Assessing and prioritizing riparian areas for long-term conservation and restoration in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Photo Credit

USDA photo by Max Smith

The Green River and its riparian zone.

Land managers throughout the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem are tasked with using limited resources to conserve and restore valuable riparian ecosystems across a large landscape. However, lacking a strategic approach and consistent methods for identifying and prioritizing riparian areas has inhibited cohesive conservation and restoration work. The Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee (GYCC) and its member agencies have requested updated data and tools to help land managers select high priority riparian areas for conservation action and to determine how best to use beaver and other tools to accomplish management goals.

Through partnership with the Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee, The Ricketts Conservation Foundation, and Friends of the Bridger-Teton, RMRS is assessing current and projected riparian conditions throughout the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. We are using several publicly available, national-level datasets to summarize indicators such as riparian vegetation departure, floodplain access, beaver restoration potential, and projected changes in stream temperature, hydrology, and riparian vegetation. These results estimate current and future riparian conditions to serve as a coarse-filter for identifying intact and climate-resilient riparian ecosystems for conservation, as well as impacted riparian areas in need of restoration, including where beaver-based restoration could be most effective. Additionally, we are developing a decision-support tool for prioritizing restoration actions in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem by incorporating both output from the assessment of riparian conditions and input from managers with knowledge of on-the-ground conditions that are not captured in the datasets, such as ongoing channel incision, completed NEPA, available funding, etc.

We intend to build on the initial assessment by exploring the feasibility of using remote sensing data to predict locations of channel incision or estimate riparian condition. Stream degradation is a major concern for land managers, but there is a lack of data and tools that predict locations of ongoing channel incision. Field-based riparian monitoring can be expensive, time-consuming, and inconsistent. Consequently, managers desire remote sensing-based data that estimate locations of incised channels or riparian condition, particularly indicators that can be monitored over time to identify trends or response to treatment. We are exploring the viability of these approaches by comparing field data to indicators derived from remote sensing datasets. 

Objectives

The overall objective for this project is to provide land managers with data and tools so that they can make informed, strategic decisions regarding prioritizing riparian ecosystems across the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem for restoration or conservation actions. Specific objectives include:

1. Summarize reach-level riparian condition across the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem estimated using the Riparian Condition Assessment Tool (RCAT).
2. Combine RCAT outputs with mid-century and end-of-century modeled projections for stream temperature (NorWeST data) and hydrological variables (U.S. Stream Flow Metrics) and data from the Beaver Restoration Assessment Tool (BRAT) to provide managers with data to inform decision-making.
3. Develop a decision support tool that incorporates RCAT, BRAT, and climate projections, as well as local knowledge and expertise to aid managers in prioritizing restoration and conservation actions.
4. Explore methods for using remote sensing data to identify locations of incised stream channels.
5. Develop riparian modeling tools that use finer spatial and temporal scale remotely sensed data and that can be operationalized by Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem land managers to monitor conditions over time, including response of riparian systems to management actions.

Expected Project Results

Expected Outputs

• A watershed assessment that combines data on riparian condition, beaver restoration potential, and projected climate conditions to inform decision-making.
• A decision support tool that prioritizes riparian restoration and conservation at the landscape-scale by incorporating modeling data and local expertise on site-specific stream channel condition.
• Feasibility studies focused on whether indicators from remote sensing data can predict the location of incised channels or overall riparian condition.

Expected Outcomes

• This project will help Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem managers to identify and preserve high priority riparian areas and strategically conserve and restore riparian areas with a forward-looking focus on predicted changes in temperature, precipitation, and hydrology.
• A more strategic approach to riparian restoration and conservation in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem will enhance habitat or reduce fragmented habitat for fish and wildlife species, protect species of conservation concern, prevent the spread of invasive species, maintain or improve water quality, and improve water retention and storage (e.g., increase groundwater recharge, mitigate flooding risk).
• Up-to-date information on the state of riparian ecosystems will improve decision-making and help managers better select locations for restoration and conservation actions. Because managers operate with limited resources, results from this project will help prioritize projects to maximize environmental benefits and treatment efficacy in the short- and long-term.
• If we demonstrate that remote sensing data can accurately predict channel incision or riparian condition, natural resource managers in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem will integrate these methods into conservation planning and landscape-scale decision-making. If results show limitations in remote sensing based methods, the project will identify gaps and refine strategies for future research.

Funding

This project is supported by funding from the Ricketts Conservation Foundation and Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee.