Fish Friendly Farming Environmental Certification

COOPERATIVE CONSERVATION CASE STUDY

The Fish Friendly Farming® (FFF) program is an incentive-based method for creating and sustaining environmental quality and habitat on private land

Location: Far West Region: California

Project Summary: The FFF program integrates economic use of farmland with the production of environmental benefits. The land manager is the central figure in achieving and sustaining environmental improvements.

The Fish Friendly Farming Program uses incentives and cooperation to implement environmental quality on private lands Photographer: Laurel Marcus

Resource Challenge

Coho salmon and steelhead trout in northern and central California rivers are listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. Many different land uses - urban sprawl, reservoirs, gravel mining, roads and highways, water diversions, grazing and logging as well as agriculture have caused the decline of steelhead trout and salmon in California. Fish Friendly Farming (FFF) provides a comprehensive approach for farmers to restore habitat for these endangered species. The fish's habitat requirements are met as are water quality regulations when farmers use the FFF program's fastidious Beneficial Management Practices (BMPs) for:
- Soil and water conservation
- Restoration and revegetation of riparian corridors along both major creeks and small hillside creeks
- Repair and careful management of roads to reduce sediment
- Limited chemical use

The farmer or land manager, working with the California Land Stewardship Institute's (CLSI) technical experts for the FFF program, completes a Farm Conservation Plan - a comprehensive inventory and assessment of natural resources, agricultural lands and management practices. The Farm Conservation Plan is a strategy for implementing Beneficial Management Practices (BMPs) and guides the improvement of land management practices and the implementation of projects for a specific property. Each Plan is unique, addressing the features and conditions of a particular property. When the Farm Conservation Plan is completed, the site is certified through a third party review of the property and the Plan by three regulatory agencies. These three agencies issue letter sindicating that the site and plan represent the implementation of state and federal environmental laws and thus allows for voluntary complaince with regulations. The FFF program continues to work with the owner to cost-share implementation. The non-profit organization which operates the FFF program, CLSI, provides both the technical assistance and cost sharing to implement the plan and to implement restoration projects. The environmental community supports the FFF program because of its scientific basis and comprehensiveness in addressing environmental improvements on private lands.

Examples of Key Partners

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

California Regional Water Quality Control Boards - 2 regions

California Department of Fish and Game

Napa Valley Vintners Association

Cal Trout

Napa County and Mendocino County Farm Bureaus

Napa Valley, Sonoma County and Mendocino County Grapegrower assocations

Trout Unlimited

California Sportfishing Protection Alliance

Friends of the River

California Land Stewardship Institute

Napa and Sotoyome Resource Conservation Districts

Over 200 wineries and vineyards enrolled in the program

Results and Accomplishments

Since 1999 the FFF program has completed plans on over 70,000 acres and implemented hundreds of projects in cooperation with landowers/managers. Over 50 % of the changes or improvements called for in the Farm Conservation plans are complelted by landowners. The certification provides certainty on what actions the owner should take to implement voluntary comliance with water quality and fendangered speices laws. Because the program is voluntary the owner wants to implement the improvements. The FFF progam also is developing a green or eco marketing program now that we have established an environmental record. The marketing program will further encourage landowners to implement improvements and maintain their certifications.

Innovation/Highlight

The FFF program integrates economic use of land with the production of environmental benefits. The FFF program stands in contrast to the traditional methods of environmental improvements of government purchase of land or government regulation of land management activities. Land purchase is very expensive and to date has not demonstrated a large increase in water and aquatic habitat quality because the government agencies in charge of land management are under funded and often have to delay completion of the improvements. Instead of using regulations which create acrimony and distrust in the private land manager/owner the program uses incentives and cooperation to revise and improve land management techniques to produce high quality water and high quality aquatic habitats.

Project Contact

Laurel Marcus
Executive Director
California Land Stewardship Institute
3661 Grand Ave #204
Oakland, CA 94610
510 832 3101
laurelm@ix.netcom.com

Beverly Wasson
President, Board of Directors
California Land Stewardship Institute
PO Box 158
Rio Nido, CA 95471
707 869 9003
bfwasson@earthlink.net

Website: www.fishfriendlyfarming.org

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