This week I read Part II of The Farm as Natural Habitat, Chapters 4 through 8. This section focuses more on the human dimensions of conservation agriculture- why do farmers adopt sustainable or regenerative practices on their farms? What values, incentives, policies, and strategies are most influential in making voluntary choices? How best can conservation professionals “go beyond physical and economic considerations and into the ethical and ecological deeper reflections” (pg. 59) of programs and services? A range of case studies and personal experiences from farmers, scientists, and environmental professionals around the Upper Midwest illustrate the common themes, and unique differences, in conservation-based agriculture practices.
Perhaps my favorite chapter was “Reading the Land Together” by Wellington (Buddy) Huffaker, executive director of the Aldo Leopold Foundation. He writes about the divisive and antagonistic situation that developed between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the local communities in Sauk and Columbia Counties of Wisconsin when the USFWS proposed to establish the Aldo Leopold National Wildlife Refuge in the area, preferring to acquire, protect, and restore land through fee title purchase from voluntary sellers, with a role for easements. Long story short, the local farmers viewed this proposal as extremely threatening for a wide range of reasons, including the already tumultuous political climate over governmental land-use issues in the area. Huffaker points out the failure of the USFWS to consult local landowners before publishing proposed refuge boundaries, and the anger of farmers at being implicitly told they were not good enough stewards of their own land. Through the recognition of “shared values and an appreciation for the character of this landscape” (pg. 75), the Farming And Conservation Together (FACT) committee was formed to develop an alternative plan for the betterment of all. Reading the details of how hostile their meetings were at first, then productive and synergistic, even with the wider community, was both inspiring and instructive in building consensus and finding solutions. I wonder how the proposals worked out in the end (there is no such wildlife refuge today, but I would like to find out what conservation plans are in place now). I also find myself wondering where the Ho-Chunk Nation, a prominent community and government in the region, was in all of this negotiation and controversy. One of the many positives about Thurston Conservation District is their strong partnership with the Nisqually and Squaxin Island Tribes — I may look more into conservation district/tribal partnerships across the country.
Other insights that stuck out to me in these chapters were the power of using direct observation over data alone (equal weight to qualitiative and quantitative information), the importance of aesthetics and ethics alongside more rigorous monitoring or planning, and more than one author pointing out that financial assistance often goes to larger farms and wealthier landowners to correct chronic environmental issues of land abuse rather than ongoing funding and support to consistently responsible land stewards. Chapters 7 & 8 have many excellent case studies about farmers who take holistically agroecological approaches to farming. Brian A. DeVore also points out that companies like DuPont and Monsanto exploit the mystical narrative of the American farmer to promote and sell their products, but “the survival of real farmers isn’t necessarily an important element in these companies’ goals” (pg. 97).
I also was thrilled to read a story of a dairy farmer sampling benthic aquatic macroinvertebrates on his farm to judge water quality! I would love to combine my experience in aquatic entomology and ecology with this internship somehow, but I think the water quality monitoring events for South Sound GREEN have ended for the year unfortunately. I looked in the Land Stewardship Project’s Monitoring Toolbox and read the chapter on stream monitoring and macroinvertebrate sampling, sorting, and identification. A nice crossover with my other Evergreen study focus.
Going into next week, I think I’m going to switch to reading Farm (and Other F Words) and The Farm Bill: A Citizen’s Guide as I find myself dwelling on the mythology of the All-American Small Family Farm, as well as my increasing awareness of how both food production and conservation are almost entirely mediated by government, corporations, or private landowners. I may do some more reading about agrarian and socio-ecological commons, as I remember fondly studying satoyama landscapes last year and wondering what other models and cooperatives exist, especially in the Puget Sound region. Land access and justice is a constantly emerging theme, and I think I’ll ask Nora next week about getting more involved with FarmLink work.
Tuesday 4/5
I started my second week at the District by attending my first staff meeting. No Zoom login or conference room required- Mt. Capra Farm near Bucoda, a participant in the Voluntary Stewardship Program, was gracious enough to host. I carpooled there with Kiana, Nora, and TJ, the newly hired Veterans Conservation Corps crew lead. Before we got down to discussing District business and updates, we got a tour of the operations from Joe Stout, the President of Mt. Capra. His beautiful family-owned working dairy farm features a small but mighty milking parlor, a hydroponic barley growing setup for the rainy months when the goats can’t go out to graze, four friendly livestock guard dogs, and most importantly- BABY GOATS!
