What To Do When 9 Million Neighbors Need Your Help
13 years ago, Kate and Dan Marsiglio bought a small parcel of land in the New York Catskills where they endeavored to create a humble life in sustainable farming, a decision which intricately tied their lives to the health and wellness of 9 million New York City residents.
The Marsiglios
The Marsiglio’s farmstead is found nestled in the Catskill mountains of New York at the end of a winding dirt road, the kind that covers your car in dust reconfirming your decision to buy a Subaru. The Marsiglios love talking about their farm and once you inquire into their story, it becomes easy to envision their farm 13 years ago. It is picturesque piece of land covered in tall lush grasses with cattle, sheep, and pigs grazing on the hills. A small crystal-clear creek runs through the property and is the namesake of their farm, Stony Creek Farmstead. You can picture the Marsiglio’s first few cows wandering through the creek’s tall sedges on a sweltering day to take a drink from the refreshing water.
Yet, when you ask the Marsiglios about their first years running the farmstead, you realize the reality was much less charming. Their cattle frequently struggled with hoof disease from standing in the stream’s water all day, manure runoff polluted the water, and the banks of the creek were eroded into mud paddies which further clouded the water and degraded the border habitat which was once used by wildlife.
Kate and Dan quickly recognized the need to protect the creek’s ecosystem and water quality but as new farmers, they didn’t have the financial means or expertise to make a change. Luckily, less than three years after Kate and Dan moved in, they were connected with the Watershed Agricultural Council also known as WAC.
The Marsiglio’s dilemma was a familiar one to the WAC staff. The Watershed Agricultural Council is a non-profit land stewardship organization that uses a suite of conservation techniques to protect the New York City watershed of which the Marsiglio’s creek is a part. Although Kate and Dan live nearly 150 miles north of New York City, their small creek is part of a greater network of waterbodies which flow South to the city providing nearly 9 million residents with drinking water.
As part of WAC’s mission, the non-profit was interested in helping the Marsiglios keep their piece of the NYC watershed clean. WAC worked with Kate and Dan to develop a personalized plan for their land. The non-profit started by funding and installing a permanent high-tensile fence around their creek. The fenced area excluded cattle from the stream and a small bu°er of land around the creek. The benefits were immediate; the cattle were healthier, wildlife began returning to the creek habitat, and the water quality of the creek increased as soil erosion and manure run-off into the creek decreased.
Beef cattle mill around in the creek causing bank erosion which leads to sedimentation in the water in addition to the water pollution caused by manure.
However, an alternative source of water had to be created after the cattle’s access to the creek was blocked. Before the creek became permanently blocked, WAC built an underground well system which included seven hydrants scattered on the farmstead. Intentionally scattering the hydrants allowed the new farmsteaders to practice rotational grazing which involves moving livestock regularly through fresh pastures to prevent overgrazing and optimize grass growth. This practice increases the quality of forage for the livestock while decreasing the cost of extra feed and degradation of the land.
In addition to the installation of a water hydrant system, the Marsiglios are financially compensated for removing sensitive land around the creek from production. Their compensation is a modest annual payment WAC refers to as a rental rate but is also known as a Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES). A PES is one of WAC’s most commonly used land restoration and conservation techniques. PES programs are not unique to WAC, New York, or even the United States. Yet, the PES program has allowed WAC to become internationally recognized as a successful public-private partnership program.
A view of the Stony Creek Farm and some mobile fencing used to practice rotational grazing
New York City Gambles
In 1989 the United States Congress passed an amendment to the Safe Water Drinking Act called the Surface Water Treatment Rule (SWTR). The SWTR requires water systems to filter and disinfect surface water sources. NYC was using surface water surfaces and as a result, the amendment meant that NYC had to determine the best way to provide cleaner drinking water to their citizens. Many cities around the country turned to the construction of water treatment plants. But in 1990 NYC faced a daunting $8-10 billion estimate for construction of water treatment plants which would meet the SWTR with annual maintenance costs estimated to average $500 million annually.
Instead of building this costly water treatment plant, NYC gambled on a different strategy. The city allocated funding for programs which helped clean up and protect the watershed which provided New York City’s drinking water. If water pollution and contaminants could be reduced, the city could use existing infrastructure to meet filtering and cleaning standards set forth by the SWTR. The city’s gamble paid off and the return on investment to NYC is staggering. Although the total cost of watershed programs like those run by WAC, are difficult to quantify, it is not more than $100 million a year.
The Catskill/Delaware watershed, which extends 125 miles northwest of the city, provides more than 90 percent of the city’s supply. The rest comes from the Croton watershed.
Illustration by JOSH COCHRAN
The Family Connection
One of the most successful strategies of the watershed cleanup program is the Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) strategy administered by WAC. PES programs involve a series of payments to land or other natural resource owners in return for a guaranteed flow of ecosystem services over-and-above what would otherwise be provided in the absence of payment.
Although PES programs take many forms, oftentimes the resources which are protected by PES programs have no defined value. In the Marsiglio’s case, the creek’s value to the Marsiglios was as a convenient and cheap source of water for their livestock but is not absolutely necessary to run their farm as alternative water sources could be arranged. On the other hand, NYC has a serious monetary stake in keeping the Marsiglio’s part of the watershed clean. So, WAC creates a marketplace where the government can pay the Marsiglios, and other families along the watershed, to keep pollutants like manure out of the creek, subsequently keeping the water clean.
Currently, WAC proudly boasts a 90% farm participation with hopes of achieving 100% participation in the near future. Clean water upstream means clean water downstream and for now, PES programs administered by organizations like WAC have helped insure that NYC’s watershed will be clean for years to come.
Today, Kate and Dan Marsiglio’s Stony Creek Farmstead is thriving. They proudly boast a 100% grass fed diet for their cows and sheep, they have completely cut out the use of fertilizers and pesticides, and often host school groups who want insight into sustainable farming. For the Marsiglios, working with WAC to fence off the creek, attain alternate water sources, and earn payment for their commitment to preserving the creek ecosystem was just the first boosted step they needed in order to make additional long-lasting changes to a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle. Kate and Dan are happy to be in a mutually beneficial partnership with WAC and their 9 million neighbors 150 miles to the south.
The Marsiglio family on their farm in the Catskills
Selected Sources:
Kate Marsiglio. 2017. “Stony Creek Farmstead.” Stony Creek Farmstead LLC. Accessed July 25, 2018.http://www.stonycreekfarmstead.com/.; “Payments for Ecosystem Services.” 2017. UNDP. Accessed July 25, 2018.http://www.undp.org/content/sdÿnance/en/home/solutions/payments-for-ecosystemservices.html.; Rueb, E. S., Illustrations by Josh Cochran. March 30, 2016. “How New York Gets Its Water.” The New York Times. Accessed July 19, 2018. from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/03/24/nyregion/how-nyc-gets-its-water-new-york-101.html, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/03/24/nyregion/how-nyc-gets-its-water-new-york-101.html.; United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency. 2016. “Conservation Fact Sheet: Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program – New York – 12 Watersheds,” Accessed July 5, 2018. https://www.fsa.usda.gov/Assets/USDA-FSAPublic/usdaÿlesFactSheets/2016/crep_new_york_12_watersheds.pdf.; United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency. 2017. “Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program.” Page. temp_FSA_02_Landing_InteriorPages. Accessed July 25, 2018. https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/conservation-programs/conservation-reserveenhancement/.; US EPA, OW. 2015. “Surface Water Treatment Rules.” Policies and Guidance. US EPA. Accessed July 17, 2018. https://www.epa.gov/dwreginfo/surface-water-treatment-rules.; “Watershed Agricultural Council.” 2017. NYC Watershed. Accessed July 25, 2018. http://www.nycwatershed.org/.