Land owners, land managers, and the conservation professionals who work with them have access to a new publication explaining how runoff shapes rural streams and describes land and water management practices that will improve and protect them. "Fields to Streams: Managing Water in Rural Landscapes", is a web-based document available from University of Minnesota Extension at z.umn.edu/FieldsToStreams
Increased stream flows are causing an increase in streambank, bluff, and ravine erosion, resulting in wider streams, and ravines and gullies that are extending into fields. Downstream, the sediment is filling lakes and degrading fish habitat. "Fields to Streams" shows ways land managers can help reduce the rate of erosion and sediment loss.
The publication is divided into two parts. Part One, "Water Shaping the Landscape," explains the role of Minnesota’s geology, changing rainfall, and land management practices in altering the amount and timing of runoff reaching and shaping streams and rivers. Part Two, "Managing Sediment and Water," describes practices for managing crops, drainage systems, surface runoff, wetlands, impoundments, and stream corridors to reduce peak flows and lessen the amount of streambank, bluff, and ravine erosion. It concludes with some considerations for working together at the local watershed scale to identify problems and develop solutions.
"Fields to Streams" draws on research from Minnesota and Iowa, providing concise explanations and using extensive graphics to highlight concepts and practices. It was developed by a team of authors and contributors from universities, agencies, and the private sector led by the U of M Water Resources Center and was funded by a grant from the McKnight Foundation.
