upper gila riparian restoration planning project - gwp · upper gila riparian restoration planning...

6
NEWS OF THE GILA WATERSHED PARTNERSHIP AUGUST 2013 VOLUME 12 NUMBER 8 Upper Gila Riparian Restoration Planning Project By: Bruce Orr (Stillwater Sciences) and Tom Dudley (UC Santa Barbara) The Gila Watershed Partnership is currently working on a project to develop a comprehensive plan for strategic restoration along the upper Gila River in the Safford Valley, from the boundary of the San Carlos Apache Reservation upstream to the confluence with Bonita Creek in the Gila Box. The primary goal of the project, funded by the Walton Family Foundation, is to promote recovery of native vegetation for multiple benefits, including wildlife habitat. In addition to the technical tasks discussed below, the project will be relying heavily on discussions with landowners and other stakeholders to collaboratively develop restoration strategies for high priority implementation sites (see the February 2013 issue of Watershed News for more background information on the project). Various technical aspects of the project are being conducted by members of the restoration science team, including several locally-based members. We will provide an update of some of these recently completed and ongoing activities at the upcoming Gila Watershed Partnership meeting on August 14. Examples include the following; Flood-scour mapping to delineate the primary “Flood Reset Zone” to improve our understanding of river dynamics (e.g., help identify areas most likely to be reset by scour or sediment deposition during the next large flood) and guide decisions about restoration strategies and the best locations for passive versus active restoration. Side channel area that appears to have good potential for restoration of native vegetation and Southwestern Willow Flycatcher habitat.

Upload: duonghanh

Post on 05-Jun-2018

214 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

NEW

S OF

THE

GIL

A W

ATER

SHED

PAR

TNER

SHIP

AU

GUST

201

3 VO

LUM

E 12

NU

MBE

R 8

Upper Gila Riparian Restoration Planning Project

By: Bruce Orr (Stillwater Sciences) and Tom Dudley (UC Santa Barbara)

The Gila Watershed Partnership is currently working on a project to develop a comprehensive plan for strategic restoration along the upper Gila River in the Safford Valley, from the boundary of the San Carlos Apache Reservation upstream to the confluence with Bonita Creek in the Gila Box. The primary goal of the project, funded by the Walton Family Foundation, is to promote recovery of native vegetation for multiple benefits, including wildlife habitat. In addition to the technical tasks discussed below, the project will be relying heavily on discussions with landowners and other stakeholders to collaboratively develop restoration strategies for high priority implementation sites (see the February 2013 issue of Watershed News for more background information on the project).

Various technical aspects of the project are being conducted by members of the restoration science team, including several locally-based members. We will provide an update of some of these recently completed and ongoing activities at the upcoming Gila Watershed Partnership meeting on August 14. Examples include the following; Flood-scour mapping to delineate the primary “Flood Reset Zone” to improve our understanding of river dynamics (e.g., help identify areas most likely to be reset by scour or sediment deposition during the next large flood) and guide decisions about restoration strategies and the best locations for passive versus active restoration.

Side channel area that appears to have good potential for restoration of native vegetation and Southwestern Willow Flycatcher habitat.

Watershed News August 2013 • Relative elevation mapping and field observations of surface water, groundwater, and soils to improve our

understanding of depth to groundwater and soil conditions that affect our chances of successful restoration, and influence our decisions about potential restoration strategies and the most appropriate mix of native plant species to reintroduce at a particular location.

Figure 2. Example of flood-scour mapping showing the extent of the active channel in the last three major floods. Areas classified as active channel showed signs of having been directly affected by a particular flood event (i.e, areas experiencing medium-high levels of flood disturbance).

Figure 3. Summary map showing those areas most frequently affected by the last three major floods. Areas in red were within the active channel zone for all three flood events, areas in yellow for two of the three events, and areas in green for only one event (typically only in the the 1983 event). This type of information will be used to define the primary Flood Reset Zone.

Watershed News August 2013 • Vegetation mapping and field surveys to identify existing vegetation types and habitat structure throughout the river corridor, with more detailed analysis at selected sites (e.g., sites known to provide suitable habitat for the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher of other wildlife species of interest, sites thought to high potential for restoration of native vegetation, or sites burned by recent wildfires). • Predictive modeling and mapping of habitat suitability for Southwestern Willow Flycatcher to help us understand areas currently capable of providing nesting habitat for this species and to help predict how those

Figure 4 (top). Photograph of river corridor near Fort Thomas that was burned in Spring 2012. The large burned areas in the foreground and in the distance were dominated by tamarisk, which was already starting to resprout only a month after the fire. Note the narrow band of green vegetation near the low flow river channel which survived the fire was mainly dominated by native cottonwoods and willows. Photograph taken on 4 May 2013.

