A24-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 7, 2002
Herrs’ Nottingham Pasture Project Saves Fence, Improves Stream
(Continued from Page A 1)
erator of the farm owned by his
father, A. Dale Herr Sr.
Although at first “the biggest
issue was to save our fence,” said
Herr, the project has provided an
educational experience and ex
panded and improved stream
health and fish and animal habi
tat.
“What started out as a fence
saving thing turned into a fish
project,” Herr Jr. said.
Herr estimates that the project
will be completed in two years.
The Herrs had fenced the heif
ers out of the stream 15 years ago
for herd health reasons, “and we
got tired of fixing the fence every
time it flooded,” said Herr.
Although “anything that
helped with the fish was a bonus
at the time,” the environmental
aspect has since proven to be an
important part of the project to
the Herr family.
Taking advantage of the im
proved fish and bird habitat, mal
lards and wood ducks have re
turned to the stream along with a
pair of geese who have nested
and raised a brood in the pasture
the past several years. Another
development is the addition of a
pair of beavers Joined by two ba
bies this spring.
The project, which began 10
vears ago. continues to expand
with the help of FFA students
wiling to provide manual labor
and the Pennsylvania Fish and
Boat Commission, which has
drawn up plans and provided
necessary materials.
The area quickly proved useful
for studying new stream-saving
techniques.
lancaster Farming
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“Back then we didn’t know
very much, it was a lot of experi
mentation, but it was a small
enough stream that we could
manage it,” said project coordi
nator Pat Fasano, project coordi
nator for the Octoraro Watershed
Association, Nottingham.
“We as a watershed associa
tion serve as a clearinghouse of
information," said Fasano. The
organization focuses on educat
ing the public, along with net
working or setting up contact in
formation for landowners.
Much of the legwork and coor
dination came from the Octoraro
Watershed Association. The
funding came from Pennsylva
nia’s Fish and Boat Commission
with Ducks Unlimited also con
tributing to the project.
What Works Best
“It was like a science project to
see which project worked the
best,” said Herr.
The large “U” curving through
the pasture was controlled with a
variety of conservation practices.
The first step to stopping the
stream’s outward movement was
the installation of several saw
tooth deflectors. The deflectors
telephone poles and rebars placed
in a triangular shape and topped
with stones were placed just
before the curve that was inching
toward the fence. The poles,
which jut into the stream 20 feet,
are anchored into the stream
bank.
"The deflectors made the
stream channel itself out,” Herr
said. The stream, which used to
be 30 feet wide with three inches
of water, now flows 15 feet wide
with a depth of two feet.
The channeling has not only
stopped the creep of the stream
but has also built up the opposite
side of the bank.
As the silt swirls against the
deflectors and slows down near
the other side of the bank, topsoil
is deposited. Native plants quick
ly take their place on the newly
gathered soil.
The deflectors also create fast
er-moving water that scatters the
silt in the bottom of the stream.
This creates a rock bottom and
an ideal habitat for fish, besides a
place to stand for the cranes,
according to Herr.
The steep slope was also grad
ed to create a gentler slope, then
lined with rocks.
The first rocks placed into the
bank were the size of footballs.
However, with the addition of
machines, stones as large as boul
ders have been placed at strategic
spots to alter the stream’s veloci
ty and course. The Herrs have
enough stones to finish lining the
stream bank or shore up areas in
need of repair already on the
farm.
Besides the deflectors, mud
sills were installed at the curve.
The sills are made up of eight
foot telephone poles dug into the
bank. Over top of the poles are
oak planks that hold stones. Con
sequently “when the poles rot
out, stones still protect the bank,”
said Herr. The poles create a
four-foot overhang and addition
al cover for fish.
Since the protective measures
were taken, the curve has not
made any further progress to
ward the fence.
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FFA students work each summer to help place stones
such as these that stabilize the stream bank.
It has been a community ef
fort, said Herr, pointing out the
help from the township, which
lends backhoes and other large
machinery for the heavy work.
Another example of commu
nity involvement is the trees
“planted” in the stream that
came from the nearby fair
grounds. Eighteen-foot trees,
complete with roots, were dug
into the bank, with the root ball
in the middle of the stream, “a
new practice to deepen the
stream and protect the stream
bank,” said Herr.
Also, FFA students have come
to the farm for years to either
help shore up the banks by plac
ing rocks or by taking water qual
ity samples as part of class work.
“It has been a great coopera
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tive project between the farmer,
watershed association, Fish and
Boat Commission, and Solanco
FFA,” said Fasano.
“Everyone got behind it local
ly,” said Herr. Former FFA stu
dents, in fact, still visit the farm
to check the stream’s progress.
Stewardship
The Herrs have a history of
stewardship with their land. A.
Dale Herr Sr. was named the
Outstanding Cooperator of the
Year in 1989 by the Lancaster
County Conservation District.
“We’re just trying to save what
was given to us trying to make
it better than when we got it,”
said Herr Sr. “I hope the next
generation does that much
more.”
(Turn to Page A 27)
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