В районе Пембина запустили программы по защите болот и борьбе с эрозией

The Pembina Valley Watershed District covers a wide swath of Southern Manitoba along the International border, extending from the Boissevain area to the Red River. Along the way, it includes two river basins, the Pembina and Plum-Marais. "It is just under 7,500 square kilometers, so it is quite a large area," explained Manager Samantha Leech during the latest episode of Ripple Effect, presented by the Red River Basin Commission. "We have our head office in Manitou, as well as two satellite offices. One is in Killarney and one is in Altona. We also have a drop-in office in Letellier twice a month." The Watershed District's team includes GROW Program Coordinator (West), Andrea Renwick. "Being a not-for-profit, we get funding from a few different organizations, including the GROW Trust, the Growing Outcomes in Watershed, the Resilient Agricultural Landscapes Program... and the Prairie Watershed Climate Program," she said. "GROW programs are water based and looking at things like prairie potholes, the trees, water retention type projects." Renwick noted her favourite program is related Prairie potholes, noting it's the easiest of the programs offered by the watershed to apply for. It's called the Shallow Wetlands Incentive Program. "That is specifically protecting class one and two wetlands, which are those prairie potholes," she said. "They're temporary. They exist for a few days to a few weeks in the spring or after a big rain. After that, you're usually able to farm them. So with this program, you're not giving up land. You are still able to farm that per usual." Renwick pointed out, by maintaining those areas, landowners can reduce peak flow, reduce erosion and flow speed, and keep more nutrients on the field. "You're also protecting a really important part of the ecosystem," she added. "I typically find between 8 and 10 acres of shallow wetlands on a quarter section." Erosion prevention programs also offered  After the significant blow dirt and dust storms the region experienced this past Spring, shelterbelts and other erosion prevention options have certainly been top of mind once again. "For erosion control, we've got a couple of options," said Leech. "Wind erosion often can be slowed down by shelterbelts, so we've got tree planting projects. We also have cover crop projects. If you're keeping a rooted plant in the ground over fall and winter, we can offer funding for that type of project." Leech stressed watershed health is important, not just to the Pembina Valley Watershed District and its residents, but beyond its boundaries. "The Red River will flow up into Lake Winnipeg, so we do a lot of work with the Red River Basin Commission, as well as the Lake Winnipeg Foundation," she shared. "What we do helps benefit the greater system. As we do projects upstream, it benefits downstream."