It is difficult to teach people here about protecting the water and that is odd, because they have had a quarter of a century of low precipitation, which resulted in former resort style lakes becoming just sloughs. Who wants to swim in a stinky quagmire other than the mud hens? Now, there has been rain, and lots of it, resulting in the water levels rising, though it will take a bit of time to return the lovely lakes to their former glory. Riparian areas are the areas that are around water, not just lakes, but even farmer's dugouts, and they need to be protected. So, Cows and Fish is not a government organization, but a private group that fund raises to get the word out. I very much enjoyed chatting with them and will read all this information. I have already been through the Invasive Plant Identification Guide and sure enough, the farm has lots of these plants already here. Some will interfere with the stream and beaver pond, given time. There is a chance to learn more and find out how best to manage the plants and the water systems on the farm.
And that is just another joy of having a hospitality industry….the amazing guests are so fascinating.