Meet the Roth Family:
When Jill and Frank Roth purchased a beautiful rural property for their horses, they wanted to encourage the horses to move around naturally while enjoying healthy pasture. The property was already equipped with a barn and other infrastructure, but the Roths were concerned that poor drainage would harm their horses and pollute the nearby stream.
The Roth’s resource concerns:
- Pollution from horse manure entering waterways
- Large muddy areas affecting horse health
- Installing a horse track that causes erosion
How they got started:
Jill and Frank attended a Tualatin SWCD workshop that featured Alayne Blickle from Horses For Clean Water, whose mission is to help horse owners manage their land in ways that support both horse and environmental health. After receiving technical advice from Alayne and our Rural Program team, the Roths were able to make several improvements including:
- Installing a durable, heavy-use area
- Adding gutters to the barn that will divert rainwater away from the horses’ heavy use area
- Adding gravel to high traffic areas to reduce mud and erosion
“Nothing is more gratifying in the conservation field than seeing education and technical assistance lead to successful projects on the ground.”
Nicole Ruggiero
How Tualatin SWCD helped:
- Rural Program Specialist Nicole Ruggiero met with the Roths on their property, and made recommendations to build upon the work they had already done.
- After months of planning and securing financial assistance from Tualatin SWCD, the Roths are ready to create a manure composting facility.
- Professional contractors will help them build a covered system with a concrete base so they can compost their manure for use in their garden.
Tualatin SWCD provides planning and financial assistance to landowners for conservation projects:
Our environmental planners understand each property is unique and that every project varies in size, shape, and look. Whatever the scope, we can help you maximize the benefits of your project. Rural Program Specialist, Nicole Ruggiero says, “Nothing is more gratifying in the conservation field than seeing education and technical assistance lead to successful projects on the ground.”
Interested in pursuing a conservation project on your rural property? Contact Nicole Ruggiero, Rural Conservation Specialist, at (971) 371-0097 or nicole.ruggiero@tualatinswcd.org.
To read more about this project, check out Jill Roth’s blog post, which goes into more detail about what they’ve been doing and why.
