Soils information and effective conservation
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This document discusses the importance of technical soil services (TSS) in supporting effective conservation planning. TSS activities include providing soils information and training to support conservation planning and initiatives. Conservation planning by the NRCS focuses on identifying problems, determining objectives, and evaluating alternatives to implement conservation plans. In FY2017, TSS provided over 16,000 instances of support and over 63,000 hours to conservation planning, primarily through compliance determinations and on-site assessments. Examples from the field show how TSS assistance informed infrastructure rehabilitation in Minnesota, guided a large wetland restoration project in Massachusetts through ground-penetrating radar, and helped identify suitable habitat for an endangered butterfly species through a soils-based interpretation. The document emphasizes that soils
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Soils information and effective conservation
- 1. Soils Information and Effective Conservation: You Can’t have One without the Other SSRD Meeting - Indianapolis September 12, 2017 Michael Robotham, National Leader for TSS and many colleagues
- 2. What is Technical Soil Services (TSS)? Activities that focus on supporting the use of soils information Examples include: –Supporting conservation planning and agency initiatives (e.g. soil health) –Providing soils-related information and training (internal and external) –Supporting youth education (soil judging, conservation awareness contests, etc.)
- 3. What is Conservation Planning? Primary focus of NRCS Divided into nine steps: 1. Identify problems and opportunities 2. Determine objectives 3. Inventory resources 4. Analyze resource data 5. Formulate alternatives 6. Evaluate alternatives 7. Make decisions 8. Implement the plan 9. Evaluate the plan
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- 7. TSS support for Conservation Planning • Not currently measured directly • Estimates (FY2017): • Over 16000 instances (39%) • Over 63000 hours (42%) • Primary activities: • Compliance (wetland and HEL) determinations • On-site assessments • Soils-specific information and advice
- 8. Examples from the field The great work is theirs: any errors of commission or omission in the following summaries are mine
- 9. Engineering structure rehabilitation (MN) Information provided by Dan Nath, Resource Soil Scientist
- 10. The issue • Grade Stabilization Structure (410) installed in the 1950s needed repairs • Structure provides important benefits • Reduces peak flows • Protects county highway • Keeps sediment out of prime trout steam
- 11. TSS assistance provided • Dan completed soil borings and provide the information to the SWCD staff coordinating the repairs • Information informed the installation of new PVC drainage pipe that will greatly extend the life of the structure
- 12. The results • A safe structure that will continue to provide environmental benefits • A satisfied customer “The specific 410 grade stabilization rehabilitation project very likely wouldn’t have occurred without the assistance of a resource soil scientist to conduct soil borings and interpret their results.” (County SWCD Director)
- 13. Wetland restoration (MA) Information provided by: Maggie Payne, RSS and Alex Hackman, Restoration Specialist, MA Dept. of Fish and Game, Division of Ecological Restoration
- 14. The issue • Many commercial cranberry farms in MA are going out of production • Restoration of cranberry beds into natural freshwater wetlands can be a viable option • NRCS supports restoration projects through the WRE component of the ACEP program in close collaboration with MA Division of Environmental. Restoration (DER) • Successful wetland restoration depends on accurate information on subsurface conditions • Tidmarsh Farms Restoration Project - largest freshwater wetlands restoration project to date in MA
- 15. TSS assistance provided • Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) has been recognized as critical to site assessment • NRCS and partner (MA-DER) personnel conducted (GPR) survey to characterize subsurface conditions • Results are being used to inform restoration design and implementation
- 16. The results: Tidmarsh Farm Before: Abandoned cranberry bog and ditch After: Restored wetland with channel realignment and planting
- 17. Karner Blue Butterfly Habitat Identification Information provided by Jason Nemecek, State Soil Scientist Scientist
- 18. The issue • The Karner blue butterfly (KBB) is a federally listed endangered species • KBB caterpillars feed exclusively on the leaves of wild lupine • NRCS and partner staff wanted to identify likely lupine habit to prioritize for protection under NRCS easements and related programs.
