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 | 18 - 20 SEPTEMBER 2017 MANAGED BY

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

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

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

Cottonwood Creek, Big Flat, 1993

Cottonwood Creek, Big Flat, 2005

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

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

Yellow Creek, Humbug Valley, 5/2008

Yellow Creek, Humbug Valley, 6/2017

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

Spring Recession

Bankfull discharge

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

Restored Reaches in Red Clover Support Far More Meadow Birds

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

Red Clover, 2009

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

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

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

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

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. http://www.plumascorporation.org/