4. Discussion and Recommendations
wetlands. Federal, state, and local government programs to protect existing
riparian vegetation, whether bordering major streams or small tributaries, lakes.
The creation and protection of field and
or wetlands, should be
landscape-buffer zones, however, should augment efforts to improve farming
systems. They should not be substitutes for such efforts.
The lack of information specific to
4.5
source nutrient management
activities in the basin is a handicap to studies of this type. The increasingly
sophisticated questions which are being asked'about the effectiveness of
source management efforts requires increasingly sophisticated
information. We recommend that a greater effort be made by all participants and
stakeholders to develop a focused research, monitoring, and information
management strategy. For example, information needs to be made more
accessible regarding fanning, forestry, and development practices being
employed, proximity of operations to surface waters or vulnerable groundwater,
the potential leaching or runoff for given practices, soil types, and topography,
and the location of valuable forest and
areas that provide buffering
capabilities. Obtaining this
will require an increased commitment to
the process of monitoring and closer coordination by all parties involved_ Positive
steps are underway in this regard, such as the implementation of the FOCS
system by the Soil Conservation Service and the funding of
projects to improve infonation about BMP effectiveness. However, there is still a
great need for a strategic planning process to ensure that future information
needs will be met.
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