69th Soil and Water Conservation Society ConferenceJuly 28-30, 2014Jennifer Filipiak, Natural Resources CoordinatorAmerican Farmland Trust ©Champaign SWCD

Evolution of the Upper Salt Fork Watershed:

from wildlife habitat and flooding to the Mississippi River Basin Initiative and water quality

Upper Salt Fork Watershed

90% Champaign County

Popn. 200,000+ 381 mi2 Land grant

University Very productive ag NRCS state HQ 5 watersheds! IEPA impaired

stream segments

©Champaign SWCD

Upper Salt Fork Watershed

Glacial moraines bound the watershed

80% row crop Flat and Fertile

©NRES, University of Illinois ©Champaign SWCD

©Champaign SWCD

44 drainage districts!

• 1879 first drainage district

• 1950s cattle industry in decline

• Boneyard Creek:• 1948-2007• Increasing peak flows

• Responsible for free flow w/in the drainage district

Localized flood events 1990, 1994

Watershed Planning

IEPA 319 grant

Led by SWCD, steering committee formed

©Champaign SWCD

Channel maintenance, fish kill

©Champaign SWCD

Active stakeholders

Riverwatch 1996-2003

Stream Teams –2004 –

Audubon bird surveys

USGS stream gages, IEPA since 1966

©Champaign SWCD

©Champaign SWCD

2006: Implementation!

©Champaign SWCD

Overview of goals/objectives2006 Water quality:

70% adoption of practices! More aquatic wildlife habitat, in-stream practices. Homer Lake aesthetics/recreation

Flooding and channel stewardship: Reach consensus! Improve stormwater

storage. Computer modeling. Terrestrial wildlife: Promote programs, landowner education

Public Information and Education: hire a coordinator

Results of goals/objectives2006 - 2011

Water quality: 40% adoption achieved – barriers equipment,

lack of knowledge. Aquatic habitat – funding, permitting (one

project just approved) Flooding and channel stewardship: Consensus reached! Funding, staffing…

Terrestrial wildlife: Public Information and Education: Funding, inconsistent staffing

Reducing nutrient losses

2008 Gulf Hypoxia plan 2011: MRBI + CIG + Walton + McKnight SWCD, U of I, Reetz Agronomics

©NRES, University of Illinois

Nutrients, nutrients, nutrients!MRBI 590 Nutrient mgt. 329 Strip till 340 Cover crops 554 Drainage

water management

799 Monitoring

CIG – BMP Challenge Replicates mid-

Atlantic model Risk “insurance” Provide TA

KIC 2025 Council on BMPs Use the 4 R’s Nutrient efficiency

©AFT

Watershed success factors

Flitcroft, et al. 2010. Trust: the critical element for successful watershed management. Ecology and Society 15(3): r3.

Ohio State Extension: The Ohio Watershed Network

World Resources Institute, 2013 review of MRBI

Boone River Watershed Evaluation, Enloe et al. Iowa State University, 2013

©Champaign SWCD

Watershed success factors Stakeholder engagement, stakeholder and producer buy in Public/private partnerships SMART, Quantitative goals Appropriate scale Management Plan is a startingpoint, and adaptive Sound Science, monitoring, evaluation Monitor social AND environmental change

©AFT

Relationships take time!

What we’ve learned since 2011: You only get one chance to make a

bad impression… Farmer leaders aren’t in the sub-

watershed with the best monitoring! Anhydrous ammonia and the BMP

challenge Cover crops: financial barrier? Or

equipment barrier: establishment, yield questions

Solutions Cover crop cost share: 1 page Progressive field days Tool bars for spring application Very engaged District sub-committees

©AFT

Conclusions

Watersheds: we know what works! Patience – the culture, relationships,

extenuating circumstances Develop a plan, but be flexible, look

for the true barriers.

©AFT

Upper Salt Fork – success?

Frustrations - funding, staffing, stop/start, but… Keep monitoring Taking time to evaluate Updating the implementation plan

©Champaign SWCD

Jen Filipiak, jfilipiak@farmland.org

American Farmland Trust –saving the land that sustains us by

protecting farm and ranchland, promoting sound farming practices and keeping

farmers on the landwww.farmland.org

©Lussier Photography