Joe gave us permission to take photos of anything on the farm (“We’re totally transparent,” he said) and I’m grateful for his hospitality, willingness to answer any and all questions, and valuable insights into the local agricultural economy and landscape. This is the first time I’ve gotten to meet almost everyone who works at the District, as many staff still work from home and/or are busy out in the field working on projects. Besides the excitement of getting out on a farm in (mostly) beautiful weather, it was a great opportunity to hear updates on what each person has been working on, as well as get to know them a little bit, even if just through short personal updates during the meeting.
Wednesday 4/6
Today was less eventful than yesterday, but quite productive. I continued updating the farm list, and designed award certificates for Envirothon (first, second, and third place overall as well as for the winning team from each county).
Kiana and I met Sam at Priest Point Park to walk the route between stations for Envirothon and plan out logistics (signage, tables, tents, timetable, etc.). There’s going to be 11 teams of five, plus a supervising teacher, from six counties! Judges are confirmed, custom hats have been ordered for participants, staff, and volunteers, and the volunteers will be contacted this week once the exact schedule is finalized. Sam has things well in hand and the event is going to be a lot of fun. Tomorrow I’ll meet with him about planning my own event next month, and work on designing signage to direct Envirothon participants around the park. I also hope to get started on some preliminary research around agricultural plastic recycling solutions- Nora has been excited about potentially finding a partner who can help divert local farmers’ plastic waste from entering landfills.
Thursday 4/7
Kiana, Sam, and I discussed upcoming TnT events- an Earth Day cleanup with Pacific Shellfish Institute on Saturday 4/23, and joining Center for Natural Lands Management for Prairie Appreciation Day at Glacial Heritage Preserve on Saturday 5/14. The May event seems like the best opportunity for me to take the lead on coordinating an event! The time, place, and community partner organization are already set, so I will need to connect with our CNLM contact and start thinking of what activities (other than the expected and obvious scotch broom pulling) could be fun and educational.
A bio-blitz with iNaturalist entries uploaded afterwards, having someone speak to the kids about conservation grazing and prescribed burns on prairies, and/or discussing the importance of camas as a major indigenous food staple are my favorite ideas right now. Of equal or greater concern are questions like- how many weed wrenches will we need? What should we order for lunch, or ask kids to bring a lunch? Will we need to use the TCD van to carpool? There’s a bit of time to figure all of that out, and I’m excited to go see the prairies in spring bloom.Between meetings I got started on researching possible ag plastic recycling partners in the area. I found two different companies which seem promising to reach out to for potential group purchase or dropoff of ag plastic waste to be recycled. It’s actually quite surprising to see how limited the options are for recyling this kind of plastic waste, especially in our area. Eastern Washington and Oregon seem to have slightly better options, but this is a sector that’s clearly pretty neglected. I have a better idea of the scope of the problem and potential end solutions, and will look more into local marine conservation partners which could be interested in ag plastic landfill diversion efforts. WSU Mount Vernon has done quite a bit of research on biodegradable plastics and plastic mulches in general, which is an interesting direction to look into. WSDA does occasional regional waste pesticide container pickups, but that doesn’t account for twine, nursery pots and trays, tunnel and greenhouse film, drip irrigation tape, etc.
In the afternoon I sat in on a Envirothon Zoom meeting with Sam and Kiana plus educators from Pierce and Mason Conservation Districts. We went over the day’s schedule and logistics, judge and volunteer confirmations, and working out finer details about tests and oral presentations. There will be a career panel over lunch while tests are being graded, then the awards. I’ll be volunteering at the wildlife test station! We meet again next week to check in and finalize everything.
Bibliography
Jackson, D. L., Jackson, L. L., & Bradley, N. L. (2002). The Farm as Natural Habitat: Reconnecting Food Systems With Ecosystems (Illustrated ed.). Island Press.
Land Stewardship Project. (1998). The Monitoring Tool Box. https://landstewardshipproject.org/wp-content/uploads/monitoring-toolbox.pdf
Washington State University. (2022). Plastic Mulches. Small Fruit Horticulture Research & Extension Program | Washington State University. https://smallfruits.wsu.edu/plastic-mulches/
