Treesearch

This paper describes water management and land use practices in the Rush and Lee Vining Creek watersheds and evaluates the effect they have had on the stream environment. The management practices will continue to have effects on the flow regime and consequently habitat conditions on lower Lee Vining and Rush Creeks. The implications of existing and potential management practices for the restoration of the stream habitat are discussed.

Thirty-six hectares (90 acres) of riparian forest, high terrace oak woodland-savanna, and upland vernal pools were preserved along Arcade Creek in Sacramento, California as a result of citizen involvement in a city-sponsored master plan process for Del Paso Regional Park. Citizens formed an organization and called for a comprehensive Environmental Impact Report to evaluate project impacts, and to develop commensurate measures to avoid and mitigate environmental damage. The organization used the CEQA process to provide city staff, consultants, and City Council members with detailed proposals...

The increasing responses to symposia devoted to riparian resources in the past decade have created a need to channel this enthusiasm into a permanent organization. The Arizona Riparian Council was formally organized in October 1986 to provide an annual forum for local coordination of management and research activities. In addition, the Council draws support from individuals representing management agencies, conservation groups, research institutions, and user groups. The importance of forming such local or regional groups is facilitating better communication on the local level, which may...

Five power generation plants along an eleven kilometer stretch divert Bishop Creek water for hydro-electric power. Stream diversion may be adversely affecting the riparian vegetation. Stable isotopic analysis is employed to determine surface water/ground-water interactions along the creek. surface water originates primarily from three headwater lakes. Discharge into Bishop Creek below the headwaters is primarily derived from ground water. The average δD and δ18O values are significantly different for surface water and ground water that an isotopic analysis can delineate between these two...

Rush Creek, which feeds Mono Lake, has been diverted below Grant Lake, totally or in part, for over 40 years. In the early 1980's, because of above normal snow packs, runoff was released into the creek. Minimum flow releases have also been established. The riparian vegetation has responded to these releases. In a few areas, riparian trees and shrubs (e.g., black cottonwood and willow) survived the diversion period but with high stem mortality. These plants are resprouting in response to the 1980's floods. In other areas, new plants are establishing within the floodplain; however, on areas...

In 1982 a coalition of neighborhood and environmental organizations used a community organizing strategy of the early 1960's, referred to as "advocacy planning" to substantially redesign a traditional structural type of joint federal and local flood control project on Wildcat and San Pablo Creeks in North Richmond, California. Using a combination of foundation and other funding, the coalition designed their own water project that would preserve and restore the riparian values of these two highly urban creeks and would not only meet the important objective of reducing flood damages but...

The upper Santa Ynez River, Santa Barbara County, provides habitats for a relatively large population of least Bell's vireos (Vireo bellii pusillus), as well as diverse riparian flora and fauna. Of particular interest is the richness of the species within particular guilds. Four species of vireos: least Bell's, warbling (Vireo gilvus), solitary (Vireo solitarius) and Hutton's (Vireo huttoni), coexist together often on overlapping territories taking advantage of both vertical and horizontal diversity. Floristically these habitats are equally rich, hosting five species of willows (Salix...

Most adult aquatic insects that emerge from streams live briefly in the nearby riparian zone. Adult activities, such as mating, dispersal, and feeding, influence their distribution in the terrestrial habitat. A study at Big Sulphur Creek, California, has shown that both numbers and biomass of adult aquatic insects are greatest in the near-stream vegetation; however, adults can be relatively common 150 meters or more from the stream. Because adult aquatic insects are abundant, they represent a primary food resource for many riparian insectivores. The role of adult aquatic insects in the...