Figure 5 (left). Field crew measuring canopy height and density of existing vegetation in a tamarisk stand during field-based surveys in April 2013.

conditions might change over time and space in response to various factors such as floods, fires, defoliation caused by the tamarisk leaf beetle (which is expected to arrive in the area within 2-3 years), and restoration.

Watershed News August 2013

JOB OPENINGS! The GWP is looking for a Field Crew Leader (any age) and Field Crew Members (ages 18-25) to work on our restoration projects

through the Southwest Conservation Corps. This is a 12 week long seasonal assignment for this fall. For more information and

deadlines go to www.gilawatershed.com and look for JOB OPENINGS!

Figure 6. Example of a vegetation canopy height map generated from remote sensing data.

JOBS AVAILABLE!

Watershed News August 2013

Apache Grove Project …funded by the Arizona Water Protection Fund (AWPF) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFW) • removed levies in order to restore optimal

river flow, control erosion, and manage invasive species, while preserving agricultural land

• the new pipeline to a deeper well is complete • in continuous monitoring, need to replace

regrowing invasives Clifton Restroom Project …funded by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) • will install restroom facilities in a

recreational area along the San Francisco River where there are none

• we are about to order the restroom unit and start the permitting process

Eagle Creek Riparian Restoration at Filleman Crossing Project …funded by the Arizona Water Protection Fund (AWPF) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFW) • will construct a river crossing to stop

frequent wash-outs, benefiting both residents and wildlife

• we expect to have the permitting process competed soon

Ely Fence Replacement …funded by the Arizona Water Protection Fund (AWPF) • replaced the fence between the San Carlos

Apache Reservation and the U.S. Forest • the fence is complete and we are working on

education and outreach and the final report Friends of the Frisco …funded by Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc., Graham County United Way and other businesses

• upcoming event – Fall Lower Eagle Creek cleanup

Graham County Fairgrounds Project …funded by the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) • Completed, and the final report is in

progress Kaler Project …funded by the Arizona Water Protection Fund (AWPF) • to install a solar well to remove livestock

from the San Francisco River • project is complete and the final report is

in progress Master Watershed Steward Program …funded by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) in Graham County and by Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Foundation in Greenlee County • in Graham County, we have completed the

classes and the final report was approved by ADEQ

• In Greenlee County classes will begin Tuesday, September 10, at 6 pm, at the Greenlee County Board of Supervisors meeting room

Upper Gila Watershed Riparian Restoration Project …funded by The Walton Family Foundation (WFF) • will replace invasive tamarisk with native

species to restore natural habitats • the greenhouse has been completed and we

are busy outfitting it and ordering planting material

• the science team is almost finished with the assessment of the river, and we are looking at some possible demonstration sites

Current Project Updates FOR MORE INFO, SEE WWW.GILAWATERSHEDPARTNERSHIP.COM

Watershed News August 2013

September 11, 2013 at 7 pm – The GWP regular monthly meeting at the Graham County General Services Building The speaker will be Mayor Chris Gibbs speaking about Safford Water Issues and Water Conservation Friday, September 20, 2013 at 6:00 pm - The Greenhouse that was built in collaboration with the BLM and EAC will be dedicated with a party and tour. The public is welcome to attend.

Get involved in your watershed For more information, contact Jan Holder at the

Gila Watershed Partnership, 711 S. 14th Avenue, 85546, or email [email protected] Join us on Facebook “Facebook.com/gilawatershedpartnership”

www.gilawatershedpartnership.com

Our partners include: Arizona Department of Agriculture Arizona Department of Environmental Quality Arizona Department of Transportation Arizona Game and Fish Department Arizona Geological Survey Arizona State Land Department Bureau of Land Management City of Safford Town of Thatcher Town of Pima Town of Clifton Town of Duncan

Eastern Arizona College Farm Bureau Gila Valley NRCD Freeport McMoRan Copper and Gold Inc. Graham County Greenlee County Gila Valley Irrigation District Natural Resource Conservation Service University of Arizona Cooperative Extension University of Arizona NEMO Project U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service U.S. Forest Service – Apache-Sitgreaves and Coronado Forests U.S. Bureau of Reclamation And many community members

Youth Pathway Project …from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) Great American Outdoors Grant • to encourage careers in conservation and land

management on public lands, through on-the-ground activities for school age kids high school through college

• funding for youth crews for our native plant nursery and for restoration of the Gila River

• key entities have been engaged and planning is underway

Water Conservation Project … funded by Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc., • a newly-awarded grant to continue with the

home and business water evaluations to help the community save water and money

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” – Chinese Proverb