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

Riparian gallery forests Riparian swamps Riparian woodlands Riparian ecosystems Riparian forest stands Hardwood stringers Swamp forest Bottomland hardwoods Cottonwood bottomlands Streamside zones Riparian Corridors Riparian Buffer Strips

GREAT RIPARIAN HERE, BUT RARE IN

MANY AREAS, KASKASKIA RIVER, IL

PHOTO FROM FISCHER“Crazy” river has kept folks back a little

Maumee River, Toledo, OH Where is

the floodplain?

EPA research shows that when a watershed exceeds 10%

impervious cover then some species will start to disappear from the streams & rivers.

Exactly what is 10% impervious cover?

This is way more than 10%

IN THE AIR-CHICAGO TO BUFFALO PIX BY DERRICK 6/15/2009

10% impervious cover can be large

single family dwellings on 1 acre

lots !!!

This is getting close to 10% impervious cover

IN THE AIR-CHICAGO TO BUFFALO PIX BY DERRICK 6/15/2009

Riparian Vegetationintercepts sediment, pesticides, herbicides,

and other materials in surface runoff

FROM FISCHER

Good for pollinators & insect production

Trimming or removal of vegetation can cause:

Increased water temperature through

loss of shading

Increased surface runoff

Sedimentation

Reduced infiltration

Altered stream flow

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

www.itreetools.org/design.php

Visit http://value.m.davey.com on your smart phone today for a mobile i-tree design app.

i-Tree Design (beta) allows anyone to make a simple estimation of the benefits individual trees provide. With

inputs of location, species, tree size and condition, the program will calculate the benefits that trees provide

related to greenhouse gas mitigation, air quality improvements and storm water interception. Benefits will be calculated in monetary amounts!!! Trees effects

on building energy use can be evaluated.

There are several tools at the www.itreetools.org site. Click on the applications button.

title

Landscape Architect and Specifier News Nov 2006, pg. 188

Green ruffs {roofs} are catching on!!!

Twin parking lots & the Rain Garden

dave derrick

Mini case study: 4 of 6

Looks even better in summer!!

dave derrickMini case study: 6 of 6

The Role of Development on Stormwater

Manipulation of predevelopment hydrologic cycle Impervious surface causes more runoff, pollutant

laden

Evapotranspiration

40%

Runoff 10%

Deep Infiltration 25%

Shallow Infiltration

25%

Increasing the impervious

surface cover changes the

hydrologic flows

Forested System

From Virginia Collins, ESF, Syracuse

THE

END