Vegetation along stream banks can improve water quality, reduce soil erosion, and provide wildlife habitat. We'll meet one group whose goals for streams are perfectly clear on today's EnvironMinute. A million-dollar grant from the Novartis Crop Protection company and the Iowa Farm Bureau will be used to plant trees and grasses along 20 different streams and rivers. The sites will then be used for research and demonstration. Trees Forever also plans to educate people about the value of streambank buffer zones and to recognize landowners who create them.
Research shows that streambank plantings help filter chemicals from farm runoff.
The results can be as dramatic as a fivefold increase in bird species diversity. Many Iowa farmers agree that a small patch of land is clearly a good tradeoff for cleaner water. The EnvironMinute is produced in cooperation with the National Safety Council and made possible by the Teresa and H. John Heinz III Foundation.