New Program Helps Pennsylvania Vineyards Improve Health Of Lake Erie

Grape growers across the U.S. have been implementing sustainable measures to ensure the health of local ecosystems and waterways.

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Napa Valley growers, for example, have taken it upon themselves to restore parts of the Napa River that have suffered loss of riparian habitat and bank erosion.

Now, grape growers in Pennsylvania’s Lake Erie basin are being invited to participate in a new program called VinES (Vested In Environmental Sustainability). The goal of the program is to reduce pollution into Lake Erie while increasing growers’ profitability through a partnership between federal, state and local agencies and area grape growers.

Jake Moore, Environmental Planner II for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Coastal Resources Management Program, says the idea for the program came about in the fall of 2014.

“We noticed there was more proactive work that we could do within Pennsylvania’s portion of the Lake Erie basin to foster environmental sustainability,” he says. “Since viticulture and vineyards are the largest agricultural sector in our portion of the basin, we thought, let’s just start a proactive conversation with them and see where it leads.”

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The DEP has partnered with the Erie County Conservation District, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Lake Erie Grape Research, Pennsylvania State University Cooperative Extension, and Cornell University to help engage more grape growers in the program.

VinES is completely voluntary and mimics the New York Vine Balance program, which relies heavily on a self-assessment guide. The goal for VinES, much like Vine Balance, is to identify best management practices and help growers implement these BMPs.

The BMPs are currently being fleshed out by members of a steering committee that consists of individuals from the Conservation District, Natural Resource Conservation Service, vineyard owners, the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and grape research teams from Cornell and Penn State.

“We’re working to develop a self-assessment guide for vineyard owners in Pennsylvania that’s more geared toward the soils, geology, and watershed characteristics we have here,” Moore says.

The plan is to have the self-assessment guide completed by the end of May. The next step will be to coordinate with the Erie County Conservation District to identify growers who might be interested in implementing erosion and sedimentation control measures.

“It could be grading of a dirt road so it doesn’t sheet flow directly into the stream area but instead flows into a vegetated area to allow some filtration,” Moore says.

Other ideas include adding riparian plantings to create a buffer between vineyards and streams to reduce thermal and nutrient sediment impacts to the streams, as well as provide stability for stream banks.

“Our vision is to create an environmentally, economically, and culturally sustainable market for viticulture in Pennsylvania’s basin, working proactively with everyone to make sure we’re educating folks as to the importance of the Lake Erie watershed and keeping streams clean,” Moore says.

The program also aims to help growers reduce costs in the vineyard, whether it’s finding grant money that helps them get new equipment or looking for ways they can become more efficient with pesticides and herbicides to reduce the costs associated with spraying.

“It’s environmentally minded, but we also want to be sustainable in all facets – economically and socially,” Moore adds. “In Pennsylvania, our impact [on the Lake Erie watershed] is small, but we should be doing the best we can do within our small area.”

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