| Farmers and Environmentalists Work Together Restoring Valley Rivers
By Patrick Koepele, Tuolumne River Preservation Trust
January 1997—The rising waters of the Tuolumne River and the ensuing flood gave San Joaquin Valley residents an up close look at how their rivers functioned before regulation by dams. While this natural flood benefited natural riverine functions, it simultaneously damaged the farmland and infrastructure in its path. As a result of the record–setting floodwaters, farmers and local environmental interests came together to improve the Tuolumne and Lower San Joaquin Rivers. The environmental interests sought habitat improvements for fish and wildlife relying upon the river. At the same time, the farmers who experienced repeated flooding sought to retire their marginal farmland and redirect funds to farmland with less costly maintenance. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) responded by providing seed money and technical assistance to purchase permanent easements on flood–prone farmland. NRCS completed 13 permanent floodplain easements along the Tuolumne and San Joaquin Rivers. These easements were accomplished in partnership with many other groups including the East Stanislaus Resource Conservation District (ESRCD), CALFED, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Tuolumne River Preservation Trust, and Friends of the Tuolumne (FOTT). The recently completed Grayson River Ranch project exemplies the efforts put towards easement projects in the San Joaquin region. This particular effort included extensive habitat restoration and reconnected the floodplain with the river by breaching an agricultural berm, created a high–water slough accessible to fish for spawning and rearing, and planted native, riparian vegetation. A partnership among NRCS, ESRCD, FOTT, and the landowner, along with funding from CALFED completed the 140–acre restoration project. This multifaceted partnership provides great potential for other projects in the San Joaquin Valley. Easement programs provide real benefits to both farmers and the environment by helping to keep prime agricultural land productive, buffering intensive agricultural areas from the sensitive regulatory requirements associated with the rivers, and providing more habitat and cleaner water for fish and wildlife that live in and along the river. The Lower Tuolumne and San Joaquin Rivers will continue to flourish as local partnerships develop additional easement projects. California Biodiversity News: Volume 8, Number 2 |