1. SFS Best Practices Presentation Key “Best Practice” Drivers for the Crop Sector 1.Reduce Nutrient, Sediment and Herbicide Runoff 1.Riparian buffer strips, 2.Cropping systems (reduced tillage,emphasize on perennial crops) 3.More Balanced Nutrient Application Technologies (organic vs inorganic, rates, timing, types, placement) 4.Integrated pest management (bio-controls) to reduce herbicide usage 5.Where cultivation does occur, emphasize perennial crops over annual crops 2.Maintain or improve native rangelands 1.No expansion of cultivated lands into native prairie 2.Convert cultivated lands to perennial lands 3.Recognize declining water supply 1.Irrigation, where it does occur, should occur on lands that minimize adverse effects on water quality and native grasslands (best management practices apply here)

2. SFS Best Practices Presentation Key “Best Practice” Drivers for the Grazing Sector 1 1.Reduce Livestock Impact to riparian areas (streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands) 1.Off-stream water development 2.Implement appropriate grazing rotations 3.Limit access to riparian areas during vulnerable periods (high flows and sensitive regeneration in dormancy) 4.Hardened Crossings 5.Distribution tools 6.Location of winter feeding sites 7.Streamside fencing 2.Improve Range Health through Improved Grazing Practices – Apply ecologically sustainable stocking rates (balance livestock demand with the available forage supply) – Distribute livestock grazing impact – Avoid grazing during vulnerable periods, – Provide effective rest periods after grazing – Emphasize dormant season grazing of fescue grasslands – Utilize prescriptive grazing and seasonality of forages to manage invasive agronomic grass species like Timothy, Smooth brome and Kentucky bluegrass

3. SFS Best Practices Presentation Key “Best Practice” Drivers for the Grazing Sector 2 3.Improve Livestock Forage Production Systems 1.Greater emphasis on perennial grasses and reduced emphasis on annual forage crops 4.Improve Feedlot Systems 1.Restrict Feedlots from being proximal to Water 2.More even distribution on cropland landscape for improved waste distribution 3.Improve Waste Storage Design

4. SFS Best Practices Presentation Key “Better Practice” Drivers for Forestry Sector 1.Increase prevalence and functionality of riparian forests 2.Retain higher level of residual Green Trees on cutblocks 3.Increase dependency on bridges; reduce dependency on culverts 4.Reclaim access roads as soon as possible 5.Gated systems for access control 6.Avoid high slope regions to reduce road-related sedimentation and improve reclamation

5. SFS Best Practices Presentation Key “Best Practice” Drivers for Energy Sector 1.Establish and Implement Management Thresholds for Linear Feature Density Values 2.Reclaim Footprint (access roads, wellsite, pipelines, seismic lines) immediately following production life 3.Increase use of Directional Drilling to reduce footprint 4.Avoid further energy sector footprint on remaining Native Grassland 5.Implement Access Management Strategies on Linear Features (roads, pipelines, seismic lines) 6.Implement offset strategy to ensure no net loss of natural capital (native rangelands, water, carbon)

6. SFS Best Practices Presentation Key “Better Practice” Drivers for Residential Sector 1.Growth in residential development requires proven and sustainable water supply (surface and subsurface) 2.Avoid Residential Expansion into Remaining Native Grassland Communities 3.Encourage urban residential development instead of acreage development (require full cost assessment for infrastructure); towns should grow up and not out; Need to establish upper limits to area available for residential and service infrastructure 4.Promote Cluster Development rather than uniform development for rural residential (only works if this is tied to thresholds) 5.Prohibit residential development from riparian habitats (or floodplain); Maintain and restore riparian systems 6.Adopt progressive (toilet to tap) septic system technologies 7.Encourage manual removal of exotic vegetation (awareness)

7. SFS Best Practices Presentation Key “Better Practice” Drivers for Recreation Sector 1.Develop Thresholds for Buffered Recreational Footprints and Linear Feature Density (Reclaim linear features if above threshold values) 2.Develop a network of designated trails for various recreational uses that are designed to minimize sedimentation or wildlife displacement and restrict recreational activity to appropriate trails. 3.Restrict motorized travel off landscape types most vulnerable to exotic invasive establishment 4.Minimize human waste input into surface water; Proper facilities on designated trails 5.Cap water withdrawals for recreational footprints (ski areas, golf courses)

8. SFS Best Practices Presentation Key “Best Practice” Drivers for Wind Energy Sector 1.Reclaim Footprint immediately following production life 2.Avoid placement of mining or wind energy on residual Native Grassland communities 3.Implement Access Management on Linear Features (access roads); Relevance here is on public land 4.Implement offset strategy to ensure no net loss of natural capital

9. SFS Best Practices Presentation Key “Best Practice” Drivers for Mining Sector 1.Reclaim Footprint immediately following production life 2.Avoid placement of mining or wind energy on residual Native Grassland communities 3.Implement Access Management on Linear Features (access roads); Relevance here is on public land 4.Implement offset strategy to ensure no net loss of natural capital

10. SFS Best Practices Presentation Key SFS Summary Messages 1.All future landuses requires proven and sustainable water supply (surface and subsurface) 2.Reduce nutrient runoff from croplands and rural residential (riparian buffers, improved technologies) 3.Avoid placing new landuses (linear, polygonal) in Native Grasslands 4.Adopt cluster development (and caps) for rural residential 5.Protect Riparian Habitat in natural, grazing lands and cropland habitats 6.Adopt Forestry practices that emphasize watershed protection and carbon sequestration 7.Enhance Grassland Integrity through improved grazing practices 8.Maximize reclamation rates of cutblock and wellsite access roads 9.Adopt access management strategies for transportation networks 10.Balance distribution of feedlots for nutrient applications