Story Map
Abstract
Currently, Birch Creek is a degraded creek. Channel incision and simplification of in-stream habitat has resulted in limited pool and backwater habitat that are important for spawning and rearing of young Bonneville cutthroat trout (Oncorhynnchus clarki utah). This lack of sufficient habitat and high summer water temperatures limits Bonneville cutthroat trout population growth, a species of greatest conservation need in the state of Utah (Utah Wildlife Action Plan Joint Team 2015). The riparian condition of Birch Creek has also declined over time due to a reduction of native woody riparian vegetation and an increase in conifer species. Native riparian vegetation, particularly river birch (Betula occidentalis), are important sources of stream shade, large woody debris and associated fish habitat within Birch Creek. Native woody vegetation communities also provide important habitat for terrestrial wildlife species including the imperiled greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) and the American beaver (Castor canadensis).
The instream and riparian degradation of Birch Creek is associated with decades of heavy cattle grazing pressure, removal of beaver, and encroachment of pinyon and juniper forests. Channel incision has lowered the water table and reduced floodplain connectivity, which has further adversely affected the condition of the riparian areas which is critical habitat for a variety of aquatic and riparian obligate species particularly greater sage-grouse.
The instream and riparian degradation of Birch Creek is associated with decades of heavy cattle grazing pressure, removal of beaver, and encroachment of pinyon and juniper forests. Channel incision has lowered the water table and reduced floodplain connectivity, which has further adversely affected the condition of the riparian areas which is critical habitat for a variety of aquatic and riparian obligate species particularly greater sage-grouse.
Project Goals
Recovery of Birch Creek to conditions that existed prior to settlement in the late 1800s is likely infeasible, but actions can be taken to enhance instream and riparian habitat on local scales. Restoration actions include installation of temporary wood structures to create pool habitat, planting of native woody riparian species to enhance the riparian zone and to provide dam-building material for beaver in the future. There are five goals for the Birch Creek Restoration Project:
1. Increase populations of Bonneville cutthroat trout, riparian habitat, sage grouse and other wildlife species throughout Birch Creek study area.
2. Increase the abundance and extent of native woody riparian vegetation throughout Birch Creek.
3. Provide necessary and sufficient habitat to ensure persistence of Bonneville cutthroat trout and native riparian vegetation.
4. Provide sufficient riparian resources to support a self-sustaining population of beaver whose dam building activities over time will vastly increase the rate of riverscape recovery.
5. Conduct sufficient monitoring of restoration impacts to quantitatively assess whether the restoration actions are accomplishing the restoration objectives and to determine the
causes of success or failure.
Together, these five goals set the scope and framework for the remainder of the restoration project and are used to guide development of more specific restoration objectives and actions.
1. Increase populations of Bonneville cutthroat trout, riparian habitat, sage grouse and other wildlife species throughout Birch Creek study area.
2. Increase the abundance and extent of native woody riparian vegetation throughout Birch Creek.
3. Provide necessary and sufficient habitat to ensure persistence of Bonneville cutthroat trout and native riparian vegetation.
4. Provide sufficient riparian resources to support a self-sustaining population of beaver whose dam building activities over time will vastly increase the rate of riverscape recovery.
5. Conduct sufficient monitoring of restoration impacts to quantitatively assess whether the restoration actions are accomplishing the restoration objectives and to determine the
causes of success or failure.
Together, these five goals set the scope and framework for the remainder of the restoration project and are used to guide development of more specific restoration objectives and actions.
Establishing the impetus for restoration
Portions of Birch Creek are in a severely degraded state, limited by a combination of channel incision, channel simplification, limited woody native riparian vegetation cover, and significant conifer encroachment. This simplification of the channel and reduction in large wood decreases aquatic habitat complexity and instream cover resulting in poor Bonneville cutthroat trout (hereafter cutthroat trout) habitat quality. Restoration will be necessary to assist recovery of Birch Creek. Birch Creek offers an ideal opportunity to undertake restoration for a number of reasons. First, land along the river is publicly owned and thus restoration can be easily coordinated. Second, there are reaches with relatively dense woody native riparian vegetation that can provide both a seed source for surrounding degraded reaches and can provide a reference condition to monitor restoration action responses. Third, Birch Creek harbors populations of cutthroat trout that use the creek to spawn and rear young fish. Thus, efforts to improve the geomorphic and ecological conditions of Birch Creek will help ensure the persistence of cutthroat trout populations into the future (Dauwalter et al. 2011) along with ensuring the recovery of the riparian corridor.
