The Ohio Lake Erie Buffer Program will encourage farmers to establish buffer strips of grass or forest along stream banks, and where appropriate, along the Lake Erie shoreline. The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program will provide funding for conservation projects in all or part of 27 counties in the Maumee, Portage, Sandusky, Huron, Vermilion and Black River watersheds. Governor Taft and area farmers prepare to plant a tree at the ceremony in which the Governor announced the Lake Erie Buffer Initiative. Director Speck is discussing the Northwest Ohio Field Windbreak Program with Don Schmenk and Rob Stultz of Maumee State Forest at the Lake Erie Buffer Ceremony in Seneca County. The tree planter used by the Maumee crew to plant the seedlings is in the foreground.
Conservation buffers are a proven method for enhancing water quality.
The agricultural community has already shown its commitment to conservation in the Lake Erie basin, and I encourage farmers to build on those successes by enrolling in one or both of these new programs. To mark the occasion, Governor Taft planted a red oak sapling along a small stream running through Gene Barto's farm. Farmers throughout Ohio are encouraged to plant trees in buffer zones along rivers and streams to help restore water quality.