1. Walker River Basin Project Agriculture, Restoration, and Plant/Soil/Water Interactions Tasks 4 & 5 Summary2008

2. Objectives Task 4: Cultural practices and economic potential of alternative low water use crops –Biomass production –Water use and water use efficiency Best species and methods for native habitat restoration –Survey species composition (native and non-native) relative to time and hydrologic changes –Modeling

3. Objectives Impact of hydrologic and land use changes on soils –Erosivity –Salinity / salt profile –Nutrient flux / budget –Organic matter –Water table –Temperature Impact of hydrologic and land use changes on riparian zone –Invasive species –Nutrient flux –Species composition Task 5:

4. Objectives Tasks 4 & 5: Combine data collected and implement in a model Apply model to determine areas most suitable for land use change. Land Use Change

5. Site Locations Wildlife Management Sites Well Site Revegetation Only Site

6. Site Locations Ranch Sites 5C Cottonwood – Vacant Lot Valley Vista – Alfalfa Field

7. Agricultural Studies Biomass Study –3 water treatments (50%, 75%, & 100%) –15 vegetation types (alternative grains and potential bio-fuels) Revegetation Study –2 water treatments (0% & 25%) –10 vegetation types (native grasses and shrubs)

8. Site Locations Riparian Zone: –One site located in Wildlife Management Area –Three transects perpendicular to Walker River

9. Soil Sampling Agricultural Sites –Collected ~1300 soil samples –51 Bulk Density samples –51 Infiltration tests Riparian Site –42 soil samples

10. Instrumentation: Riparian Zone Installed 7 shallow groundwater wells Cored, tested, and approved 6 bore holes for push-pull tests

11. Instrumentation: Soil Temperature Cable Installed (Dec 2007) –Valley Vista –Wildlife Management Well

12. Seeding Cool season grasses and most revegetation grasses were planted Nov-Dec 2007

13. Current Analysis Riparian soils percent loss of organic matter due to combustion C and N mineralization Aggregate size fractionation Soil water and exchange nutrient concentrations Gas sample analysis Soil textural analysis Weed seed bank germination Monthly water quality samples taken from the Walker River Surveying of monitoring wells

14. Coming This Spring!!! Seeding of remaining crops (April-May) Field Instrumentation –Soil trace gas flux rings –Portable CO 2 sensor chamber –Groundwater monitoring wells on Wildlife Management sites –Dust collectors & weather station at Valley Vista site –Evapotranspiration tents at Valley Vista site