REAL ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION & LEADERSHIP
  • Home
  • News
  • About
  • Contact
  • Home
  • News
  • About
  • Contact

Lynden-area farmer diverts irrigation water to save stranded salmon

8/21/2018

0 Comments

 
LYNDEN, Wash. - In mid-August, Jeff Littlejohn noticed something strange. He lives near the Double Ditch stream a bit south of the Canadian border.

The stream normally flows year round even in summers with little rainfall as this year. But the stream was slowing to a trickle and that meant that the fish and aquatic life in the stream were dying. He contacted the Fish and Wildlife department who came out to investigate. 
PictureCrews from Whatcom Conservation District, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Washington Department of Ecology, City of Bellingham, City of Lynden and others work to try to save salmon and other aquatic life stranded in Double Ditch Stream.
Larry Stap is a fourth generation dairy farmer and co-owner of the popular glass bottled dairy product brand, TwinBrook Creamery, with his son-in-law and daughter.  Their farm lies adjacent to the stream along with the Fishtrap creek, hence “twin brook.” When Stap saw the dying fish, he and co-owner Mark Tolsma made an immediate decision: divert their much needed irrigation water into the struggling stream. Well water was pumped into the stream and helped provide the time needed to rescue as many of the remaining fish as possible. 

​It wasn’t the first time Whatcom’s family farmers sacrificed to divert water into streams during the low flow times of late summer. For several years, farmers in the Bertrand Watershed Improvement District worked with state officials to allow them to use well water to pump cold, oxygenated water into the Bertrand creek to support fish habitat. Legal decisions and bureaucratic processes delayed the effort for a couple of years. This action followed the earlier voluntary diversion of water rights. Farmers for years have had the legal right to draw irrigation water directly from the stream, but now understand that during the heat of summer more water is needed in the creek so have been allowed to convert those surface water rights to groundwater rights allowing them to use wells for irrigation. More rights could be converted but unfortunate legal decisions have hindered that process.


These are just two of literally hundreds of examples of what Whatcom Family Farmers are calling REAL: Real Environmental Action and Leadership. The public doesn’t automatically think of farmers as environmental activists, and indeed they aren’t in the sense of protesting, suing and lobbying. But they might instead be called “environmental actionists” because of the proactive and positive actions taken to help protect the environment.

A few more examples:
  • Recently farmers along the Fishtrap Creek participated with the Whatcom Conservation District and Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association in planting trees and vegetation along a portion of the Fishtrap creek. The vegetative buffer helps shade the stream and protect against contamination which enhances the ability of the stream to support fish.

Picture
  • Whatcom farmers have supported the restoration of riparian zones (as these vegetative buffers are called) along over 200 miles of streams in Whatcom County alone. More than one and a half million trees and shrubs have been planted as part of the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) through the Conservation District.
    ​
  • A seed potato farmer recently completed horizontal well drilling which further reduces the amount of irrigation water taken from streams, allowing groundwater to be used instead even in an area where groundwater is difficult to capture.

  • Water efficiency has improved greatly by berry farmers installing drip irrigation. While the older style irrigation was about 60% efficient, the drip method conserves water by improving efficiency to over 90%. Nearly all berry farmers in the county now use this method.

  • Dairy farmers also have reduced water use by over 60% in the last fifty years per gallon of milk produced.

  • The 1998 Dairy Nutrient Management Act was supported by the dairy community. These regulations, among the most stringent in the nation, resulted in very significant reductions in nitrate and fecal coliform contamination in our surface and groundwater. The regulations control how and when manure is applied to crops and dictate zero discharge of manure to ground or surface water. Whatcom’s dairy farmers have the highest level of compliance with these regulations in the state.

Picture
  • Farmers provide the necessary homes for wildlife like deer, racoon, beavers, coyotes and much more. Those involved in trumpeter swan recovery credit farmers for providing the homes for nearly 20,000 swans that winter in northwest Washington, greatly aiding their recovery. While the hundreds of thousands of winter birds do significant damage to fields and cause fecal coliform contamination of water that some blame on dairy cows, farmers continue to host and protect these birds without protest. One dairy farmer between Lynden and Blaine has contributed 40 acres of farmland to beaver and wildlife habitat. Another farmer took steps to improve bird habitat.

