Agricultural Environmental Management

Through the implementation of the Agricultural Environmental Management (AEM) program, Lewis County Soil and Water Conservation District (LCSWCD) can assess your farm’s impact on natural resources and work with you to create a long-term business plan. This assessment can help you document your environmental stewardship, prioritize areas that present risks, identify opportunities to save money, and locate available resources to address potential concerns. By following sound agricultural practices, farmers are ensuring the protection of bodies of water. When nutrients are carefully applied and sedimentation controlled, farmers are ensuring healthy water quality levels.

Livestock Stream Access for Water

Fish Stocking Program

Click here to download 2008 Fish Stocking Form (WORD DOCUMENT)
In the fall of each year, the Lewis County Soil and Water Conservation District holds a Pond Fish Stocking Program. Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Large Mouth Bass, Catfish and Flathead Minnows are all available during the sale.

 

Tree Program

Click here to download Tree & Shrub Order Form (PDF)
Each spring, the Lewis County Soil and Water Conservation District holds its Annual Arbor Green Tree Event. Customers can choose from various types of Coniferous and Deciduous seedlings as well as Transplants, Shrubs, Wild Flower Seed Packets and Conservation Packets. The purpose of this event is to help promote Arbor Day while making seedlings and transplants available to all landowners for conservation projects.

Water Quality

Water quality can be tested through invertebrate sampling. The types of invertebrates in a body of water are good indicators for the quality of the water. In addition, Lewis County Soil and Water Conservation District can assist landowners who have eroding land and therefore sedimentation in their water.

Invertebrate Sampling

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)

New York State designed the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program to give landowners incentives for voluntarily creating buffer zones around waterways to reduce runoff of nutrients and sediments. Participants engage in 10 to 15 year contracts in order to create approved vegetative cover on environmentally sensitive areas near bodies of water. Forms of buffers that are most often used include well-established grasses, tree planting, filter strips, contour grass strips and riparian buffers.

Environmental and Farming Benefits:

• Land Owners will receive economic incentives
• Protect the local drinking water
• Removes farm animals and their waste from bodies of water
• Nutrients and sediments stay on the land and are not washed away
• Increases habitat and species diversity
• Buffers filter surface water
• Decreases erosion
• Improve livestock health by keeping them out of streams
• Improve the appearance of your farm
• Participants may be eligible for an annual tax credit

Improved Laneway (Above three photos)

For more information on the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), please contact our local office, or look for more information at http://www.nys-soilandwater.org/crep/outreach.html.