Upload
jonah-allen
View
218
Download
0
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Environment and Natural Resources
Stewardship: Opportunities and
Issues
Jim Pease and
Matt Helmers
Why are we concerned?• Human health – relative to water
quality• Aquatic life• Recreational uses• Wildlife habitat
There is an ever increasing pressure from society for maintaining and improving our natural resources and specifically water quality
0
5
10
15
20
Nit
rate
-N (
mg
/l)
1/4/
00
5/30
/00
7/21
/00
12/4
/00
2/8/
01
4/6/
01
5/10
/01
6/5/
01
7/2/
01
8/21
/01
12/1
2/0
1
1/15
/02
2/25
/02
4/10
/02
5/14
/02
6/6/
02
6/26
/02
8/27
/02
10/2
9/0
2
12/1
1/02
1/15
/03
2/20
/03
4/16
/03
5/14
/03
6/9/
03
6/30
/03
7/20
/03
8/22
/03
10/1
0/0
3
12/1
/03
1/23
/04
3/9/
04
4/6/
04
5/4/
04
6/2/
04
6/30
/04
7/29
/04
12/1
3/0
4
3/4/
05
4/19
/05
5/17
/05
6/15
/05
7/15
/05
8/26
/05
10/1
4/0
5
12/2
/05
1/25
/06
3/3/
06
3/31
/06
5/2/
06
Date
Raccoon River at Van Meter, IA, 2000-2006 (USGS data)
Nitrate-N (mg/l)
"Unfortunately, the Raccoon River has the highest averagenitrate concentration of any of the 42 largest tributaries in theMississippi River Basin." -- Des Moines Water Works, 2007
EPA limit
Slide prepared by USDA-National Soil Tilth Lab
Nitrate Export
Source: USGS
Issue Areas
Tillage and Nutrient Management
• Soil and nutrient loss via surface water runoff is a concern
• Role: Continue educational and demonstration programs on improved tillage and nutrient management (e.g. Iowa Learning Farm)
• Challenge: This is not a new issue so how do we continue to raise awareness
Subsurface Drainage• Extensive agricultural areas in
Iowa benefit from subsurface drainage
• Subsurface drainage water commonly has nitrate-nitrogen concentration in excess of 10 mg/L (ppm)
• In-field and edge-of-field practices that have the potential to reduce nitrate export are being investigated:– In-field nitrogen management– Wetlands– Subsurface drainage
bioreactors– Cropping practices (e.g. cover
crops)
Subsurface Drainage and Nitrate Export• Role: Continued educational and demonstration
programs focused on utilization of best management practices– Education on the challenges to make significant improvement
• Challenges: Can we make significant improvement without significant land use changes or structural investments (e.g. wetlands)?
Hydrologic Alteration
• We have greatly altered the hydrology due to land use changes, drainage, stream straightening, etc.
• In many cases need to focus efforts not only in-field but in the stream due to factors such as stream bank and bed erosion.
• Role: Facilitate increased understanding of the importance of in-stream issues.– Should be considered in
watershed management plans
Watershed Management
• Increasing numbers of local watershed groups interested and concerned about water quality.
• Role: Facilitate dialogue about objectives of projects and provide science-based information for groups to consider.
Energy Conservation and Human Housing
• Energy conservation and human housing issues are important to many stakeholders
• Do we have resources to be a leader in this area?
Air Quality
• The issue is emerging in:– Livestock production– Energy generation (harvest,
manufacturing)
Air Quality• Air quality continues to be an issue
because of nuisance concerns, regulations and potential emission restrictions.
• Proposed legislation incorporates the use of ABE's community assessment model for determining acceptable separation distances for siting of new facilities.
• The challenge is to work with producers before there is a problem.
