A healthy stream thrives when its waters are cool, clear, and free of erosion and pollution. Riparian buffers are guardians of streams. Corridors of trees, grasses and shrubs, and fences safeguard waterways while serving as a transitional zone between aquatic and upland ecosystems.

Maximizing Riparian Benefits Through a Mixed Species Approach

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) defines two main types of riparian buffers: forest and herbaceous. To maximize habitat quality, these two often go hand in hand.

Forest buffers incorporate trees to stabilize stream banks, reduce erosion and provide shade that cools water, creating thermal refuge for aquatic species. Herbaceous buffers provide an additional layer of protection. Consisting of native grasses and shrubs, their root systems capture and filter contaminants from runoff.

Morgan Harris, Hellbender Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) Coordinator with the Conservation Management Institute at Virginia Tech, helps private landowners implement practices like riparian buffers through the WLFW partnership–– a USDA effort that boosts land productivity while improving wildlife habitat. This win-win strategy addresses landowner needs, mitigates natural hazards and enhances aquatic ecosystems for species, such as the eastern hellbender salamander.

Creating a Diverse Patchwork of Habitat for Varied Species Through the Strength of Both Buffers

Apart from their stabilizing and filtering capabilities, riparian buffers serve as wildlife habitats for a suite of species. As a transitional zone, the feathered edges of an herbaceous buffer can create an ideal early successional habitat, which is favorable for many ground-nesting birds, including quail. In return, cleaner water resulting from the buffer will benefit a myriad of aquatic life, including amphibians, fish and vegetation.

“The riparian forest buffer is important for various species because they’ve got the stream, a nice stream-side forested area to hide out in, and an herbaceous buffer where they can go out and bask in the sun if they want,” Harris said. “The string of different habitats in such a small area is beneficial for a lot of species.”

Protecting Riparian Buffers from Cattle for Healthy Stream, Livestock Well-Being and Wildlife Habitat

For landowners hoping to improve stream health, riparian buffers may be their golden ticket. But for cattle ranchers, protecting those buffers can be a challenge. While streams provide a natural water source, unrestricted access for cattle can harm buffers, livestock and waterways.

Unrestricted access can cause stream bank erosion, fecal pollution and sedimentation. 
Polluted streams also increase the risk of diseases like bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) and leptospirosis, while steep banks and deep water can injure or even drown cattle, especially calves.

Unrestricted access also degrades wildlife habitats within buffers.

“From a quail habitat standpoint, allowing cattle unrestricted access to buffers will keep the plant community low regarding herbaceous riparian cover. The buffer will also be trampled and overgrazed,” Maynard said. “NRCS practices of fencing and access control can improve quail hiding cover in that sense.”

Fencing can maximize managed grazing––an NRCS practice that divides pastures into sections so cattle can graze one area while allowing vegetation in others to recover. With fencing and watering facilities, livestock can graze evenly without straying far from water, reducing stress, minimizing weight loss and promoting grazing across the land. 

Combining Fencing, Alternative Water Sources and Rotational Grazing to Protect Riparian Buffers

Bobby Whitescarver, a cattle rancher in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and retired USDA district conservationist, sought a cleaner, more efficient way to water his herd. In 2004, he and his wife, Jeanne Hoffman, planted a riparian buffer, fenced off their stream, and installed off-site watering facilities to support managed grazing. 

Over the past 21 years, he has seen how these practices improve water quality, grazing and wildlife habitat. To assess the impact, Whitescarver sampled the stream on his property for E. coli every month for three years, collecting samples upstream and downstream from the buffer. Results showed a 55% decrease in E. coli in just a half-mile stretch.

“There's a saying that the biosecurity program on your farm is only as good as the worst one upstream,” Whitescarver said. “It’s our duty as stewards of the land to keep the water clean.”

Whitescarver also noticed a surge in wildlife. Willow Flycatchers returned, and Whitescarver spotted a covey of Northern Bobwhite in the buffer, sheltering in switchgrass and feasting upon the insects that flocked to its forbs and legumes.

Healthy streams depend on thoughtful partnerships. Through support from NRCS’ Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Quail Forever, landowners have access to the tools and funding they need to implement practices like fencing, watering systems, managed grazing, and riparian buffers to provide cleaner water, healthier cattle, and better habitat for quail and countless other species.

To learn more about how to improve stream health, contact your local USDA-NRCS Service center. More information about Working Lands for Wildlife - East can be found here.