Fields to streams: managing water in rural landscapes Part 1: Water shaping the landscape

Abstract

Fields to Streams details connections between land use, runoff, and water quality in rural landscapes. The two-part book highlights practices to improve and protect rural streams and shows how land management can affect the rate of runoff that shapes them.

The publication was prepared for landowners, land managers, and the conservation professionals who work with them to help them talk about and address local watershed issues. It draws on research from Minnesota and Iowa, providing concise explanations and graphics to highlight concepts and practices.

Part One, "Water Shaping the Landscape," explains the role of Minnesota's geology, changing rainfall, and land management practices in altering the amount and timing of runoff reaching and shaping streams and rivers.

Part Two, "Managing Sediment and Water," describes practices for managing crops, drainage systems, surface runoff, wetlands, impoundments, and stream corridors to reduce peak flows and lessen the amount of streambank, bluff, and ravine erosion.