The primary focus of this project was on increasing cutthroat trout numbers through habitat improvement, therefore, prioritization of restoration sites and recommended methods primarily focus on fish response to restoration. However, the recovery of native riparian vegetation, beaver and sage grouse are also important objectives of the project. In natural, dynamic riverscapes, the river and riparian zones are intimately linked through processes of flooding and material exchange between the channel and floodplain (Ward and Stanford 1995). Thus, restoration that targets improvement of fish populations and fish habitat will necessarily impact the riparian zone, and for this reason, the project also considers native riparian vegetation dynamics in formulating goals, objectives, and methods. Healthy riparian areas are also critical habitat for greater sage-grouse (Donnelly et al. 2016). Greater sage-grouse rely on the mesic areas directly adjacent to the riparian zone for brood survival.
In this project, hard-engineering structural approaches are avoided in favor of less intrusive techniques that promote recovery of natural river processes. Implementation of restoration using heavy equipment was designed and performed by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) personnel on September 11-12, 2017. Implementation of the ‘cheap and cheerful’ restoration designed by Anabranch Solutions was performed by Bureau of Land Management (BLM) volunteers from October 16-20, 2017 with guidance from Anabranch Solutions personnel. The UDWR treated two ~150 m segments along the upper section of Birch Creek. Anabranch Solutions and BLM built 60 restoration structures along roughly 1.75 km of stream. Two small sections, roughly 150 m in length were left untreated as control segments. Some of the in-stream wood structures will mimic the structure and function of beaver dams, while other structures will mimic natural accumulations of large woody debris. All the various structure types are intended to expand the riparian corridor and increase pool and backwater habitat. Ponding and increased floodplain connectivity due to dams and other structure types should facilitate an increase in the elevation of the water table and groundwater levels.
An important first step in the restoration planning process is to document the current condition, the causes of degradation and the recovery potential of the riverscape. As such, we used the Riparian Condition Assessment Tools (R-CAT) to assess the condition and recovery potential of the intermittent and perennial streams in South Creek watershed. R-CAT consists of a suite of stream network models: the Valley Bottom Extraction Tool (V-BET) (Gilbert et al. 2016), Riparian Vegetation Departure (RVD) index (Macfarlane et al. 2016), Riparian Condition Assessment (RCA) tool and Riparian Recovery Potential (RRP) tool. For South Creek watershed the R-CAT models were run with nationally available datasets. The beaver dam capacity and recovery potential was also addressed using the Beaver Restoration Assessment Tool (BRAT) (Macfarlane et al. 2015).
In 2016, the instream habitat condition and fish distributions and abundance patterns of the project area were addressed using field observations and electrofishing surveys (Hadley et al. 2016). The survey found that much of Birch Creek appears to contain poor habitat quality for cutthroat trout. The simplifying of the channel has led to elimination of riffle and pool sequences and loss of backwaters that are critical habitat areas for cutthroat trout. Riffle-pool sequences with coarse bed material also provide important habitat for a diverse assemblage of macroinvertebrates, and the low abundance of riffle habitat in Birch Creek likely limits available food resources for cutthroat trout (Hadley et al. 2016).
Complete restoration of Birch Creek to conditions that existed in the early 20th century is likely infeasible, as this would require complete elimination of conifer encroachment, complete reestablishment of native woody riparian and full recovery of channel incision and complex instream habitat. However, there is opportunity for smaller scale restoration activities, e.g., activities that improve physical habitat, to benefit cutthroat trout, native riparian vegetation, beaver, sage grouse and other wildlife.
The primary focus of this project was on increasing cutthroat trout numbers through habitat improvement, therefore, prioritization of restoration sites and recommended methods primarily focus on fish response to restoration. However, the recovery of native riparian vegetation, beaver and sage grouse are also important objectives of the project. In natural, dynamic riverscapes, the river and riparian zones are intimately linked through processes of flooding and material exchange between the channel and floodplain (Ward and Stanford 1995). Thus, restoration that targets improvement of fish populations and fish habitat will necessarily impact the riparian zone, and for this reason, the project also considers native riparian vegetation dynamics in formulating goals, objectives, and methods. Healthy riparian areas are also critical habitat for greater sage-grouse (Donnelly et al. 2016). Greater sage-grouse rely on the mesic areas directly adjacent to the riparian zone for brood survival.
In this project, hard-engineering structural approaches are avoided in favor of less intrusive techniques that promote recovery of natural river processes. Implementation of restoration using heavy equipment was designed and performed by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) personnel on September 11-12, 2017. Implementation of the ‘cheap and cheerful’ restoration designed by Anabranch Solutions was performed by Bureau of Land Management (BLM) volunteers from October 16-20, 2017 with guidance from Anabranch Solutions personnel. The UDWR treated two ~150 m segments along the upper section of Birch Creek. Anabranch Solutions and BLM built 60 restoration structures along roughly 1.75 km of stream. Two small sections, roughly 150 m in length were left untreated as control segments. Some of the in-stream wood structures will mimic the structure and function of beaver dams, while other structures will mimic natural accumulations of large woody debris. All the various structure types are intended to expand the riparian corridor and increase pool and backwater habitat. Ponding and increased floodplain connectivity due to dams and other structure types should facilitate an increase in the elevation of the water table and groundwater levels.
