Restoring Ecological & Geomorphic Function on the Heartrock Ranch

Transcription

1 Restoring Ecological & Geomorphic Function on the Heartrock Ranch DAVE ROSGEN BRANDON ROSGEN WILDLAND HYDROLOGY FORT COLLINS, COLORADO RIVER RESTORATION 2018, TWO HARBORS, MN OCTOBER 29 TH, 2018

2 Cooperators USFWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife Idaho Fish and Game Ducks Unlimited Ron Pierce, Fisheries Biologist Brockway Engineering, Zach Latham: Water Rights, Ground Water and Temperature Monitoring) Intermountain Aquatics: Vegetation Wes Tinsley: Ranch Manager

3 Project Area: 13 miles of stream, ID Hwy 75 Hwy 20 Bellevue Triangle

4 Heartrock Ranch, Big Wood Basin, Idaho Incised channels Irrigation Canals

5 River Restoration & Natural Channel Design To establish a self-regulating, functioning river system associated with physical, ecological, and chemical components by emulating the natural stable form and processes responsible for creating and maintaining river stability and ecological productivity within the constraints imposed by the larger landscape conditions

6 Form vs. Process? Fundamental Principle of Fluvial Geomorphology: Measurements of river form are direct reflections of the processes acting to shape that form Davis, 1899 Leopold & Wolman, 1957 Lane, 1957 Leopold et al., 1964 Leopold, 1994 Schumm, 1965, 1977 Knighton, 1998 Hey, 1982 Kasprak et al., 2016 Buffington & Montgomery, 2013

7 The Reference Reach Mother Nature s Blueprint D4 Impaired Reach Upper Blackfoot River, MT C4 Reference Reach Upper Blackfoot River, MT Downstream of the D4 Impaired Reach

8 The Reference Reach A stable stream that represents the same potential stream type, landscape type, flow regime, sediment regime, streambank type and riparian vegetation community as the impaired reach Integrates physical and biological processes into an assortment of recognizable and measurable forms Is self-formed and self-maintained Reference Reach Ratios are established for scaling and extrapolation purposes to analyze departure of the impaired reach from the stable, functioning form and to generate the design reach variables Can be monitored to validate natural stability, physical and biological function

9 The Natural Channel Design Approach Phase 1: Define Restoration Goals Phase 2: Describe geomorphic characteristics of the impaired & reference reaches Phase 3: Conduct multiple assessments & departure analysis (geomorphic & ecological) Phase 4: Consider passive restoration Phase 5: Develop a conceptual plan Phase 6: Generate a preliminary design (bankfull channel & flood-prone area) Phase 7: Incorporate appropriate structures Phase 8: Finalize the design (final hydraulic, competence & capacity checks) Phase 9: Implement the design Phase 10: Monitoring & maintenance

10 Critical to incorporate ecological principles throughout NCD

11 Primary Restoration Goals: Establish cold-water fisheries with emphasis on wild trout Enhance river stability (i.e., transporting sediment & streamflows) Enhance hydrological connectivity (longitudinal, lateral, vertical, & temporal) Brown Trout Brook Trout Rainbow Trout

12 Typical impairment due to heavy, season-long livestock grazing, poor irrigation practices, and direct channel impacts

13 Major Black Slough Impairments: Width/depth ratios >6 times that of reference conditions Channel potential: deep and narrow, gravel-based system

14 Crystal Creek Pre-Restoration: Incised and High Width/Depth Ratio Channel

15 Channel incision ( ft) common Incised Channel Black Slough

16 Ground Water Elevations Dropped due to Channel Incision

17 Black Slough Impairment

18 Pre-Restoration Condition: Crystal Creek

19 Pre-Restoration Condition: Crystal Creek

20 Incised Crystal Creek Flood Irrigation Diversions

21 Adjacent (downstream) Reference Reach that is Physically & Biologically Functioning Willow Creek, 39 cfs on C4 Stream Type

22 Assessed Limiting Factors of Habitat using Geomorphic Criteria

23 Ecological Assessments: Fish population inventories Spawning site assessments Whirling disease testing Macro-invertebrates Nesting eagles, heron, songbirds and waterfowl Large and small mammal habitats, corridors, & food chains Riparian vegetation community plant community conversions

24 Identified Limiting Factors: Degraded & unstable channels with disconnected floodplains and dysfunctional riparian/wetland systems Barriers to movement & ditch entrainment culverts and diversions Dewatering in the upper spring creek system & low winter flows and shallow channels with limited holding cover during low flows Lack of sediment transport capacity due to overwide and shallow channel Poor pool quality Limited instream wood and undercut banks Limited woody vegetation & reduced secondary productivity (forage)

25 Identified Limiting Factors: No off-channel features for habitat complexity or diversity for terrestrial and aquatic species Limited holding cover during high flows Systemic environmental stress: elevated water temperature and high fine sediment supply Poor spawning habitat and fine sediment invaded gravels Synergistic population effects related to high predation

26 Passive Restoration not feasible to meet project goals/offset limiting factors Unreasonable natural recovery timeframe to establish a functioning, end-point C stream type at lower elevation than pre-disturbance condition

