Project History
In 2018, the Gunnison Climate Working Group completed its seventh year of restoring riparian areas and wet meadows in the Upper Gunnison River Basin to help the federally threatened Gunnison sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus), other species and ranchers maintain their livelihoods in the face of a changing climate. Sage-grouse brood-rearing habitats, already impacted by erosion and lowered water tables, are likely to be further degraded by increasing drought and intense precipitation events, decreasing available food supplies and potentially chick survival. To address these challenges, the team built a variety of restoration structures (one rock dams, drift fences) to promote groundwater recharge along 20 stream miles within eight watersheds. Restoration structures are already improving hydrologic and ecological function of riparian areas and wet meadows. Wetland plant cover has increased an average of 160% at treated sites built in 2012. This project demonstrates simple yet effective tools that can increase resilience of meadow systems across the region.
Special thanks to main partners Bill Zeedyk and Shawn Conner.
Special thanks to main partners Bill Zeedyk and Shawn Conner.
Our Vision
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Natural wet meadows and riparian habitats within the sagebrush landscape of the Gunnison Basin are resilient and support a sustaining population of Gunnison sage-grouse and other species, biological communities, ecosystem services and livelihoods in the face of a changing climate. Sustained and long-term community commitment to stewardship of wet meadows and riparian areas helps nature and people adapt to climate change.
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Project Objectives
- Increase ecosystem resilience by restoring hydrologic function of wet meadow and riparian habitats at a scale large enough to help the Gunnison sage-grouse, other sagebrush dependent wildlife and ranchers who depend on these habitats for their livelihoods.
- Build a sustainable and enduring program to increase restoration across the Basin.
- Ensure scientific rigor of this project through a long-term monitoring program.
- Develop and evaluate cost-effective tools, methods, and planning to help scale up the project.
- Share best practices and lessons learned to encourage application of methods within and outside the Basin, particularly in Gunnison and Greater sage-grouse habitats in the semi-arid West.
methods
A variety of restoration techniques used during the project were designed by Bill Zeedyk, co-author of the book, Let the Water do the Work: Induced Meandering: An Evolving Method for Restoring Incised Channels (2014). The treatments work to raise the water table, re-connect the stream channel to the floodplain, restore livestock and wildlife compacted trails, and increase wetland plant cover. The structures capture sediments, hold/spread water, and allow water to infiltrate into the soil, thus enabling wetland plant species to expand.
Restoration techniques include grade control structures (one rock dam and low water crossing), flow dispersal structures (media luna, low water crossing, plug and spread, and filter dam) and headcut control structures (Zuni bowl, rock rundown, log and fabric, and layback). Most of the structures were hand-constructed with rocks, but several other techniques were used depending on site conditions and objectives. For example, the drift fence was used to reduce wildlife and cattle trailing in meadows. Field crews with Western Colorado Conservation Corps, Forest Service Youth Conservation Corps, and Wildlands Restoration Volunteers, as well as private contractors, helped build the structures.
Between 2012-2018, the team restored approximately 160 acres with over 1,500 structures along more than 24 stream miles in eight watersheds, enhancing over 1,100 acres of Gunnison sage-grouse brood-rearing habitat. Crews also modified over 100 previously installed rock structures, by adding a second layer, to improve their effectiveness.
Restoration techniques include grade control structures (one rock dam and low water crossing), flow dispersal structures (media luna, low water crossing, plug and spread, and filter dam) and headcut control structures (Zuni bowl, rock rundown, log and fabric, and layback). Most of the structures were hand-constructed with rocks, but several other techniques were used depending on site conditions and objectives. For example, the drift fence was used to reduce wildlife and cattle trailing in meadows. Field crews with Western Colorado Conservation Corps, Forest Service Youth Conservation Corps, and Wildlands Restoration Volunteers, as well as private contractors, helped build the structures.
Between 2012-2018, the team restored approximately 160 acres with over 1,500 structures along more than 24 stream miles in eight watersheds, enhancing over 1,100 acres of Gunnison sage-grouse brood-rearing habitat. Crews also modified over 100 previously installed rock structures, by adding a second layer, to improve their effectiveness.
