Implementation, Participation and Evaluation of a Voluntary Water Quality Protection Program for Grazingland Owners and Managers

In 1990, California\u27s range livestock industry began working with the state\u27s water quality regulatory agency to develop a voluntary producer participation programme to protect water quality on privately owned grazinglands. In 1995 they implemented a voluntary programme of surface water protection supported by extension education and technical assistance conducted by University of California and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Past studies have shown that education programmes are crucial to voluntary pollution control programmes in agriculture (EPA 1990) and that ranchers will change grazing management practices in response to extension education programmes (Richards and George 1996). The objective of this project was to conduct an extension education programme that facilitated water quality planning and implementation of water quality protection practices by range livestock producers