While a natural level of soil erosion has always occurred, and plays an important role in the distribution of nutrients throughout the aquatic environment, this process is often accelerated through poor/inappropriate agricultural practices.
Conventional forms of agriculture involve significant amounts of soil disturbance, leaving the land susceptible to the elements. This allows the soil (and the nutrients it carries) to move into water systems downstream.
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An
Acknowledgment of Local Responsibility
The Deerwood
Association is one active group of agricultural landowners who
care a great deal about their impact on the environment. Like many
farmers, the individual members of Deerwood have struggled to clearly understand
the impacts associated with their agricultural practices and nutrient application.
Several years ago, the individual members of the Deerwood Association decided to be pro-active and accountable in their operations. Instead of avoiding potential problems and attempting to hide from public concern over their use of fertilizers, progressive landowners in Deerwood wanted to know what their true impacts were, to address any possible problems responsibly with long-term solutions. As part of the South Tobacco Creek Project, a partnership with several other organizations, Deerwood members are now participating in a truly unique project to monitor their collective impact associated with the application and movement of agricultural nutrients.
The South Tobacco Creek Project is part of a major research initiative monitoring water quality from farm fields on the Manitoba Escarpment to Lake Winnipeg.
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Nutrient
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