| Current Land Stewardship Programs |
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The Grassland
Set-aside program offers farmers the opportunity
to leave fields sown with a mix of grasses and clover for a
period of up to 4 years. The cost of managing the
field over the period that it is set aside is shared between the farmer and Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust. Soil organic
matter and surface structure can be restored to land in the
program while simultaneously providing valuable wildlife habitat. Our
studies have shown that these grasslands support high densities
of the Townsend's Vole, a small native small mammal, and are used preferentially by many raptors
inhabiting the delta. Furthermore, they provide food,
shelter and nesting habitat for many other grassland bird species. Set-asides
also assist farmers in making the transition to organic production
by spanning the 3-year pesticide- and chemical fertilizer-free
certification period. |
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The boundary between a first and second year grassland set-aside is particularly noticeable in the picture above. By the second year these habitats tend to contain dense Townsend's Vole populations and provide suitable cover for ground perching hawks and owls such as the Northern Harrier and Short-eared Owl.
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Every winter thousands of acres of farmland are affected by
the Winter Cover Crop program. Once again, Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust
shares in the cost of planting these important wildlife habitat
amenities. This program is intended to benefit soil conservation
by protecting delta soils from the heavy winter rains that
typically occur in the area. While reducing significant
erosion over the winter, the cover crops also provide organic
matter to be ploughed into the soil prior to spring planting
thereby improving soil structure and contributing to higher
productivity.
Benefits of this program for
wildlife include an abundance of winter forage for the dense
populations of waterfowl that congregate in the delta during
winter months. In
fact 70% of all fields planted to cover crop show evidence
of waterfowl grazing and almost 50% are heavily grazed by March
of every winter. Some of the more abundant waterfowl
species that feed in cover crop fields include American Wigeon,
Northern Pintail, Snow Geese, and Trumpeter Swans. |
Thousands, and in some cases tens of thousands, of wintering Snow Geese can be found foraging within individual winter cover crop fields on the Fraser River delta.
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The agricultural land found in the delta
is protected by dykes,
consists of heavy textured soil and is frequently affected
by a high water table. Although the presence of water is beneficial for
agricultural production at certain times of the year, too much water can lead
to a decline in productivity as well. The topography of agricultural land
plays an important role as it affects surface water runoff, erosion and soil
drainage. As water flows across land it can carry away the finest particles,
organic matter and nutrients.
The Land Laser Levelling program shares
in the cost of recontouring fields with farmers so that the impact
of water erosion on fields is minimized. This program also contributes to reducing soil salination and compaction from winter water ponding by physically levelling the land. This in turn dries fields out more quickly and allows earlier access for planting in spring. Earlier planting dates give farmers more options on what to plant in their fields and also make it more likely that a cover crop can be planted on the field once the cash crop is harvested. Ultimately
land levelling contributes to increasing productivity for both
agriculture and wildlife alike. |
Farming has come a long way since horse and plow furrowed the fields of Delta. Today, geograpical positioning system (GPS) recievers, geographical information system (GIS) software and data, stationary levelling lasers, tractor mounted computer systems and sophisticated plows with laser receivers are used to contour fields in order to maximize agricultural productivity.
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Properly managed field
margins can provide significant habitat for wildlife. Field margins may consist of up
to three elements: ditch, grass margin and hedgerow. In
this day and age of high efficiency farming many of the habitat
amenities and agricultural values associated with field margins
are being lost as farmers maximize arable land and productivity. Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust works with farmers to retain and rebuild some of these
margins in an effort to improve wildlife capacity on agricultural
land in the delta. |
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| The hedgerow program is
designed to assist farmers in re-establishing or retaining
some of the values associated with field margins that are
planted with native trees and shrubs. New plantings are established on farms and intensively managed
to develop into complex and diverse year-round habitat for
songbirds, waterfowl, beneficial insects and many other species
groups present in the delta. Over half of the bird species
found on a typical piece of farmland can be attributed to hedgerows,
even though the hedges may comprise only a small portion of
the available habitat. Benefits to farmers include prevention
of soil erosion by becoming a wind and rain barrier, providing
a microclimate conducive to improving field productivity and
in some instances providing shade and barriers for livestock. |
Likewise, the retention
of Grass Margins along cultivated fields provides linear
patches of grassland habitat. These margins provide a transition
between the agricultural field and a hedge or ditch. Grassland
plants can choke out annual agricultural weeds, limiting crop
infestation. They can also provide a good nectar source
for beneficial insects and habitat for predatory beetles which
help control aphid populations. From a wildlife perspective
they support small mammal populations and are used by many
raptors and grassland bird species.
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