Station Creek Restoration Project Justin Kilmer, Andrew Helfrich, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Aug 20, 2022 93 likes •249 views

Station Creek Restoration Project Justin Kilmer, Andrew Helfrich, Mariah Kromanaker, Mark Devey Overview Terry Westerbergs Farm Station Creek Tributary to the Bear River Recognition of previous success on Birch Creek

SLIDE 1

Station Creek Restoration Project

Justin Kilmer, Andrew Helfrich, Mariah Kromanaker, Mark Devey

SLIDE 2

Overview

Terry Westerberg’s Farm
Station Creek

○ Tributary to the Bear River

Recognition of previous success on Birch Creek

SLIDE 3

Objectives

1. Creation of BDA structures allow the stream to diversify and create heterogeneous geomorphic units for fish habitat (Bouwes et

al. 2016).

2. Creation of BDA and woody debris structures cause floodplain connectivity with the creek making the system a self-sustaining, wood-accumulating, complex meadow habitat good for wildlife (Lee 2017).

SLIDE 4

Challenges

Potential Threats

○ Infrastructure ○ Culvert ○ Road crossing

Downstream Neighbor
Beaver establishment

Opportunities

Good riparian condition
Historic beaver dams
Mr. Westerberg willing to live

with beaver

Photo Credit: Joe Wheaton Photo Credit: Audree Provard Photo Credit: Peter Wilcock

SLIDE 5

Planning Considerations

Riparian Condition (left) Potential to Support Beaver Dam Activity (right)

SLIDE 6

Planning Considerations

Figure 5. Figure from Bennett et al. (2019), ch. 3. Risk analysis sheet for Station Creek.

Risks

Structures
Ornamental Trees
Culvert
Two-Track Road

SLIDE 7

Planning Considerations

Postless Or Post Assisted?

Copied from Figure 30 Shahverdian et al. 2019, ch. 4.

Copied from Figure 36 Shahverdian et al. 2019, ch. 4

SLIDE 8

Design Plan

Implement 2 complexes

○ Complex 1 ■ 1 primary ■ 1 secondary ■ 1 bank blaster ○ Complex 2 ■ 1 primary ■ 2 secondaries

Hypotheses

○ Primary dams ■ Ponding ■ Flood plain ○ Secondary dams ■ Slow water ■ Some ponding

SLIDE 9

Implementation

SLIDE 10

Implementation

Ponding
Overland Flow/ Floodplain

Connectivity

Photo Credit: Left, Below-Andrew Helfrich, Right-Joe Wheaton

SLIDE 11

Adaptive Management

Monitor for

beaver activity

Check for

breaches

Observe desired

processes

Adapted from figure 11, Portugal et al. (2015)

SLIDE 12

Conclusion

Criteria for Success

3-5 occupied complexes
Ponding

○ Fish present in ponds

Increase of active floodplain

& riparian zone

Multi-threaded channels

SLIDE 13

Questions?

SLIDE 14

Sources

Bouwes, N., Weber, N., Jordan, C. E., Saunders, W. C., Tattam, I. A., Volk, C., ... & Pollock, M. M. (2016).

Ecosystem experiment reveals benefits of natural and simulated beaver dams to a threatened population of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Scientific Reports, 6, 28581.

Lee, A. A. (2017). Leave it to Beavers: Evaluating the Potential for Incised Stream Restoration using Natural and

Analog Beaver Dams.

Shahverdian, S.M., Wheaton, J.M., Bennett, S.N., Bouwes, N., Camp, R., Jordan, C.E., Portugal, E. and Weber, N.,
2019. Chapter 4 – Mimicking and Promoting Wood Accumulation and Beaver Dam Activity with Post-Assisted

Log Structures and Beaver Dam Analogues In: J.M. Wheaton, S.N. Bennett, N. Bouwes, J.D. Maestas and S.M. Shahverdian (Editors), Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration of Riverscapes: Design Manual. Utah State University Restoration Consortium, Logan, Utah. 66 pp.