An important first step in the restoration planning process is to document the current condition, the causes of degradation and the recovery potential of the riverscape. As such, we used the Riparian Condition Assessment Tools (R-CAT) to assess the condition and recovery potential of the intermittent and perennial streams in South Creek watershed. R-CAT consists of a suite of stream network models: the Valley Bottom Extraction Tool (V-BET) (Gilbert et al. 2016), Riparian Vegetation Departure (RVD) index (Macfarlane et al. 2016), Riparian Condition Assessment (RCA) tool and Riparian Recovery Potential (RRP) tool. For South Creek watershed the R-CAT models were run with nationally available datasets. The beaver dam capacity and recovery potential was also addressed using the Beaver Restoration Assessment Tool (BRAT) (Macfarlane et al. 2015).
In 2016, the instream habitat condition and fish distributions and abundance patterns of the project area were addressed using field observations and electrofishing surveys (Hadley et al. 2016). The survey found that much of Birch Creek appears to contain poor habitat quality for cutthroat trout. The simplifying of the channel has led to elimination of riffle and pool sequences and loss of backwaters that are critical habitat areas for cutthroat trout. Riffle-pool sequences with coarse bed material also provide important habitat for a diverse assemblage of macroinvertebrates, and the low abundance of riffle habitat in Birch Creek likely limits available food resources for cutthroat trout (Hadley et al. 2016).
Complete restoration of Birch Creek to conditions that existed in the early 20th century is likely infeasible, as this would require complete elimination of conifer encroachment, complete reestablishment of native woody riparian and full recovery of channel incision and complex instream habitat. However, there is opportunity for smaller scale restoration activities, e.g., activities that improve physical habitat, to benefit cutthroat trout, native riparian vegetation, beaver, sage grouse and other wildlife.
Restoration Implementation
Restoration was implemented in September and October 2017 by Utah Division of Wildlife (UDWR), Anabranch Solutions (AS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) personnel. UDWR was responsible for restoration using heavy equipment along two reaches in the upper section and AS, with help from BLM implemented a suite of restoration structures on both the upper and lower sections of Birch Creek.
Restoration design and implementation was led by Anabranch Solutions.
For a complete description of restoration design and implementation see Shahverdian and Wheaton (2017).
Restoration design and implementation was led by Anabranch Solutions.
For a complete description of restoration design and implementation see Shahverdian and Wheaton (2017).
Results
Restoration resulted in an immediate increase in the total number of pools in Birch Creek as well as increased variability between pools. Most notably, maximum pool length, width and depth increased following restoration. Restoration appears to have increased temporary water storage along the restoration reach through both increased surface water storage in pools as well as increased groundwater storage. Peak flows experienced large flow attenuation through the restoration reach during the study period as well as increased baseflows. Continued monitoring is necessary in order to fully evaluate the influence of restoration on riparian, geomorphic, and streamflow conditions in Birch Creek.
Geomorphic Condition
Post restoration habitat surveys to identify pools were performed in May 2018 by USU personnel. Here, we limit our analysis to the extent of pre-restoration surveys in order to compare in the influence of restoration. Both mechanized reaches and the control reach were also surveyed in order to provide a baseline survey for future monitoring work and will be publicly available online.
In both the upper and lower sections of Birch Creek the total number of pools increased. In the upper reach the total number of pools increased from 6 to 17; in the lower reach the total number of pools increased from 33 to 47. These represent a 183% increase and a 42% increase respectively. In addition to an increase in the total number of pools, pool characteristics (i.e., max depth, length, width, and residual depth) tended to increase. There was also a large increase in the variability of pool characteristics as shown by the increases in the range of values. In the upper reach the range of maximum pool depths increased from 0.05 m (0.35 – 0.30) to 0.27 m (0.57 – 0.30). Similarly, trends were observed for maximum pool length and width, increasing from 1.50 m to 12.5 m and 0.50 m to 4.8 m, respectively.
We observed the same patterns in the lower reach, where the range of maximum pool depths increased from 0.15 m to 0.30 m; the range of maximum lengths increased from 2.0 m to 10 m, and the range of maximum width increased from 2.2 m to 4.8 m. In general, these changes highlight an overall increase in available pool habitat. Equally importantly, we anticipate that different pools will change differently through time and serve different functions during different flow conditions, adding to reach-scale complexity that is important for BCT to satisfy different life stage histories.
