Many farmers want to conserve water, but it can be difficult, risky, and expensive. That's where conservation districts come in. They assist people, like Nestor Garcia from Blue Gem Farms, with making changes that work on-farm and benefit water quality and quantity.
CREP has changed the landscape in Whatcom County” (Wayne Chaudiere, Whatcom Conservation District). Riparian buffers, such as the one shown in the photo, now span along 132 miles of stream in Whatcom County, forming a panorama of native tree and shrub forests that were just recently open fields or invasive plant species such as blackberry.
Success Story Snapshot: Tucannon River. Voluntary, watershed-based effort leads to increased salmon runs.
Over the past two years, Clallam Conservation District and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe (LEKT) have teamed up to plant conifer trees along the Elwha River, each bringing different resources to the table.