Marsh River Farms saw the benefit of their first ALUS Riparian Buffer that they planted more! This project consisted of two more pieces of cultivated land being turned into perennial grasses. These pieces were prone to flooding and not worth working in wet years. Putting these pieces into ALUS means that they don’t have to be worked in spring and the farm receives an annual payment to cover the cultivated land lost. In addition, the grasses act as wildlife and pollinator habitat, reduce erosion and nutrient lost into the Marsh River.
Marsh River Farms ALUS project #2
Ste. Elizabeth
Benefits
- Capturing nutrient run off
- Acting as wildlife and pollinator habitat
- Reducing erosion in flooding
Characteristics
- Perennial grasses are planted in the flood plain to reduce nutrient run-off and erosion
- The grass is cut and baled once a year for nutrient removal
- Grass removal has to wait till mid-July to protect any wildlife nesting spots in the buffer
