Best management practices, natural resource conservation service guidelines and alternative farming practices are important components of successful ecological land management at Fermilab.
Agricultural fields provide revenue that may be used to manage existing habitat communities but offer little value to surrounding ecosystems due to the intensity of management. Photo credit: R. Campbell
Agricultural production is a common tool used by land managers on acreages not yet ready for habitat restoration. In addition to preventing rampant invasive species problems, agricultural commodities provide revenue that may be used to manage existing habitat communities and ecosystems.
Best management practices, natural resource conservation service guidelines and alternative farming practices are important components of successful ecological land management at Fermilab. Protecting water resources, preventing fertilizer runoff, conserving and building soils, regulating herbicide usage, and providing habitat buffers and corridors are real-world issues connected to the first principle in the ELM Committee charter: to conserve natural resources. Fermilab continues to approach agricultural land management with conservation in mind.