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Hello, this is John Pennington, county extension agent for agriculture and water quality, with
a few sound strategies for streamside management that can provide many benefits for individual
landowners and even entire communities. Some of the benefits include prevention of
property loss caused by streambank erosion, prevention of property damage caused by flooding
or placement too close to the stream and reduction of pollution transport to the stream.
But wait, the benefits don’t stop there; you can also obtain wildlife habitat, privacy
and tax benefits, in addition to many other positive personal and community benefits,
such as clean drinking water. The absolute best way to gain all of these
benefits is to either, preserve, enhance or establish an area of vegetation along your
stream. This area of vegetation is known as the riparian buffer. Riparian means “of
or belonging to a riverbank”; buffer means “to separate two things or to absorb shock”.
So, a riparian buffer separates the stream from the land uses surrounding the stream
and protects the stream and its inhabitants by providing shade to regulate water temperature,
food sources and shelter for fish and other aquatic organisms, and prevents pollution
by filtering runoff and preventing bank erosion. Buffers come in many shapes and sizes, and
there is no one-size-fits-all buffer. Some buffers are un-manicured and unmanaged,
while others are somewhat manicured or managed. Ultimately, the type of buffer that you create
should be based on your land management goals. Remember, it’s everyone’s responsibility
to protect water quality, so be sure to do your part by keeping your streamside property
in place while also achieving your land management goals at the same time and protecting the
water quality of streams, rivers and lakes of Arkansas.
For more information on on protecting water quality contact your local county extension
office or watershed partnership. This podcast was funded by the Arkansas Natural Resources
Commission and Environmental Protection Agency.