A dairy farm in Vermont employed a five-step collaborative approach to investigate and reduce the level of phosphorus going into the Lake Champlain watershed, helping to preserve the health of the ecosystem and the area’s $3.8 billion tourism industry. Shelburne Farms, a nonprofit environmental education center and working dairy farm, brought together landowners, residents, and researchers to investigate and improve water quality.
Lake Champlain receives high levels of phosphorus from the surrounding area.
Through their research, Shelburne Farms developed and implemented a storm water treatment system consisting of an inlet pond, rectangular subsurface flow gravel wetlands, vegetated buffer zone surrounding the wetland and an outlet pond.
It successfully reduced the amount of phosphorus leaving the farm. However, longer-term evaluations are needed to fully understand the phosphorus reductions and develop ongoing improvement strategies.
The approach was effective in engaging stakeholders, securing funds to implement solutions and providing educational benefits. It serves as a model for adaptive management that meets the needs of multiple stakeholders in a complex agroecosystem.
Article specifics:
Kominami H, Lovell ST. An adaptive management approach to improve water quality at a model dairy farm in Vermont, USA. Ecol Eng. 2012;40:131-143.
Click here to read the article's abstract. PD
—From Dairy Research Insights