  • The Four Mile Stream near Laurel was choked with canary grass and mud contributing to flooding of farmland and harming fish. Farmers worked together to restore the stream ensuring the free flow of cool, oxygenated water and preventing flooding of farmland.

The strict farming regulations combined with literally hundreds of proactive measures taken by farmers to protect the environment are working. Recent monitoring by the Department of Ecology shows that groundwater quality nearest our dairy farms is actually improving. Nitrate levels are restricted by EPA regulations and nitrate above the EPA limit is very common in most areas where farming has long existed. This is because until about the 1970s no one was aware that the heavy use of fertilizer, either organic as in cow manure or commercial fertilizer, meant that excess nitrogen was leaching into groundwater. We now know that it takes 3o to 50 years of improved farm practices to affect nitrate levels in groundwater and the fact that in Whatcom County we are seeing improvement means that what farmers are doing is positively working.
​

Farming has always had an impact on the environment and problems continue as we hear more and more about environmental impacts of farming across the nation and world. Whatcom farmers clearly understand that not all problems have been solved and the potential for contamination remains. That’s one reason why farmers have come together in groups such as the six Watershed Improvement Districts and Whatcom Family Farmers. Together farmers can encourage each other, support positive policy actions and improve public understanding of the REAL environmental leadership farmers provide.

0 Comments

Family farmers' restoration work breathes new life into Whatcom County's Four Mile Creek

5/8/2018

0 Comments

 

LAUREL, Wash. - Farmer-led restoration work has resulted in strong fish returns on Four Mile Creek in central Whatcom County.

Dorie Belisle, who owns family farm Bellewood Acres with her husband John, says the farming community came together to help the struggling stream and the work so far is measurably paying off. 

After watching agriculture fail in previous places they had lived, the Belisles were drawn to Whatcom County for its vibrant farming community. Along with their family, they planted their first orchard over 20 years ago. The Belisle’s now grow over 25,000 fruit trees and have opened a cafe and distillery! Bellewood Acres is a haven for locals as well as providing a taste of country life to those looking to escape from town for the afternoon. However, it’s the environmental example they set behind the scenes which makes the biggest impact.

When the drainage district came to Dorie for help concerning the grass filled, mud clogged Four Mile creek, she set to work enlisting her fellow farmers to solve the drainage problem. She soon learned just how much her community valued creating sustainable practices to protect their natural resources. Dorie was joined by a team of farmers who were committed to conserving water quality, for the sake of both fish and farming. Not only were the stagnant streams causing flooding of the nearby fields making it difficult to farm safely, but the natural fish habitats were slowly being choked out. The goal of these farmers was to restore Four Mile Creek to a full flowing stream–a place fish could thrive without taking additional land from nearby agriculture.

This team set about clearing out the stream and drainage areas. This process allowed new plant growth along the banks which supported the water achieving all required parameters for oxygen, fecal coliform, and temperature. Only two fish from the salmon family were counted in the initial 2003 dredge of the creek. Since then in recent upkeep cleanings, that number has risen to 250. The increased flow of Four Mile also reduced flooding in area, in turn allowing crops to be grown and harvested properly. 
​

With the support of government grants, these REAL farmer-environmentalists continue to keep the stream clear and healthy. Farmers are continually learning and changing to be better stewards of the land, passing those lessons down to the next generations. Challenges like the Four Mile creek are being met with passion, and results are beginning to show. Restoring thriving streams is as vital for the farmers as it is for the fish, and projects like this are a prime example of how farming is leading the charge for environmental change. 
0 Comments

    Author

    Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview.

    Archives

    December 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    May 2018

    Categories

    All
    Fish-friendly Upgrades
    Stream Restoration
    Water Quality
    Water Quantity

    RSS Feed

Home
About
Contact
REAL Environmental Action & Leadership is an effort by Whatcom Family Farmers - Education to help the greater Whatcom County community work together to continually improve environmental practices, and for increased awareness of the family farming community’s Real Environmental Action and Leadership. Whatcom Family Farmers - Education is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.