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Presentation about the Rillito River Ecological Restoration Project - given at the April 2009 Arizona Native Plant Society general meeting
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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?