RIPARIAN ECOSYSTEM IMPORTANCE, THREATS, PROTECTION, ENHANCEMENT, RESTORATION, AND MANAGEMENT (also a little detention, retention, infiltration, Rain Gardens, wetlands, watersheds, etc) By Dave Derrick, with liberal help from Drs. Rich Fischer & Chester Martin, ERDC-EL, Ron Redman with AR Natural Resources Commission, & other sources, steal what ya can, always give credit!
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RIPARIAN ECOSYSTEM IMPORTANCE, THREATS, PROTECTION, ENHANCEMENT, RESTORATION, AND MANAGEMENT (also a little detention, retention, infiltration, Rain Gardens,
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RIPARIAN ECOSYSTEM IMPORTANCE, THREATS,
PROTECTION, ENHANCEMENT,
RESTORATION, AND MANAGEMENT
(also a little detention, retention, infiltration, Rain Gardens, wetlands, watersheds, etc)
By Dave Derrick, with liberal help from Drs. Rich Fischer & Chester Martin, ERDC-EL, Ron Redman with AR Natural Resources Commission, & other sources, steal what ya can, always give credit!
What are Riparian Areas?What are Riparian Areas?
PHOTO BY FISCHER
Is There a Universally Accepted Definition of Riparian?
Riparian (ri per' e n) adj. [ < L. riparius < ripa, a bank < IE. reipa, a steep edge] 1. of, adjacent to, or living on, the bank of a river or, sometimes, of a lake or pond, etc.
Root for such words as:
River
Rip-rap
Bank swallow (Riparia riparia)
Brush rabbit (Sylvilagus bachmani riparius)
From Fischer
Terminology describing vegetation adjacent to streams and rivers
Riparian floodplains Riparian zones Riparian areas Riparian wetlands River margins Riverine bands Riverine floodplains Riverfront hardwoods Buffer strips Streamside vegetation Riparian Prairie Floodplain forests
Unstable streambanksPix by Derrick, Atlanta, GA area
Riparian VegetationEffects on Streams
Provides litter and small & large woody debris important to aquatic organisms, insect production,
shade, microhabitats, cover, etc.
FROM FISCHER
Buffer Requirements FUNCTION RIPARIAN
BUFFER WIDTH Water quality 5 to 30 m Wildlife 30 to 500 m Insect production 10 to 30 m Flood attenuation 20 to 150 m Detrital input 3 to 10 m Stream stabilization 10 to 20 m
From Dr. Craig Johnson, Utah State University
These are not absolutes, widths can possibly change with additional knowledge from continued research.
Note: It is possible that several functions can be accomplished within the same space.
Cover
Riparian areas offer in proximity all three critical resources for wildlife
Water
Food
FROM FISCHER
Over 70% of all terrestrial wildlife
species use riparian corridors
treestrees
shrubsshrubs
HerbaceousHerbaceoussubshrubssubshrubs
ComplexityComplexityLayersLayersSpecies in layersSpecies in layersCompetitionCompetitionDetrital componentsDetrital components
TypesTypes VerticalVerticalHorizontalHorizontal
Riparian zones provide Riparian zones provide essential horizontal and essential horizontal and vertical habitatvertical habitatcomplexitycomplexity
A study on the Apalachicola River in FL. showed that 64 species of fish used
the riparian area when the river was
on the flood!!
Comparison of a single cage of juvenile salmon reared in intertidal river habitat below floodplain (left) and a single cage of fish reared in ephemeral floodplain habitats (right) after 54 days in respective
habitats (Jeffres et al. 2008).
From Dr. Rich Fischer
Research showed that 24 species
of fish (10,843
individuals) inhabited the 12 ag ditches
studied!!
Native minnows
dominated, but during one flood
event, sunfish, perch, & bass were found!!
Winery in foreground is enrolled in the “Fish Friendly Farming” program, Russian River Watershed, CA
This vinyard uses no chemicals & 100% solar powered
Regional Trends of Riparian Losses
Region Northern floodplain forests Arizona New Mexico California Sacramento Valley, CA Mississippi Delta Southern Bottomland Hardwoods
Percent Loss
70%
90-95%
90%
95-96%
98%
82-85%
80-90%
From Fischer
Slide 25
Easement Programs Emergency Watershed Protection Program
(Floodplain Easements) Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program Grassland Reserve Program Healthy Forests Reserve Program Wetlands Reserve Program
Courtesy John Whitney, DC, NRCS
USDA-NRCS Programs & Information for Soil Conservation
Stream trampled by cattle, disturbed sediment easily dislodged by flow. Haw Cr. MO. 4-6-2011-Derrick
Stream trampled by cattle, disturbed sediment easily dislodged by flow. Haw Cr. MO. 4-6-2011-Derrick
Overgrazed, note very short grass, horses in background
Feces will be washed directly into the stream
From Ron Redman
Beats that hot wormy water from the stream in summer
Impacts of roads
From Rich Fischer
Collector trough
Bar ditchdrainage Road surface
drainage boundary
Cut slopedrainage boundary
From Turton
Road Erosion Summary Graph of 5 Erosion StudiesRoad Erosion Summary Graph of 5 Erosion Studies
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
Bread White Rock C White RockTO
Bluff Stillwater OK
To
ns/m
i/yr
From Turton
Improvements to ditches ???, vertical sides
of ditch do not revegetate,
Lancaster, NY
Better functioning ditch just uphill
from the last slide shown, Elton Creek
Stormwater
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