For a complete description of restoration results, see Shahverdian et al (2018).
Geomorphic Condition
Post restoration habitat surveys to identify pools were performed in May 2018 by USU personnel. Here, we limit our analysis to the extent of pre-restoration surveys in order to compare in the influence of restoration. Both mechanized reaches and the control reach were also surveyed in order to provide a baseline survey for future monitoring work and will be publicly available online.
In both the upper and lower sections of Birch Creek the total number of pools increased. In the upper reach the total number of pools increased from 6 to 17; in the lower reach the total number of pools increased from 33 to 47. These represent a 183% increase and a 42% increase respectively. In addition to an increase in the total number of pools, pool characteristics (i.e., max depth, length, width, and residual depth) tended to increase. There was also a large increase in the variability of pool characteristics as shown by the increases in the range of values. In the upper reach the range of maximum pool depths increased from 0.05 m (0.35 – 0.30) to 0.27 m (0.57 – 0.30). Similarly, trends were observed for maximum pool length and width, increasing from 1.50 m to 12.5 m and 0.50 m to 4.8 m, respectively.
We observed the same patterns in the lower reach, where the range of maximum pool depths increased from 0.15 m to 0.30 m; the range of maximum lengths increased from 2.0 m to 10 m, and the range of maximum width increased from 2.2 m to 4.8 m. In general, these changes highlight an overall increase in available pool habitat. Equally importantly, we anticipate that different pools will change differently through time and serve different functions during different flow conditions, adding to reach-scale complexity that is important for BCT to satisfy different life stage histories.
For a complete description of restoration results, see Shahverdian et al (2018).
Birch creek as a demonstration project
One of the goals of restoration at Birch Creek was to use this project as an opportunity to showcase different approaches to stream restoration, and to highlight the diversity of specific techniques (e.g. structures) that can be used to help meet restoration goals. Along the upper portion of Birch Creek, there are interpretive stops that are complemented by a tri-fold pamphlet that visitors can obtain at the parking area. Visitors walking the upper portion of the stream can stop at specific locations to learn about the array of structures and approaches used the stream restoration along Birch Creek.
Future work
Many restoration efforts lack a monitoring program capable of documenting restoration outcomes. We hope that this report will provide useful baseline data for continued monitoring efforts at Birch Creek. Previous work, most notably ongoing fish surveys, have been instrumental in documenting cutthroat trout populations. Linking restoration efforts to native cutthroat trout response could provide useful information for continued habitat restoration efforts in Birch Creek as well as for other imperiled cutthroat trout populations. We recommend a monitoring program that includes assessment of riparian vegetation, instream habitat characteristics, and discharge. The BLM currently utilizes a suite of different monitoring programs (e.g. Multiple Indicator Monitoring) to assess stream and riparian habitats and our hope is that these program will be integrated with monitoring on Birch Creek.
Literature cited
- Dauwalter DC, Sanderson JS, Williams JE, Sedell JR (2011) Identification and implementation of native fish conservation areas in the Upper Colorado River Basin Fisheries 36:278-288
- Donnelly J, Naugle D, Hagen C, Maestas J (2016) Public lands and private waters: scarce mesic resources structure land tenure and sage‐grouse distributions Ecosphere 7
- Gilbert JT, Macfarlane WW, Wheaton JM (2016) The Valley Bottom Extraction Tool (V-BET): A GIS tool for delineating valley bottoms across entire drainage networks Comput Geosci 97:1-14
- Hadley MJ, Whelan JE, Swensen JH, Jimenez J (2016) 2016 survey of bonneville cutthroat trout in the upper beaver river drainage, Utah
- Macfarlane WW et al. (2016) Riparian vegetation as an indicator of riparian condition: Detecting departures from historic condition across the North American West J Environ Manage doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.10.054
- Macfarlane WW, Wheaton JM, Bouwes N, Jensen ML, Gilbert JT, Hough-Snee N, Shivik JA (2015) Modeling the capacity of riverscapes to support beaver dams Geomorphology 277:72-99 doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2015.11.019
- Shahverdian S, Wheaton J. 2017. Birch Creek Restoration Design Report. Newton, UT; 26 pages.
- Shahverdian SM., Macfarlane WW, Wheaton JM. 2018 Birch Creek Restoration: Improving Instream Habitat and Riparian Areas to Benefit Bonneville Cutthroat Trout and Sage Grouse. Prepared for Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and Bureau of Land Management. Logan, UT. 28 pages.
- Utah Wildlife Action Plan Joint Team (2015) Utah Wildlife Action Plan: A plan for managing native wildlife species and their habitats to help prevent listing under the Endangered Species Act. Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Salt Lake City, Utah USA