
In November, we met with the ranchers who participated in Phase 1 of our Safe Soils/Climate Resiliency Initiative. Four key landscapes were analyzed by the lab at Cornell University, facilitated by Eco-Consulting firm Geosyntec. Soil samples were taken from forested woodland, shrubland, riparian/wetland and agricultural areas. We presented our ranchers the findings, which included analysis of the soil's physical, chemical and biological characteristics.
Our four partner landowners examined the results, soil types and composition to help inform future management practices. We are taking this insight to formulate prescriptive project recommendations for climate resilience and improved soil health. We will continue to work with our ranch partners to help them begin to implement projects in the summer and autumn of 2023.
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Detailed reports from our eco-consulting firm Geosyntec finally arrived! We will meet with our four partner ranchers this month. Tom Koehler, our director of climate action, is carefully reviewing hundreds of pages of data to determine our best path forward.
We will identify specific prescriptions to benefit each ranch. All of our recommendations will be aimed at improving soil health, and the ability of these private lands to capture more greenhouse gases and positively effect climate change. We plan to target several projects in 2023.
After we meet with each rancher, we will share the findings and our recommendations with key stakeholders and the community at large.
From these pilot projects we hope to develop further programs to improve soil resiliency on public and private lands in the Lower Blue River Valley.
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