1 - Buffering America's Waterways: Mapping Opportunities to Protect and Enhance Surface Drinking Water

Friday, October 27, 2023

11:00am - 11:30am PST

Location: A2

Speaker(s)

Matthew M. Smith, PhD

Research Program Lead
USDA Forest Service - National Agroforestry Center
SAF Working Group Officer
Lincoln, Nebraska, United States

Co-Author(s)

RL

Rebecca Lilja, BS (she/her/hers)

USDA Forest Service, New Hampshire, United States

Co-author(s)

Gary Bentrup, MLA (he/him/his)

Research Landscape Architect
USDA National Agroforestry Center
Lincoln, Nebraska, United States
Susan Stein, MF (she/her/hers)

ACES Agroforestry Specialist
USDA NRCS

Riparian areas provide important opportunities to protect one of our most valuable natural resources – surface water drinking sources. The Buffering America's Waterways tool is interactive mapping tool for identifying where perennial vegetation could be planted or enhanced to filter water running off cropland to improve drinking water quality.

Learning Objectives:

Recognize the importance of riparian areas in supporting surface water drinking sources
Understand the data and methods used in the Buffering America’s Waterways tool
Apply Buffering America’s Waterways tool for planning and prioritizing activities
Discuss opportunities and constraints of applying this tool