Data & Results
The structures are already effectively slowing flow of water, capturing sediments, holding and/or spreading water across floodplains, enabling wetland species to expand, and improving important brood-rearing and summer-fall habitat for the Gunnison sage-grouse. Increasing water retention and availability is an important ecosystem service in arid environments, particularly as temperatures continue to rise. Holding water in the soils later into the growing season helps the system be more resilient and is beneficial to the grouse for rearing chicks, particularly during drought. The structures are also improving habitat for insects (a key food resource for grouse), migratory birds, mule deer, elk and other wildlife, and increasing forage production for livestock. Monitoring plant species cover is important to measure progress towards restoring wetland function (i.e., raise the water table, connect the water table to the floodplain). Because wetland plants indicate higher soil moisture and provide insect habitat and cover for sage-grouse chicks, the team measured wetland plant cover as an indicator of restoration success. Wetland species cover increased between 28-245%. Several factors are likely contributing to the variation in response rate: amount and timing of snowmelt, storm events, sediment load, geology, floodplain width, upstream stock ponds, degree of degradation and number of years post-treatment.
Best Practices & lessons Learned
It will take many years to build resilience of wet meadows and riparian areas across the Basin and the region, as numerous drainages would benefit from this work. Restoration can be an ongoing task, given that heavy rains and run-off events can rapidly exacerbate erosion and the formation of gullies.
This project serves as an important demonstration of simple yet effective tools for increasing resilience of wet meadow and riparian systems in the sagebrush steppe. The techniques have demonstrated significant results that have potential to improve wildlife habitat, hydrologic function and build resilience at a much larger scale. We have trained over 150 natural resource managers from Gunnison and across western Colorado. The methods are already being adopted and replicated by others working to conserve habitat for the Gunnison sage-grouse in other populations. There is now much interest by local, state and federal managers and wildlife biologists to adopt and implement these restoration practices. NRCS has adopted these restoration methods for Farm Bill funding to implement projects on private lands at the state level, which has huge potential to benefit both Gunnison and Greater sage-grouse. These tools have been applied successfully across the southwestern US and have high potential for use in other ecosystems.
- Collaboration and partner engagement are key to ensuring optimal response when working at the watershed-scale across land ownership and management boundaries. Building trust and establishing credibility with local landowners is essential.
- Restoration treatments need planning and design by restoration experts to ensure effective response. Restoration experts are needed to train and oversee field crews and volunteers in building structures.
- Wetland delineation, permits, agency requirements and landowner agreements should be completed well in advance of work. Consult with the US Fish and Wildlife Service if working within critical habitat of the Gunnison sage-grouse.
- Sharing best practices though trainings with managers and land owners is critical for success and building local capacity.
- Projects require repeat visits to treated stream reaches to monitor effectiveness, determine needs for modification, and maintain structures to ensure long-term success.
- Conducting a climate-informed analysis can identify streams that would benefit from these restoration techniques and can serve as a starting point for field evaluation and prioritization.
- At least five years of vegetation monitoring are needed to document trends in response. Coupling vegetation cover data with repeat photos is a powerful tool to validate success.
This project serves as an important demonstration of simple yet effective tools for increasing resilience of wet meadow and riparian systems in the sagebrush steppe. The techniques have demonstrated significant results that have potential to improve wildlife habitat, hydrologic function and build resilience at a much larger scale. We have trained over 150 natural resource managers from Gunnison and across western Colorado. The methods are already being adopted and replicated by others working to conserve habitat for the Gunnison sage-grouse in other populations. There is now much interest by local, state and federal managers and wildlife biologists to adopt and implement these restoration practices. NRCS has adopted these restoration methods for Farm Bill funding to implement projects on private lands at the state level, which has huge potential to benefit both Gunnison and Greater sage-grouse. These tools have been applied successfully across the southwestern US and have high potential for use in other ecosystems.
A detailed map showing restoration work areas in the Gunnison Basin
as well as Gunnison sage-grouse habitat.
as well as Gunnison sage-grouse habitat.
