Flexible Livestock Exclusion Pilot Project
Category: Working with new and traditional partners
Description:
Livestock in streams in the Shenandoah Valley
contribute to excess nutrient,
bacteria and
sediment inputs that are having a negative
impact on waters in the Valley and the
Chesapeake Bay. This innovative, flexible and
cooperative pilot project is enabling a wider
range of Shenandoah Valley farmers to exclude
livestock from streams.
Total Project Value: $1,413,119 (so far)
Grants include $249,657 Chesapeake Bay Funders
Network; National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
to VA Tech for monitoring this project:
$839,000; VA Tech faculty match: $61,900; other
professional services $19,620: $139,368
state/federal cost share;$86,174 farmer match;
NRCS/RCD professional
services: $17,400.
Return on Federal Investment: 812%
Project Value
The total project value of $1,413,110 the
federal investment is $17,400 of which
approximately 240 hours of coordinator and 90
hrs of DC time is figured.
Outcomes:
- 851 livestock excluded from Valley streams
- 60,433 feet of stream bank excluded from livestock access (76,599 with CREP)
- Council provided threes services to complete three exclusion projects including
o Assisted 3 animal ag operations
o Protected and improved 1 acre of fish and wildlife habitat
o Improved 3 units of water bodies
o 1 acre of water body improvement
o 1 mile of stream improved or restored
· Monitoring for nitrogen, phosphorus and fecal coliform through VA Tech
· New EQIP practice for stream fencing in Virginia is being proposed
· Changes to stream fencing BMP practices for the state are being considered
Partners in this work: Shenandoah RC&D; Virginia Cooperative Extension; Virginia Tech; Headwaters and Shenandoah Valley Soil and Water Conservation Districts; the Virginia State Dairymen’s Association; NRCS, Waste Solutions Forum, Trout Unlimited, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Chesapeake Bay Funders Network, Virginia Environmental Endowment, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
Contact Person:
Joan Comanor, Shenandoah RC&D, Immediate
Past Chair, P.O. Box 60, Verona, VA 24482;
Telephone: 540-248-3321; Fax: 540-248-5502; and
Email Address: jcomanor@shentel.net