English

Abstract

Restoration of riparian vegetation is critical for improving water quality and healthy fisheries on streams that have been impacted by mining activities. Woody riparian plants provide bank stability, shade for temperature moderation and woody debris for fish habitat. Mining wastes (dredge piles) that are distributed across the valley floor along Newsome Creek confine the stream to a narrow, drastically disturbed channel which limits the potential for natural channel migration and reduces areas of productive aquatic habitat. The Nez Perce National Forest and the Nez Perce Tribe are undertaking a watershed rehabilitation project involving road decommissioning and stream restoration. Ecosystem Research Group and Herrera were hired to design the channel and floodplain restoration for a 3.5-mile section of Newsome Creek. Geomorphologists, engineers, fisheries biologists, and riparian ecologists collaborated to design channel and floodplain improvements and fish habitat structures. Goals of the restoration project are to design a self-sustaining channel that will neither aggrade nor degrade, restore native riparian vegetation, and reestablish connectivity between the channel and floodplain. Channel design focuses on opportunities to restore natural channel migration processes. Revegetation design includes site specific prescriptions for the streambank, re-graded floodplain, and relocated tailings piles. Challenges for revegetation included coarse-grained soils lacking in organic matter and a very short growing season. The planting plan incorporates detailed prescriptions for container sizes, plant species, seed mixes, and seeding methods as well as specific methods for salvaging existing native vegetation. Container depths are specified to ensure that plant roots will have access to the water table. Plant and seed mix selections are based on site adapted species, taking into account plant availability to avoid last-minute problems with supply. Planting is scheduled to occur over a two to three year period starting in 2011. Following construction, the project includes extensive long-term monitoring to determine revegetation success. Additional key words: revegetation, reseeding, dredge tailings, riparian, floodplain, fish habitat, stream restoration _______________________________ 1 Paper was presented at the 2009 National Meeting of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation, Billings, MT, Revitalizing the Environment: Proven Solutions and Innovative Approaches May 30 – June 5, 2009. R.I. Barnhisel (Ed.) Published by ASMR, 3134 Montavesta Rd., Lexington, KY 40502. 2 Susan Wall, is a project scientist with Herrera Environmental Consultants, Missoula, MT, 59802 and a Master’s Degree candidate at the University of Montana School of Forestry and Conservation. Leonard Ballek is a senior ecologist with Herrera Environmental Consultants, Missoula, MT. Proceedings America Society of Mining and Reclamation, 2009 pp 1497-1500 DOI: 10.21000/JASMR09011497