27 Restoration Approach: Priority 1 Plug & Pond (restores to pre-disturbance condition by connecting channels to original floodplain surface)

28 Main Restoration Components Created 13 miles of new and functioning stream systems and reconnected 800 acres of floodplain Created 42 oxbow ponds Created 110 acres of new wetlands Enhanced 264 acres of wetlands Converted high consumptive loss & labor intensive flood irrigation to subterranean irrigation Increased 3,000 acres of productive bottomlands without flood irrigation Established native riparian vegetation community Prescribed a livestock grazing system compatible with the ecological improvements

29 Ranch Headquarters (before)

30 Post-Restoration, 2013 Ranch Headquarters

31 Black Slough Crystal Creek Post-Restoration, 2013

32 Pre- & Post-Restoration showing change in riparian ecosystem and lower W/D ratio to transport sediment

33 Rough Shaping Black Slough with Screened Gravel/Cobble Substrate

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36 Crystal Creek: Post-Restoration, 2012

37 Crystal Creek: Pre-Restoration, F4 Stream Type,

38 Crystal Creek: Post-Restoration,

39 Crystal Creek Pre-Restoration

40 Toe Wood Bank with Sod and Willow Transplants on Lateral Scour Pool

41 Willow & Sod Transplants over Submerged Toe Wood

42 Toe Wood Installation Post-Construction, 08/2011

43 Toe Wood Bank & Fish Habitat Enhancement

44 Crystal Creek: Toe Wood Bank with Converging Rock Clusters for Grade Control at the Head of Riffles

45 Rock & Roll Log Structures

46 Submerged Toe Wood with a Log Vane J-Hook, Crystal Creek, Idaho

47 Root Wad, Log Vane J-Hook with Transplants

48 Step/Pool Cross-Vane with Diversion Box

49 By-Pass Diversion Box (self-cleaning for sediment and debris and routes fish to oxbow)

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51 Newly constructed channel Oxbow in previous incised channel

52 Off-Channel Rearing & Waterfowl Area; No Outflow for Water Temperature Reduction

53 Previous Incised Channel Converted to Flow-through Oxbow, 2011

54 Constructed Off-Channel Rearing Areas

55 Constructed Waterfowl Habitat, Emergent Wetland & Food Plot Area, Post-Construction, 7/2011

56 Oxbow with Casting Points

57 Littoral Zone around Oxbow Lake

58 Step/Pool below Oxbow Lake

59 Step/Pool Outflow Structure from Oxbow

60 Monitoring Results

61 Grazing & Hay Production (2015) without Flood Irrigation

62 Groundwater & Streamflow Monitoring

63 Ground water change

64 STREAMFLOW (CFS) PRECIP. (IN) Average streamflows increased even during low precipitation years Restoration Average Streamflow (cfs) Imported Water Yearly Precip (in)

65 Days Monitoring indicating major reduction in days below 10 CFS post-restoration on Willow Creek even with less precipitation (except 2013, which is still less than 2007 for the same precipitation) Precip. (in) Precip Days Under 10 cfs

66 Days under 10 CFS Annual Precip (in)

67 Improved Riparian Ecosystem

68 Woody Riparian Recovery- Within 4 years

69 Waterfowl Habitat

70 Sand Hill Cranes on Pasture

71 Antelope on Pasture

72 Visual & Recreation Enhancement for Owners

73 Residual pool depth increased from < 0.6 ft to > 3.0 ft

74 Fish & Invertebrate Responses Invertebrate indices of restoration effectiveness rated as positive using SMI, Hilsenhoff & FSBI indices By 2017, fish abundance increased by 8,969% on Crystal Creek & by 765% on Black Slough compared to pre-restoration data without fish stocking Fish diversity increased from 3 to 7 species Increased trout species composition (All fish data courtesy of Ron Pierce with fish-shocking assistance from Idaho Fish and Game)

75 Crystal Creek, Big Wood Basin, Idaho Land Use & Beaver Impacts

76 Black Slough, Big Wood Basin, ID

77 Spawning substrates increased in size & estimated eggto-fry trout survival increased based on Fredle Indices McNeil Core (Spawning Site) Surveys Crystal Creek McNeil Core Samples 2007 & 2017 After Before

78 Willow Creek Reference Reach, Big Wood Basin, ID After Before

79 Redd Counts Increased in the Restored Black Slough & Crystal Creek (Lower Willow Reference) Restoration

80 Restoration Challenges Uncertainty Complexity Integrating Multiple Disciplines Training/Experience Performance Standards Controversy (positive criticism) Funding Diverse ownerships Monitoring Publications/Presentations

81 Final Discussion Points NCD focuses on attaining multiple goals to restore geomorphic & ecological function compared to singleobjective approaches that focus solely on habitat enhancement or stabilization. NCD emphasizes building the correct form that will transport the sediment supply and streamflows while maintaining habitat and ecological components Designing multi-stage river systems (low flow, bankfull, floodplain, & flood-prone area) will build resiliency in designs to address climate change and land use concerns and last

82 Monitoring Can Be Fun!