Eight-year project in Red Deer County shows slow but positive results in riparian areas
Following an eight-year project with Red Deer County and Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS), results confirmed that farmers can have a slow but significant beneficial impact to the environment’s riparian areas.
Gathering for a presentation at Crossroads Church (38105 Range Rd 275) on Wednesday, ALUS Coordinator for the County Ken Lewis and Riparian Specialist with Cows and Fish Kelsey Spicer-Rawe, shared the data to participating farmers and guests.
Riparian areas are the ecological zones immediately beside lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands. Although they only total two per cent of land in Alberta, they can provide important ecosystem services like fish and wildlife habitat, improving water quality and maintain water quantity on landscapes.
In 2015, the County contracted the non-profit society Cows and Fish to do Riparian Health Assessments (RHAs) on 51 farms and ranches that adopted environmentally beneficial agriculture practices, including riparian management livestock fencing, alternative livestock watering systems, rotational grazing practices, planting native trees and shrubs, improving livestock crossings and increasing buffer zones between crop and riparian areas.