1. Restoring Montane Meadow Systems for Ecosystem Services
Place your
logo here
Restoring Montane Meadow Systems
for Ecosystem Services
Jim Wilcox
Plumas Corporation
Quincy, Ca USA
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA | SEPTEMBER 2017
MANAGED BY

2. Sierra Nevada/ Southern Cascades Area- 116,242 sq. kilometers
Meadow area- 773 sq. kilometers
Annual yield- 37 billion cu. meters
> 65% of California’s water supply
75% of California’s hydroelectricity
Annual value $1.3 billion USD

3. Cumulative Watershed Impacts
Railroad Grades (logging)
Road Building
Livestock Grazing
Logging
Mining
Hydro-modification
Meadow Function Results
Loss of Floodplain Connection
Loss of Vegetative Structure
Loss of Biological Processes
Loss of Physical Inputs
Loss of Macro-Hyporheic Exchange

5. Meadow Function Restoration
Eliminate Incised (Gully) Channels
Pond & Plug Technique
Riffle Fill
Complete Fill
Beaver Dam Analog
Channel Replacement
Remnant Channels
Constructed Channels
Sheet Flow
Fluvial Structure
Vegetation
Wood
Sediment
Biologics

6. Cottonwood Creek, Big Flat, 1993

7. Cottonwood Creek, Big Flat, 2005

8. Red Clover Creek @ X-s #19, 6/2006

9. Red Clover Creek @ X-s #19, 6/2012

10. Yellow Creek, Humbug Valley, 5/2008

11. Yellow Creek, Humbug Valley, 6/2017

12. Ecosystem Responses Streamflow Timing Water Quality Fisheries Wildlife
Flood Attenuation
Baseflow Augmentation
Water Quality
Temperature
Sediment
Fisheries
Wildlife
Vegetation/Livestock forage
Carbon

13. Spring Recession

14. Bankfull discharge

17. Cottonwood Creek, Big Flat Fishery, 2000
Sample
Date
Name/Length of Stream Sampled
Species
Total
Catch
Population Estimate/mile
Biomass/mile
5/23/2000
Big Flat-100 feet
Rainbow Trout 60
1,126
45,700 m/L
5/24/2000
Clarks Creek-100 feet 14
352
9,700 m/L

18. Restored Reaches in Red Clover Support Far More Meadow Birds

19. Red Clover- McReynolds Creek Project Avifauna Monitoring (2004- 2008)
Bird Species Diversity-
64 species in 2004/122 species in 2008
Species richness-
Increased from 26.7 species to 30.3 species
Wetland/Riparian obligates-
30 species only occurring post-project
Special status species-
12 species only occurring post-project
Neotropical migrant songbirds-
34% of total avifauna species
Dept. of Water Resources, Red Bluff

20. Red Clover, 2009

23. Restoration Reconnection of floodplain Increased soil C sequestration
Saturated soil conditions
Decrease soil CO2 flux
Increased plant C inputs

24. Conclusions Effective, sustainable restoration techniques
Potential water management benefits
Water Quality
Timing of Flows
Multiple ecosystem benefits
Fisheries
Wildlife
Recreation
Vegetation/Livestock forage
Carbon

25. Continuing Research Initiatives-
Greenhouse Gas Reduction (underway)
Sierra Meadow Restoration Research Partnership-
Lead Partner - California Trout
Streamflow Timing (underway)
Sierra Meadow Hydrology Monitoring-
Lead Partner - Plumas Corporation
Biological Benefits (pending)
Sierra Meadow - Wetland and Riparian Monitoring Program- Lead Partner - California Trout

26. Research Partners University of California, Davis Stanford University
University of Nevada, Reno, Desert Research Institute
USDA- Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region
Ca. State University San Francisco
Ca. State University, Sacramento
Ca. Department of Water Resources
Ca. State Water Resources Control Board
Ca. Department of Fish & Wildlife
Ca. Wildlife Conservation Board
National Fish & Wildlife Foundation
California Trout
Trout Unlimited

28. Plumas Corporation – private, 501 (c) 3 non-profit
Mission – “to promote the benefits of good land stewardship through education and restoration activities that result in healthy forests, resilient watersheds, and prosperous communities.”
Partnerships – depending on project attributes, Plumas Corporation has partnered with: 5- Federal agencies/NGO’s; 8- state agencies; and, 16- regional/local, public/private entities.
Benefits - as a non-governmental organization, Plumas Corporation can enter into a variety of agreements with the partners; apply to most public and private grant funding sources on behalf of partners; and, work on multi-jurisdictional projects.
Partner Accomplishments - since 1985, Plumas Corporation’s partnerships have been directly responsible for 77 implementation projects treating 55 miles of channel and 4,600 acres of meadow floodplain. Current partnership projects in design, permitting or awaiting implementation stages will add another +7,000 acres of meadow.