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Approved Projects DEMONSTRATION Page Creek Farms Integrated Riparian Management Demonstration Marlene Best owns and operates Page Creek Farms, a small-lot agricultural operation on the Matsqui prairie in the central Fraser Valley. She currently grows speciality mushrooms and raises a small flock of chickens for eggs. With sensitivity to the requirements of the fish and wildlife that inhabit the farm - most notably the riparian area along Page Creek, Marlene will now be using her background and education in horticulture and landscape design to test new economic opportunities through agroforestry. Page Creek Farms will be developing an integrated production demonstration site involving three agroforestry systems on 3 acres, the first of which is in the riparian zone. Marlene recently undertook the Environmental Farm Planning process and is engaging Ag Renewal business planning resources to ensure the entire project fits within her overall future plans. With assistance from the BC Agroforestry Industry Development Initiative and Shell Canada's Environmental Fund, the first of three phases in the project will create an integrated riparian management area, incorporating plant species for riparian restoration that will also help the farm create new market opportunities. Marlene may has applied for matching funds to the riparian project's efforts through the BMP support program associated with EFP. Shrub species such as red-osier dogwood, contorted willow and contorted hazelnut will be planted in clusters along a 330-m strip on the north side of Page Creek. These species were selected as they have established markets in the floral industry and can also help reduce nutrient loading and improve stream bank stability in Page Creek, a salmonid-bearing stream. According to a study funded by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, there are strong water quality concerns in the Matsqui Prairie area, in particular, the low oxygen levels and their effects on salmon habitat. Other species to be used in later phases will be reviewed in conjunction with government agency and other assistance to ensure they are suitable from both a conservation and production perspective. Both Department of Fisheries and Oceans and BC Ministry of Environment representatives have expressed support for the project and its sustainable blending of conservation and production practices using agroforestry. Other partners that have shown support for this project include Abbotsford Land Trust Society, the City of Abbotsford Public Works, the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Langley Environmental Partners Society and Tourism Abbotsford. The agroforestry practices will also be strongly linked to marketing and extension activities to develop educational and agri-tourism activities in conjunction with the site. From the onset of the project, Page Creek Farms will develop relationships with local schools and the horticulture program of University College of the Fraser Valley, both for class trips as well as to develop skill training and community service hours for high school students. The project has also capitalized on a partnership with the Abbotsford Farm and Country Market (AFCM) management, exposing the products developed on the site at the weekly Marketplace in downtown Abbotsford, thus assisting in establishing direct links between agroforestry practitioners and products with consumers. The project was recently prominently featured in the AFCM tabloid circulated to 46,000 households in the central Fraser Valley. The AFCM is a member of the BC Association of Farmers Market, and Page Creek Farms will also work with the provincial association to promote agroforestry around BC. The project also has a very accessible site for resource networking opportunities in one of BC's most concentrated areas of agriculture and agri-food activities; Page Creek Farms will thus be able to host public and private information and/or training workshops on site. Site tours for existing or potential growers and value-added food producers, Abbotsford and Agassiz Circle Farm Tour operators, AFCM Vendors, and other interested small lot owners will also be conducted to discuss how they can also adopt agroforestry practices. The project is capturing attention in the environmental and fisheries worlds as well. It is being featured in talks by contracted managers Rural Resource Associates Ltd during presentations at the American Fisheries Society conferences in Oregon and Alaska, as well as at the American Water Resources Association conference in Seattle. For more information on this project please contact the project coordinator, Michelle Boshard, Rural Resource Associates Ltd., phone 604 870 0641 or email: michelleb@ncidata.com |