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Ongoing Projects:
Fish Friendly Farming® Program The Fish Friendly Farming® Program seeks to improve habitat conditions for salmonids and other native aquatic species by educating land managers in environmentally beneficial practices and carrying out restoration and erosion control projects. Fish Friendly Farming® is an incentive-based program that focuses on the land manager as the central figure in achieving long-term environmental improvements as part of a sustainable agriculture system. The land manager, working with technical experts from the program, completes a Farm Conservation Plan – a comprehensive inventory and assessment of natural resources, agricultural lands and management practices – that documents all sediment sources and evaluates stream and river riparian corridors and water sources. Each unique plan is the strategy for that property which guides the improvement of land management practices and conditions. Various projects such as creek restoration and revegetation, water supply facility retrofit, water conservation methods, road repair and erosion site repair are identified in the plan as well as changes needed in management practices to produce environmental benefits. The farm plans and properties are inspected by agency staff in a certification process. Since 1999, over 100,000 acres have been enrolled in the program and over 22,000 acres have gone through the certification process. Properties will be re-inspected on a five to seven year basis to ensure that the farm plans are being followed. NOAA Fisheries Habitat Conservation Division staff from the Southwest Region served on the Technical Advisory Committees which helped to develop the program in its current focus areas of Napa, Mendocino, Sonoma and Solano counties in California. Habitat Conservation Division staff now inspect the participating properties as part of the third-party certification process, providing technical guidance on practices and projects as well as identifying deficiencies in the Farm Conservation Plans. Staff also continues to be available for question and answer sessions in the program classes or at promotional/educational events. Project News Southwest Region, Habitat Conservation Division attended and spoke at the December 10th meeting of the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board in support of passing a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan for Sonoma Creek in Sonoma County. This creek supports threatened steelhead trout and a transient population of fall-run Chinook salmon. Importantly, this TMDL plan recognizes the Fish Friendly Farming program in the implementation section as a compliance option for grape growers. Grape growers who choose to participate in the program, and who pass the certification inspection for sediment related issues (e.g. erosion control practices, riparian area condition and bank stability) will be deemed compliant with the TMDL. This is expected to lead to increased grower participation in the program in this previously under-represented area and sets the precedent for recognizing the Fish Friendly Farming® program in future TMDLs. (For more information, please contact Joe Dillon 707-575-6093)
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