Riparian Fencing Research Articles

Farmers, streams, information, and money: does informing farmers about riparian management have any effect?

We assessed relationships between the extent to which farmers reported exposure to relevant information and their attitudes towards, knowledge about, and degree of adoption of riparian management strategies. We also examined associations between knowledge of, or receipt of, financial assistance for riparian fencing/planting and intentions for and extent of adoption of this strategy. A mail survey of 718 pastoral farmers in Otago and Southland in New Zealand [294 surveys returned (41%)] yielded 279 usable questionnaires. Indices were developed to reflect range and frequency of information use and range of practices adopted. Attitudes were measured using Likert-type responses to 11 statements, and knowledge as a score on a ten-question true/false test. Positive relationships between information and the three main response variables (attitude, knowledge, and adoption) were weak but significant and systematic. These associations remained significant when important demographic and farm characteristics were taken into account. Informed farmers were more likely to report intentions to carry out riparian fencing or planting within the next year. Farmers who were aware that funding was available were also more likely to state this intention, independent of information level. The reported extent to which waterways had been fenced to exclude stock was related to receipt of funding, but not to information level. Financial factors were the most influential barrier preventing adoption of permanent fencing. Our research shows a positive correlation between the receipt of information and funding and the adoption of specific riparian management measures.

Phosphorus reductions following riparian restoration in two agricultural watersheds in Vermont, USA

Achievement of management goals for Lake Champlain (Vermont/New York, USA and Quebec, Canada) will require significant reductions of phosphorus (P) loads from agriculture, the dominant diffuse source in the basin. Cost-effective P reduction strategies must be based on reliable treatment techniques beyond basic erosion control and animal waste storage practices. The Lake Champlain Basin Agricultural Watersheds National Monitoring Program (NMP) Project evaluates the effectiveness of low-cost livestock exclusion, streambank protection, and riparian restoration practices in reducing concentrations and loads of diffuse-source pollutants from grazing land at the watershed level. Treatment and control watersheds in northwestern Vermont have been monitored since 1994 according to a paired-watershed design. Monitoring includes continuous stream discharge recording, flow-proportional sampling for total P and other pollutants, and documentation of land use and agricultural management activities. Strong statistical calibration between the control and treatment watersheds has been achieved. Landowner participation in the land treatment program was entirely voluntary and all treatments were 100% cost-shared by the project and cooperators. Installation of riparian fencing, alternative water supplies, protected stream crossings, and streambank bioengineering was completed in 1997 at a cost of less than US$40,000. The paired-watershed design was effective in controlling for the influence of extreme variations in precipitation and streamflow over six years of monitoring. Two years of post-treatment data have documented significant reductions in P concentrations and loads from both treated watersheds. Reductions of approximately 20% in mean total P concentration and approximately 20-50% in mean total P load have been observed, with greater reductions occurring in the watershed receiving more extensive treatment. The effectiveness of riparian zone restoration in P reduction tended to be lower during periods of very high runoff, especially outside the growing season.

Water quality response to riparian restoration in an agricultural watershed in Vermont, USA

Achievement of management goals for Lake Champlain (Vermont/New York, USA and Quebec, Canada) will require reduction of agricultural phosphorus loads, the dominant nonpoint source in the Basin. Cost-effective phosphorus reduction strategies need reliable treatment techniques beyond basic cropland and waste management practices. The Lake Champlain Basin Agricultural Watersheds National Monitoring Program (NMP) Project evaluates the effectiveness of livestock exclusion, streambank protection, and riparian restoration practices in reducing concentrations and loads of nutrients, sediment, and bacteria in surface waters. Treatment and control watersheds in northwestern Vermont have been monitored since 1994 according to a paired-watershed design. Monitoring consists of continuous stream discharge recording, flow-proportional sampling for total P, total Kjeldahl N, and total suspended solids, grab sampling for indicator bacterial, and land use/agricultural monitoring. Strong statistical calibration between the control and treatment watersheds has been achieved. Installation of riparian fencing, protected stream crossings, and streambank bioengineering was completed in 1997. Early post-treatment data suggest significant reduction in P concentrations and loads and in bacteria counts in the treated watershed. Monitoring is scheduled to continue through 2000.

Riparian Fencing, Grazing, and Trout Habitat Preference on Summit Creek, Idaho

Abstract In 1975, 3.2 km of Summit Creek, Idaho were fenced by the Bureau of Land Management to exclude livestock from the riparian area. Six stream sections were electrofished in 1979 to determine differences in trout abundance, size, and growth between grazed and ungrazed stream sections. Electrofishing stations were paired by habitat type. There were more trout in ungrazed sections than in grazed sections in all three habitat types sampled. With one exception, there were more catachable-sized (200 mm long or longer) rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) and brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) in the ungrazed area than in the grazed area. There was also evidence that the average size of the fish was less in grazed sections. Fish population data were not collected prior to fencing; therefore, it cannot be firmly concluded that the trout population increased within the livestock enclosure as a result of fencing the riparian area. However, the combined results of previous trout habitat improvements documented fo...