Forest12.8%
Urban waste2.9%
Manure4.1%
Grains5.2%
Crop residues7.6%
Soy6.2%
Wheat straw6.1%Corn stover
19.9%
Perennial crops35.2%
From: Billion Ton Vision, DOE & USDA 2005
U.S. biomass inventory: 1.3 billion tons*
*Could supply 66% of U.S. transportation fuel
What is ANR’s role in the emerging bioeconomy?
• Having access to research-based information, what are our responsibilities to our communities, both as citizens and as professionals?
• Being ISU employees, to what degree do we “cheerlead” ISU’s efforts?
• How can we partner with researchers to find answers to unanswered questions?
Does Iowa have an adequate supply of ground water?
• One dairy cow uses about 35 gallons of water a day.
• One feedlot animal uses about 15 gallons of water a day.
• One human uses 150 gallons of water a day.
• A 50 million gallon ethanol plant uses about the same amount of water as a town of 4000 people.
• One gallon of ethanol is produced using 4+ gallons of water.
MONTGOMERY
WINNEBAGO
DES MOINES
DICKINSON
JEFFERSON
CERRO GORDO
MUSCATINE
HUMBOLDT
APPANOOSE
POCAHONTAS
CHICKASAW
WASHINGTON
OSCEOLA
VAN BUREN
BLACK HAWK
BUENA VISTA
AUDUBON
WAPELLO
MITCHELL
MONROE
POWESHIEK
RINGGOLD
BUCHANAN
PALO ALTO
BREMERCHEROKEE
HOWARD
DELAWARE
MARSHALL
FREMONT
CLARKE
WORTH WINNESHIEK
HAMILTON
ALLAMAKEE
DECATUR
EMMET
POTTAWATTAMIE
HANCOCK
LOUISA
MAHASKA
CALHOUN
FRANKLIN
GRUNDY
ADAMS
MADISON
CARROLLCRAWFORD
DUBUQUE
JOHNSON
HENRYLUCASUNION
WARREN
HARRISON GUTHRIE
JACKSON
TAYLOR
KEOKUK
GREENE
SCOTT
MARION
WRIGHT
HARDIN
WAYNE
WEBSTERWOODBURY
O'BRIEN
MILLS
BUTLER
SHELBY DALLAS
FLOYD
MONONA
PLYMOUTH
BOONE
CLINTON
CEDAR
FAYETTE CLAYTON
DAVIS
STORY
JONESBENTON
ADAIR
JASPER
PAGE
KOSSUTH
CASS
LYON
POLK IOWA
CLAYSIOUX
IDA
TAMA
SAC
LEE
LINN
SOUTHERN
NORTHEAST
NORTHWEST
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Bedrock Units
Pennsylvanian
Mississippian
Silurian-Devonian
Cambrian-Ordovician
N
0 50 km
0 50 mi
Manson Impact Crater
Does Iowa have an adequate supply of ground water?
FAIR
POOR
GOOD
Iowa DNR – Geological Survey
Will growth in biobased industries affect the quality of surface water?
• Residue and tillage management
• Buffers
• Nitrate-removal wetlands
• Strategic placement of perennial vegetation
• Regulation--effluents?
How will biomass production impact biodiversity?
• Recovery of species past 50 years--impact of CRP
• Monocultures limit biodiversity– Row-crop acreage– Single species grass crops
• Soil erosion affects stream quality and aquatic species
• Careful growth and harvest of cellulosic crops affect– valuable winter cover for wild species– nesting and brood-rearing cover functions
How can resource monitoring impact our
future?• Citizen-science programs help
citizens become knowledgeable and engaged
• Examples: Iowa NatureMapping, IoWater
• Lead to community-based environmental protection
• Keeps people directly involved with the natural world--grows their values
Iowa NatureMapping since 1999 inception:
• NatureMappers: 1064• Monitoring Sites: 1635• Observations: 62,230• Species: 364, out of 496
How can Iowa NatureMapping* help us in
ANR?• Implement on-farm monitoring
projects• Track changes over time• Test differences between different
land use practices• Customize according to community
needs *Contact Jason O’Brien,
DISCUSSION