Natural Resources Marketplace
Original Air Date: 10/21/2010
Agriculture has been expanding since the domestication of crop plants some 10,000 years ago and as crop land and pasture expand there is an impact to wild life populations and ecosystem functioning. Puget Sound has a rich diversity of species and habitats that compete with agriculture for natural resources, but does the expansion of agriculture always mean lose of habitat? And do nature restoration projects automatically restrict land use and income for farmers and livestock producers?
There are some in Whatcom County that say there is a way to protect natural resources in a way that makes good business sense to farmers and ranchers. They're proposing a natural resource marketplace system and people on both sides of the issues are saying that this is the right approach to protecting the environment and supporting agriculture in the Pacific Northwest.
Guests
Heather McKay, Whatcom County Farm FriendsHeather is a Lynden resident with citizenship of several somewhat scattered countries. She grew up on a farm in Zimbabwe and received university education in South Africa, earning a PhD in oceanographic sciences from the University of Port Elizabeth. Heather is also an adjunct faculty member at the University of British Columbia. She works as a water and environment policy specialist and is currently contracted to Whatcom Farm Friends to work on the natural resources marketplace project.
Steve Seymour - Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Steve is a watershed biologist working for the past 30 years in Whatcom County on salmon recovery issues. For the last 15 years the primary focus has been on the recovery of habitat along Whatcom lowland streams, many which cross productive agricultural land.
More Information
To learn more about Whatcom County Farm Friends, please visit: http://www.wcfarmfriends.com/go/site/1579/
If you would like to find out additional information about the Natural Resources Marketplace, please click here.
Here is a link to the 2010 Land, Water and People Symposium to find out more about water rights issues, problems facing agriculture, and conservation of our environment, click here.
Please visit the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to find out more about conservation of our ecosystems:
