When we moved to our home farm along Harkins Slough in 2000, we found a substantial drainage swale running from behind the old milking parlor (now our packing shed) all the way down to the slough. This was basically an unvegetated gully that had eroded so badly in the past that, in places, the previous owners had tried to slow the water down by pushing in pieces of broken-up concrete with a bull-dozer. Because of the contours of our land, this swale receives the concentrated run-off from a large portion of our farmland during winter storm events, and lesser amounts from summertime irrigation. In addition to the erosion of the gully, run-off like this typically takes with it a high nutrient load, which eventually ends up overburdening the slough with things like nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, causing algal blooms and decreasing the health of the waterway.
In 2001, we got a grant of matching funds from the Natural Resources Conservation Service to plant this strip with vegetation to prevent further erosion, slow down the water, and create a wildlife corridor running down to the natural areas closer to the slough. We planted the entire swale with trees like willows, alders, box elder and cottonwoods—trees that grow quickly, like wet conditions, and have a root system that holds the soil well. In places we also planted sedges and a moisture loving native grass called creeping wild rye in the understory.
Photo 1: understory with sedge and creeping wild rye; Photo 2: sedge; Photo 3: Cottonwood tree.
Today this gully is a lush riparian corridor, and most who see it can’t believe it is not older than it is. Considering that most of the trees were planted by simply pushing cuttings not much thicker than a pencil into the mud, it is pretty remarkable that only a decade later it has the feel of a mature mini-forest. The plants are doing their job of slowing down the water as it runs through, which allows the nutrients to drop off and feed the plants and trees instead of getting down to the slough.And the corridor creates a pleasant interlude between different fields on the farm. It’s also the kids’ favorite place to play.
Three views of riparian corridor. The third picture has our 5 year old apple orchard in the foreground.
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