EQIP Project Helps Attract Trout to California Vineyard

Wolff Vineyards has partnered with several government agencies on a $38,000 project to restore habitat for the rare steelhead trout.

The goal is to reduce soil loss along the San Luis Obispo vineyard's three miles of creeks. These waterways empty into Pismo Creek, which is where young steelhead spend about two to three years before they grow large enough to swim to the ocean.

But the fish -- which are endangered on the Central Coast -- won't be the only ones to benefit.

"It's a significant improvement for fish habitat," said Jean-Pierre Wolff, owner of Wolff Vineyards. "But you're also reducing farming maintenance costs."

Learn about the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and other Farm Bill programs.

Additionally, less sediment makes it easier for water to percolate and replenish underground aquifers, which helps vineyards, said Wolff. He hopes other growers will realize the benefits of the project and implement similar programs.

Susan Litteral, field office engineer for Natural Resources Conservation Service in Templeton, designed the project using bioengineering methods, or procedures that coincide with what is happening naturally in the environment. Her design was then implemented by a team from the California Conservation Corps.

"The practices are really a softer approach to what people have been doing in the past," said Philip LaFollette, a CCC conservationist who specializes in fisheries.

Though the project involved creating a flood-plain terrace, as well as using some rock to counterbalance the energy of the creeks, vegetation was the main method of erosion prevention.

Young plants were introduced along waterways, and logs made of coconut fibers are being used to bolster the vegetation until root systems develop. The logs will decompose after about five years.

"It's so essential to get vegetation wherever water is flowing," Litteral said. "The plant roots hold the soil. It's our No. 1 priority."

The plants also create shade and provide food for fish when insects fall off the leaves. Additionally, they serve as a "buffer zone" along the vineyard's creeks.

"Every year when it rains, it becomes very slippery," Wolff said. "So we view this as a safety factor for workers who might be out at night."

Wolff started planning the project about two years ago. Implementation began in September, and the final phase of the project will be completed in March and April. That phase will involve installing temporary drip lines to water the young plants and encourage growth.

The vineyard will serve as a demonstration site for soil-loss reduction practices.

"I believe we're stewards of the land," Wolff said. "We have a responsibility, and I want my vineyard to be ecologically friendly."

About 75 percent of the project is funded by the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, which helps family farmers pay for practices that protect soil and water. Wolff covers the remaining cost.

Other agencies involved include the State Department of Fish and Game, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board.

Story by Michaela Baltasar, the San Luis Obispo Tribune.