This project is set to begin in September 2010.
We are currently looking for sponsors & volunteers to help with this project.
If you are interested, please visit our make a gift or volunteer page or call us at 970-827-5406.
- About 15.3 miles north of Dotsero, along Colorado River Road
- About 4.7 miles west of Colorado River Road up East Fork Red Dirt Creek
- Loss of riparian vegetation from cattle grazing
- Reduced bank stability & bank erosion cause fine sediment overload
- Bank widening
- Threatens Colorado River Cutthroat trout population
- Reconstructing and reshaping stream banks
- Installation of cattle barriers
- Installation of 2 water saver structures
- Rehabilitation of non-compliant campsites withing 100 feet of stream
- Riparian planting of willows & transplanted trees
- Monitoring of fish populations
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View East Fork Red Dirt Creek Stream Bank Restoration Project in a larger map
East Fork Red Dirt Creek meets the Colorado River about 15.3 miles upstream of Dotsero. The project site begins about 4.7 miles upstream of this junction. The project will cover about a one mile stretch of East Fork Red Dirt Creek.
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The goal of the East Fork Red Dirt Creek Stream Bank Restoration is to improve habitat conditions for Colorado River Cutthroat trout as well as riparian-dependant terrestrial species (e.g., birds, insects), along one mile of East Fork Red Dirt Creek, CO. East Fork Red Dirt Creek (EFRDC) holds a fragile conservation population of Colorado River Cutthroat trout, however a number of past and current disturbances occur in the watershed. Past impacts include historic logging and sawmill operations and ongoing impacts include dispersed camping and cattle grazing. USFS fisheries biologists have identified two severely degraded reaches in need of restoration work. As a result, there has been significant loss of riparian vegetation caused by trampling, reduced bank stability and bank erosion, and bank widening. In 2009 forest service personnel closed these areas to camping and met with range permitees to discuss better grazing practices and barriers.
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The East Fork Red Dirt Creek Stream Bank Restoration project will result in improved fish and riparian habitat on Forest Service Lands along one mile of the EFRDC. In addition, beneficial effects from the project will extend miles downstream as a result of bank stabilization work and reduced sediment load from anthropogenic disturbances. Native sandstone, wood and soils will be used to re-build eroded banks to a pre-disturbance state. The reconstructed banks will be planted with native willows and seeded. Bank restoration and riparian re-vegetation efforts will reduce fine sediment input, increase cover and shade, stabilize stream banks, and provide an additional food source in the form of greater abundance of terrestrial insects, which comprise a large percentage of forage for trout in late summer. Riparian-dependent wildlife would also benefit from enhanced habitat.
Aesthetics will be improved by re-establishing vegetation (willows, grasses, wildflowers) to areas previously denuded by campers and vehicles illegally traveling off-road. In addition, trash, which is commonly found along the creek in the project area, would be removed. Recreational fishing may indirectly benefit with improved trout habitat.
The Eagle River Watershed Council is recruiting volunteers from the community to assist Forest Service staff in construction and monitoring. Volunteers will assist with various aspects of the project including pre-construction stream cross-section surveys, fish surveys, trash clean-up, seeding of closed campsites, and bank revegetation (willow, shrub and tree planting).
Specific project construction activities will include:
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Reconstructing and re-shaping stream banks to pre-disturbance conditions. Over widened stream crossings and livestock watering areas that exhibit severe bank erosion will be reconstructed using native materials. The reconstructed stream banks will be planted with native willow cuttings to provide bank stability and cover.
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Installation of cattle barriers (barbed wire fence and whole trees) in impacted areas. One reach would be protected from cattle impact through the installation of one quarter mile of barb wire fencing. An approximately 100 foot water gap would be left open and protected using techniques described above in this reach. In the second reach, barb wire would not be effective; therefore, whole tree additions will be placed along stream banks to deter cattle use.
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In spring 2010 two water saver structures would be installed in the upland areas of the EFRDC watershed. These water savers are designed to collect spring snowmelt and rainwater and would provide an alternative water source for livestock, drawing them away from the stream where better forage is found. This is a separate Forest Service project and is included in this proposal for informational purposed only.
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Rehabilitation of non-compliant campsites within 100 feet of the stream. Illegal campsites would be ripped and seeded using a bulldozer in accessible areas and hand tools in non-accessible areas. Volunteers would assist with trash removal, seeding and re-vegetation, as well as ripping of campsites with hand tools.
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Riparian planting using locally-harvested willow stakes and transplanted trees. Willow cuttings and tree saplings would be taken by Forest Service staff and volunteers while plants are in dormancy and planted on site in spring/Fall 2010. Willow stakes and trees saplings would be gathered and planted along EFRDC in areas where the banks have suffered damage and vegetation loss due to trampling by recreationists and livestock. The highest survival rate for willow plantings would be expected using these methods.
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Pre- and post-enhancement monitoring of fish populations (2 different reaches) and cross sectional stream surveys would be conducted to measure the success of the project. Permanent photo points will also be established to document pre- and post-construction and re-vegetation efforts. Volunteers will assist Forest Service fisheries staff in these efforts.
Timeline:
1. May, 2010 Eagle River Watershed Council will promote the project to recruit volunteers.
2. August, 2010 pre-project fish surveys and cross sectional stream surveys.
3. August, 2010 Stream bank restoration implementation in EFRDC, closure/ripping/seeding of illegal
campsites, trash removal, barb wire fence and tree barrier construction.
4. October 2010 Willows cut and planted in the stream bank at restoration areas.
5. April 2011 Additional willows cut and planted in the stream bank at restoration areas (weather and
snow pack permitting).
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The Eagle/Holy Cross Ranger District of the White River National Forest supports the efforts of the Eagle River Watershed Council (ERWC) to obtain grant funding for the East Fork Red Dirt Creek Stream Bank Restoration project through the National Forest Foundation’s 2010 Ski Conservation Fund.
The National Forest Foundation funding proposal submitted by the ERWC was developed in cooperation with USFS fisheries biologists to meet the standards of the White River National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan. With the support of the National Forest Foundation and cooperation of the ERWC, we believe that the East Fork Red Dirt Creek Stream Bank Restoration project can be successfully completed.
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