, OH – Using its motto, "Working Together for Better Farms and Cleaner Waters" as a guide, the Ohio Lake Erie Buffer Program has successfully promoted the increased use of conservation practices in Ohio since its creation in 1998. Over 20 different Federal, State, local, and private organizations have joined forces to spread the word to farmers and landowners in the Lake Erie watershed about conservation buffer practices that can help improve water quality. In just a few short years this "Buffer Team" has met many of its goals.

In the 1998 State of the Lake Report - Lake Erie Quality Index released by the Ohio Lake Erie Commission, soil erosion was identified as "...the primary impediment to improving water quality in the Lake Erie watershed." In one of its many responses to address and rectify this widespread problem, the Commission awarded the Ohio Lake Erie Buffer Program a $229,635 Lake Erie Protection Fund grant to maximize the installation of conservation buffers throughout the region. The Buffer Team’s primary focus has been to market existing land conservation programs across the Lake Erie watershed. These programs, cooperatively funded by state and federal government agencies, are a partnership of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) - Division of Soil & Water Conservation and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Farm Service Agency.

Conservation Buffers are defined as strips or small areas of land that are located in strategic positions in the landscape and maintained in permanent vegetation (grass or trees). The buffer areas generally collect, intercept and filter storm run off before it reaches streams, rivers or lakes. In addition to improving water quality the buffers provide a variety of other benefits, including providing wildlife and songbird habitat and increasing plant and animal diversity. The acres are installed under a long term contract which will provide benefits over a period of 15 to 30 years.

The Buffer Team has achieved the following successes in its mission to promote available programs that reduce sediment loading, minimize nonpoint runoff and conserve soil and water resources:

  • Assisted the ODNR and the US Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in enrolling almost 30,667 acres of farmland in conservation program buffer contracts.
  • Supported and assisted with the development of the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP).
  • Developed Strategic Plan and marketing brochures.
  • Conducted Certified Crop Consultant Training Workshop.
  • Installed signage denoting installed buffer areas.
  • Provided funding for twelve summer interns.
  • Created three portable displays for use at fairs, etc.
  • Developed a Photo Resource Library.
  • Utilized ODNR Remote Sensing Section to prepare County-level maps of buffer needs & buffer progress.
  • Initiated Buffer Ohio Awards: 31 Lake Erie Watershed landowners have been recognized so far through local Soil & Water Conservation Districts.

Buffer team records show the following acres of conservation buffers installed and under a long term contract in the Lake Erie Watershed since the project was initiated in 1999:

Chart depicting the Buffer Goals versus Acres Applied

 

Chart depicting the Buffer Acres installed each year since 1999

 

For more information about the Ohio Lake Erie Buffer Team or the conservation programs it promotes, please contact Steve Davis of the Natural Resources Conservation Service – United States Department of Agriculture in Lima at 419-222-0614 or by e-mail at: steve.davis@oh.usda.gov.

For press information, please contact Steve Davis, NRCS-USDA, 3900 Campus Drive, Suite A, Lima, OH 45804 at 419-222-0614 or by e-mail at: steve.davis@oh.usda.gov.

Ohio Lake Erie Buffer Office ~ 3900 Campus Drive Suite A ~ Lima, OH 45804

Information on this site is believed to be accurate but is not guaranteed. The Ohio Lake Erie Buffer Program disclaims any liability for any errors or omissions. The Ohio Lake Erie Buffer Team prohibits discrimination in its programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, and marital or family status.

Modified by Benjamin Marckel, January 2003