A restorative agriculture is about location: farming suited to the capacities of the land under one’s feet, but with an eye to the consequences beyond the property line. That means preserving what’s left of the old, naturally functioning landscape and putting plants — both annuals and perennials — and animals on the land that improve soil and water quality, reduce erosion and rebuild the multiple pathways through which water, energy, and nutrients used to cycle, enabling the land to repair and renew itself.

For that we need a map. But not just any map. We need a map that can tell us at a glance where and what all those features — those opportunities — are on the current farming landscape.

Elements of a restorative landscape: see what we have to work with
Click on the link to the map below. Moving your cursor over the items on the map legend will reveal short explanations about the significance of each landscape feature.  By moving the cursor over the watershed map, you can zoom in for a closer look, and depending on where you direct the cursor, you'll be able to move across the map.  The map shows where "opportunity" lands are located for planting perennials, storing and slowing water, or building wildlife corridors.