Search for: All records

As pressure on the dairy industry to reduce its environmental impact increases, efficient recycling of manure nutrients through local cropping systems becomes crucial. The aim of this study was to calculate annual nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) budgets in six counties located in the Magic Valley, Idaho and estimate what distance manure would need to be transported to be in balance with crop nutrient demand given current dairy cattle populations and cropping systems. Our analysis suggests that crop N needs will not be met solely by manure, and synthetic fertilizer will need to be applied. However, to balance P with crop production, manure would need to be transported a minimum of 12.9 km from dairies and would have to replace synthetic fertilizer P on 91% of regional cropland. Education of producers and technical specialists would be necessary to improve the management of manure use in regional cropping systems. Technical solutions such as alternative diets for cattle and nutrient capture from manure streams will also likely be necessary to bring regional P into balance to protect environmental quality and improve the sustainability of the regional dairy industry. 

The Columbia River Basin is a complex social‐ecological system, spanning political, legal, socio‐economic, geographic, and biophysical boundaries. Outreach to others in social networks develops fundamental communications needed for sustainable collaborations in adaptive management. However, operationalizing and comparing measures of social processes and outcome success in biophysical indicators remains challenging for resource managers. Using survey‐based research, we examined the interactions for water resource governance of five Columbia River reservoir basins in the northwestern US and Canada: Lakes Chelan, Roosevelt, Pend Oreille, Koocanusa, and člq'etkw (Flathead). Respondents included: water resource professionals working for Tribes/First Nations, federal, state, or provincial departments in water quality and/or fisheries, and people who engage in the networks on behalf of area businesses, government offices, public services, non‐profit organizations, and other entities. Perceived social process metrics in these governance networks included the levels of collaboration and inclusiveness, common goals, common strategies, identifying issues, implementing action, and the adequacy of available scientific data. We evaluated social measures relative to participant‐reported changes in physical lake health indicators. Qualitative data‐enhanced understanding of basin‐specific differences. Correlations of social by ecological measures varied widely between basins. Even moderate to strong functionality parameters did not scale well from individual to cross‐basin levels, as many correlations vanished with data aggregated. However, data analysis at the basin scale revealed important variability across the region in scope and governance functionality. Process indicators such as identifying issues and implementing action yielded stronger relationships for 10‐year horizons than for 2 years, reflecting the lag‐time in resource action.