- 19. TSS assistance provided • Multidisciplinary / multiagency team led by the SSD determined that soils information could be used to identify likely lupine habitat • Developed and published draft “Karner Blue Butterfly Habitat Suitability” interpretation
- 20. The results • Draft interpretative results correspond to areas where KBB larvae have been observed • NRCS and partner agencies have begun using these results to help target easement program funds to identified critical areas
- 21. Take home messages • Soils information is a fundamental component of successful conservation planning • Great work is being done by NRCS soil scientists (and other soil scientists) nationwide • “If you don’t know your soil, know a soil scientist” (Dave Hoover, Director NSSC)
- 22. Questions? Please contact: Michael Robotham National Leader for TSS michael.robotham@wdc.usda.gov 202-720-5547
- 23. Questions USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender
- 24. Supplemental MA slide Peat depth contours derived from a Ground Penetrating Radar survey on a cranberry bog restoration site. The variation of peat depth influences cranberry bog management as well as wetland restoration design if cranberry bogs are retired.
Editor's Notes
- DFN: Activities that focus on supporting the use of the soils information Common TSS activities include: • Supporting conservation planning through compliance determinations and reviews (both HEL and wetlands), on-site assessments for resource inventory, practice design and practice implementation, quality assurance reviews, and the maintenance of reference documents, such as the relevant sections of the eFOTG; • Providing soils-related information and training to NRCS staff, NRCS partners, and the general public, including support for such youth programs as soil judging and envirothons; and • Supporting other agency programs and initiatives, including NRI, ecosite development, and soil health.
- DFN: Activities that focus on supporting the use of the soils information Common TSS activities include: • Supporting conservation planning through compliance determinations and reviews (both HEL and wetlands), on-site assessments for resource inventory, practice design and practice implementation, quality assurance reviews, and the maintenance of reference documents, such as the relevant sections of the eFOTG; • Providing soils-related information and training to NRCS staff, NRCS partners, and the general public, including support for such youth programs as soil judging and envirothons; and • Supporting other agency programs and initiatives, including NRI, ecosite development, and soil health.
- Estimates are based on TSS service provided to: Conservation District NRCS area or field office District cooperator or program recipient About ½ (30,000 hours; 6700 instances) reported as being provided directly to clients/cooperators May include some non-planning activities for Districts and NRCS offices (e.g. training) May omit some planning assistance to other groups (e.g. Native American tribes)
- Engineering structure rehabilitation (Minnesota) Wetland restoration (Massachusetts) Karner Blue Butterfly habitat identification (Wisconsin)
- Southeast Minnesota
- 410 grade stabilization structure that the SCS installed in the late 1950’s. This structure controls a 75 acre drainage area, reduces peak flows in rainfall events, protects a county highway, and allows sediment to be caught rather than end up being deposited in one of the best trout streams in SE Minnesota.
- Dan completed soil borings The structure was rehabbed in the 1980’s after the corrugated metal pipe rotted out. The pipe rusted out again thus the reason for a new PVC pipe that will last for many more years.
- “The specific 410 grade stabilization rehabilitation project very likely wouldn’t have occurred without the assistance of a resource soil scientist to conduct soil borings and interpret their results. If a consultant would have been hired, the additional costs of these borings would have increased the landowners share to greater than 50%. Based on my preliminary cost estimate and discussions with the landowner this would have been an unanticipated added expense. The landowner very likely wouldn’t have continued with the project if we had to hire a consultant for the soil borings
- Cranberry growers in Massachusetts are facing challenges arising from increased production costs, oversupply which has decreased prices, changing consumer habits, and increasing competition from other states and Canada. As a consequence, the number of commercial cranberry farms have declined in Massachusetts. Many of the cranberry bogs in Massachusetts were created on kettle hole wetlands that were once cedar swamps with deep organic soils. The alteration of hydrology and placement of sand on the soil surface for agriculture has altered these wetlands for cranberry production. Once taken out of production, the restoration of cranberry beds into natural freshwater wetlands is a viable option for some of these farms. The USDA-NRCS's Wetlands Reserve Easement (WRE) program is a voluntary program that provides technical and financial assistance to private landowners to restore, protect and enhance wetlands in exchange for retiring eligible land from agriculture. Over the past 10 years, the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration (DER), in close partnership with USDA NRCS, has advanced the science and practice of wetland restoration on