Project Name

Client Name

Rillito River Ecosystem Restoration

Carianne Funicelli and Lori Woods, RECON Environmental

Mike Fink, USACE, Los Angeles District

John Taylor, USACE, Los Angeles District

Andrew Wigg, Pima County Regional Flood Control District

Project Sponsors:

Project Contractors and Subcontractors:

PROJECT AUTHORIZATION & PURPOSE

• Continuing Authorities Program project, Section 1135 Environmental Protection and Restoration, Project Modifications for Improvement of the Environment

• Modifies existing soil cement / channel stabilization project on Rillito River to enrich wildlife habitat

• Cost Share: 75% USACE, 25% Local Sponsor (PCRFCD)

• Total cost approximately $4 million

AREA 1

• 8 acres

• Complete Dec 2006

• 1,060 plants

AREA 2: 4 acres, Installation complete April 2008

AREA 3• 35 acres

• Re-design of drainage channels

• Installation Complete January 2008

• 7000+ plants

• Concept plan developed by USACE and Pima County Regional Flood Control District.

• Detailed project design developed by RECON (Landscape Architect and Vegetation Ecologist).

• Design team had continuous involvement throughout the project and positive collaboration with sponsors and contractors.

PROJECT PROCESS

Rillito River Park

Keep the Good Stuff

Get Rid of the Bad Stuff… buffelgrass, tamarisk, Sahara mustard, Russian thistle, African sumac, Mexican paloverde, giant reed, yellow starthistle, yellow bird of paradise, cocklebur, filaree, malva, Bermuda grass, London rocket, cheeseweed, horehound, tree tobacco…

Creating an Appropriate Native Plant Palette

Characterization of ExistingVegetation

Onsite At desirable reference sites

Review Floristic Information Value to wildlife species Historical data

Container Plants and Seed Mix What is available

commercially? Pima County Native Plant

Nursery Incorporate flexibility in lists to

avoid delays Water usage

Trees• Velvet Mesquite

• Screwbean mesquite

• Blue paloverde

• Foothills paloverde

• Desert willow

• Canyon hackberry

• Mexican elderberry

Large Shrubs• Saltbush• Catclaw acacia• White-thorn acacia• Graythorn• Wolfberry• Desert hackberry• Desert honeysuckle• Hopbush• Desert cotton

Grasses, Vines, other Small PerennialsAmbrosia deltoidea

Abutilon incanum

Acourtia wrightii

Bothriochloa barbinodis

Bouteloua curtipendula

Chloris crinita

Curcubita digitata

Datura wrightii

Dicliptera resupinata

Digitaria californica

Gossypium thurberi

Hymenoclea salsola

Maurandya antirrhinifloraPappophorum mucronulatumProboscidea althefoliaRuellia nudifloraSphaeralcea ambiguaSporobolus airoidesSporobolus cyptandrusSporobolus wrightii Trixis californicaVitis arizonica

Irrigation & Stormwater HarvestingTemporary System

plant palette designed to be self-sustaining once established

Reclaimed water

Stormwater harvesting basins to capture onsite flow and direct water to plantings

Irrigation versus water harvesting (7 months)

Habitat Considerations

Stump treatment to preserve habitat for reptiles and small

mammals

STRUCTURE = SHELTER• Variety in types of

plants (vines, grasses, trees, shrubs)

• Mosaic of habitat types to meet needs of as many different species as possible

FOOD RESOURCES =seeds, berries, nectar, insects...

AMPHIBIAN CONSERVATIONAMPHIBIAN CONSERVATIONImportant breeding area for 3

species of amphibians:– Couch’s spadefoot– Mexican spadefoot– Great Plains toad

AVOID IMPACTS

Preserve islands of habitat and use construction fencing to avoid compaction

Amphibian Salvage and Translocation

• Summer 2006• Over 600

adults moved• Eggs

collected and tadpoles raised for later release

• 4 species

Kino Ecological Restoration Project

Identification and Inventory Prior to Release

Baseline Mosquito Monitoring

Channel Design

Terraces

Plant Installation & Layout

• Natural-looking patterns

• Individual basins at each plant

• Protection from critters

SEED MIX

HYDROSEEDING

Protection

5-Year Monitoring Plan

• Qualitative AND Quantitative

• Monitoring Schedule

• Repeat Photos

• Transects

• Success Parameters

Ongoing Maintenance and Monitoring

Invasive Species Management

A Couple of Surprises

Irrigation Function & Plant Replacement

TOO MUCH NOT ENOUGH

Thirsty Critters

From straight concrete channels…

Photos this slide courtesy of Andrew Wigg, Pima County Regional Flood Control District

To a Moonscape…

To Moonscape with Dormant Plants…

To Mustard Fields…..

On the Way to Valuable Wildlife Habitat...

4 February 2008 16 December 2008

On the Ground...

From the air…2006 2008

QUESTIONS?