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Conservation Stewardship of Leased Agricultural Lands
Report of the Wildlife Committee to the Lincoln, Mass.,Conservation Commission
November 1, 1997
The members of the Wildlife Advisory Committee (WAC) of the Lincoln Conservation Commission (LCC) and the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust are interested in a positive working relationship with all farmers in town.
We believe that reasonable practices can be employed on LCC lands that will both benefit unusual species and demonstrate how conservation and agriculture can work together. On its leased conservation lands, the town has a golden opportunity to demonstrate this approach. To fulfill this vision, this report and its recommendations show how agriculture, conservation, and educational opportunities can complement each other for the benefit of the town, the farmer, and wildlife.
With care, farming on town conservation land can benefit both town and wildlife
Agriculture is of benefit both to the town and to open-land wildlife by providing the spaciousness and traditional uses that each finds desirable. It is remarkable how many endangered, at-risk, or interesting open-land species have found their way to Lincoln’s conservation fields.
For example, just within the last four years, birds using
these suburban fields include the Kestrel, Harrier, Merlin, Glossy
Ibis, Cattle Egret, Wild Turkey, Bobwhite, Pheasant, Woodcock,
Upland Sandpiper, Horned Lark, Western Kingbird, Sedge Wren,
Bluebird, Pipit, Meadowlark, Bobolink, and Henslow’s and
Grasshopper Sparrows. [1932 photo of female Bobolink and nestlings
in Alford, Mass., by Dr. Eliz. Friedmann.]
It is likely that other biota, such as dragonflies, butterflies, and plants, are or could be present with comparable diversity. Rare vernal pool species use nearby wetlands, and the forest edge has its distinctive suite. This attractiveness interests not only naturalists but also students and the town’s many metropolitan visitors.
Conservation-care must be
taken, however, in order to realize these benefits.
We suggest that the LCC regard each act of leasing agricultural
land as an active conservation opportunity as well as a benefit
to agriculture. Each lease of conservation land should have
a conservation objective as well as an agricultural one.
Basic conservation principles are well-established and represent a sound level of protection (e. g., soil conservation, organic replenishment, bufferstrips, and integrated pest management, as well as the protection of wetlands from runoff). Farmers should generally be sympathetic with these practices, as they are consistent with good farm husbandry and have been advocated for many decades. These practices can provide food and cover for animals, enhance plant diversity, and protect soil health, wetlands, and water quality. However, as USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) acknowledges in its 1997-2002 Strategic Plan,
"The challenge to wildlife conservation in agricultural landscapes is that many practices sufficient to conserve soil or improve water quality are inadequate for creating, restoring, or maintaining habitat."
Awareness of rare species or unusual habitats
In Lincoln, this requires being aware of rare species and making an effort to meet their needs. Where unusual species or unusual or damaged habitats exist, the LCC should increasingly apply field-specific strategies in addition to basic conservation practices. Strategies could include delayed-cut areas for grassland birds, enhanced buffers for vernal pools, wildflower strips for nectaring butterflies, nest boxes, restoration of an old apple orchard, or residue management for winter food and cover. This is consistent with LCC’s Wildlife and Pesticides Policies, which are currently part of every lease. In particular, the LCC’s "Farmland Wildlife Policy" (1994) states the following:
"Diversity of wildlife is a critical factor since farmland nurtures many different species of living creatures. Species designated as endangered over-ride all other concerns and may prevent farming in that specific location. A species of concern, or one which is not considered endangered but has experienced a reduction in population, should be given careful consideration to encourage its proliferation.… In the context of good farming practices, actions least invasive to the wildlife are the preference of the [Lincoln Conservation] Commission."
We favor a gentler use of the land
Our committee also expresses concern about permitting an increased level of intensive hay production (with a four-to-five year reseeding cycle, annual fertilization, dense growth, and two or three cuts per year) and about intensive sweet corn production. The committee favors a gentler use of the land, with more plant diversity, more replenishment of organic matter, and less reliance on fertilizers and pesticides–a more forgiving habitat. As Peter Westover says in his book, Managing Conservation Land: The Stewardship of Conservation Areas, Wildlife Sanctuaries, and Open Space in Massachusetts (1994),
"For fields on conservation lands, productivity in hay bales or tons of corn per acre rarely receives as high priority as other field values, especially habitat and scenery. In the statewide scheme of things, fields managed for habitat are in shorter supply than those managed for maximum production.
"In most cases, one cannot optimize yield and habitat simultaneously. With hay, in particular, the cutting and removal of two or three crops per season renders a field practically devoid of the thatch that shelters small rodents, reduces the field’s floristic species diversity, leaves the field without weed seeds or plant cover for wintering birds and small mammals, and makes the field fairly inhospitable to these species the following spring. Cornfields managed for high yields usually receive high doses of herbicides, which eliminate forbs and most grasses, and often sit idle with little or no winter cover following late fall harvests for feed corn or silage. Pastures managed for maximum healthy herd size are likely to be low in species diversity and plant cover." p. 164.
In summary, we believe that the goal that the LCC should strive for in its farmland conservation leases is that expressed by Aldo Leopold:
"The farm is a place to live. The criterion of success is a harmonious balance between plants, animals, and people."
Respectfully submitted,
The Wildlife Advisory
Committee
of the Lincoln Conservation Commission
and the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust
Gwyn Loud, Chair
[Note: Aldo Leopold quote is from "The Outlook for Farm Wildlife," Trans. N. Am. Wildlife Conf. 10:165-168 (1945), reprinted in The River of the Mother of God, ed. S.L.Flader and J.B. Callicott (U.Wisc.P.: Madison WI) p.326 (1991).]
Contacts:
For the LCC: Geoff McGeon, Conservation Administrator [As of April 2000, Tom Gumbart, 781-259-2612 -<gumbartt@lincolntown.org>-]
For the Wildlife Committee: Steve Ells <SteveElls[at]earthlink[dot]com> 781-259-8982. (With Gwyn Loud, Chair, and Cathleen Calmer, Sue Klem, and Ellen and Jim Meadors.)
Attachments: (1) "Good Conservation Practices for Leased Fields" (a suggested attachment to the lease) and a discussion of the suggested lease attachment. (2) Technical Appendix and Reference Library. [Only the Table of Contents and Bibiolography are included on WWW.] (3) "Recommended Management of Lincoln’s Leased Fields, October, 1997" (field-specific recommendations for each parcel). [Not included on WWW.]
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