Future Agriculture Needs

Future Educational and Public Relations Needs
The Indian Lake Project Team has been reaching out to the public through many avenues. These education and public relation issues are areas where the public thought more attention is needed. The following is a list of topics which came from the public data-gathering process as possible education efforts. They are placed in order of highest priority which was determined by the project team members.

	Watershed management
	Nutrient and chemical storage
	Effects of nutrient and sediment runoff
	Information on prime farmland vs. flood zone issues
	What is a watershed and what is water quality
	Education programs on conservation tillage practices
	Point & non-point source pollution - cause & cost
	Promote riparian corridor benefits - economic - habitat - education
	Water quality monitoring effects and results
	Develop information on agricultural vs. residential fertilizer and chemical usage and the effects of over-usage on water quality
	Problems and solutions to water quality
	Low cost-share soil sampling service to inform agriculture producers of needed application rates
	Promote soil doctor - reduced chemical usage - savings in production costs
	Using dredge material on fields
	Educational programs on algae growth in the lake and ways to reduce algae growth
	Promoting the work accomplished by the agricultural community and distribute awards for conservation leaders
	What other watershed projects are doing

Future Monitoring and Evaluation Needs
Monitoring of the watershed progress was a topic on which the public demanded more information. People want to have hard data on changes made. They can see the lake is becoming cleaner, but they want to see data which proves the changes are due to the project's efforts. The agricultural representatives in the public data gathering process were requesting more monitoring of the watershed water quality. They felt it would help show that they have been successful in their efforts to improve Indian Lake.

	Install sediment and water samplers on the tributaries and analyze water samples to determine what type and how much sediment, nutrients and chemicals are entering the lake from all tributaries
	Sample and determine sediment levels on lake bottom
	Sample water in the lake and around islands to determine if nutrients and chemicals are entering from private properties.
	Benefits of CRP land uses
	Continue macroinvertebrates sampling
	Livestock operations effects on water quality
	Continue CLIP sampling
	Monitor HEL land uses
	Group drainage issues
	Nutrient and chemical brokerage (animal waste)
	Wetiand use as filters
	Educational programs on nutrients and chemicals management absorption rates by vegetation
	Promote riparian corridor benefits - economic - habitat - education
	Develop shoreline erosion rates from - wind - boat wakes
	Economic advantages to using conservation practices
	Develop comparison of soil loss rates for various practices, (eg. CRP land vs. fall plowing)
	Erosion rates for stabilized stream bank vs. natural stream bank
	Information on HEL soil loss rates using various BMPs and various land uses

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