retired cranberry farmland. During that time, Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) technology has become recognized as critical to site assessment and restoration design. GPR allows project teams to understand subsurface conditions, especially the location and depth of kettle hole peat depressions. The interaction of groundwater with such subsurface formation drives spring emergence, channel location, and the overall hydrologic engine of the landscape. In the absence of GPR data, project teams risk misunderstanding site hydrology and wetland restoration potential, and may develop restoration approaches that work against the land. The knowledge of a site gained from GPR allows for the development of restoration designs that work with the land, and are more self-sustaining in the future. At the Tidmarsh Farms Restoration Project – the largest freshwater wetlands restoration project to date in Massachusetts – GPR provided key information that shaped the restoration design. On the western side of Tidmarsh Farm, GPR survey performed by NRCS was critical in the development of conceptual restoration designs, preliminary cost estimates, and the completion of a WRE easement with the landowners. Now in preliminary engineering design, the GPR data and understanding of surface peat formation will drive the final restoration approach. Given past restoration project successes and the increasing pace of cranberry farm retirements in SE Massachusetts, DER is now launching a new program dedicated specifically to wetland restoration in these landscape. DER will complete the current portfolio of 4 projects in the next several years, and expected to take on 10-20 new projects over the next five years. Gathering GPR data on these sites prior to restoration design will enable teams to design cost effective and sustainable restoration plans. Those cranberry producers that remain in the business in Massachusetts are being forced to become more productive and use water more efficiently in the current economic climate. NRCS is able to assist these producers with bog renovation, tailwater recovery ponds, and creation of dikes to manage water resources more effectively. GPR surveys are used to assist planners in determining the most economical and suitable location for these practices.
- During that time, Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) technology has become recognized as critical to site assessment and restoration design. GPR allows project teams to understand subsurface conditions, especially the location and depth of kettle hole peat depressions. The interaction of groundwater with such subsurface formation drives spring emergence, channel location, and the overall hydrologic engine of the landscape. In the absence of GPR data, project teams risk misunderstanding site hydrology and wetland restoration potential, and may develop restoration approaches that work against the land. The knowledge of a site gained from GPR allows for the development of restoration designs that work with the land, and are more self-sustaining in the future. On the western side of Tidmarsh Farm, GPR survey performed by NRCS was critical in the development of conceptual restoration designs, preliminary cost estimates, and the completion of a WRE easement with the landowners. Now in preliminary engineering design, the GPR data and understanding of surface peat formation will drive the final restoration approach.
- At the Tidmarsh Farms Restoration Project – the largest freshwater wetlands restoration project to date in Massachusetts – GPR provided key information that shaped the restoration design. On the western side of Tidmarsh Farm, GPR survey performed by NRCS was critical in the development of conceptual restoration designs, preliminary cost estimates, and the completion of a WRE easement with the landowners. Now in preliminary engineering design, the GPR data and understanding of surface peat formation will drive the final restoration approach.
- The Karner blue butterfly (KBB) is a federally listed endangered species present in small patches across the North Central and North Eastern U.S. The KBB (Figure 1) usually occupies open barrens, savannas and prairies that contain wild lupine. This plant is widespread in Wisconsin’s central and northwest sands. The pale green caterpillar of the KBB feeds exclusively on the leaves of wild lupine. USDA NRCS staff in Wisconsin were interested in finding a more efficient and consistent way to identify likely lupine habitat so that these areas could be prioritized for protection under NRCS Easements and related programs.
- Because the presence of lupine is closely related to soil characteristics, staff approached Tim Miland, Area Resource Soil Scientist; Mike England, Soil Scientist and Jason Nemecek, Wisconsin State Soil Scientist, about the possibility of developing a soil interpretation for KBB habitat suitability. A soil interpretation has been developed for the state of Wisconsin and will be available during the next soil data refresh on the web soil survey website in 2018. NRCS staff members involved include an Area Resource Soil Scientist, the State Biologist, the Assistant State Conservationist for Easements and the State Resource Conservationist. Other partners in the project include the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), and the Farm Service Agency (FSA). The team developed a draft “Karner Blue Butterfly Habitat Suitability” interpretation (Figure 2).