# Presentation: 771272

## Floodplain Management and Habitat Restoration

- Socorro Valley, New Mexico

## Historic & Active Floodplain

- West

- East

**Notes:**
The location and floodplain characteristics:  historic – wide, mosaic, separated by levee and lfcc with active

## Riparian Management Goals

- Biological Diversity/Habitat Quality
- Improved Land/Water Management
- Restored River Processes
- Ecosystem Scale of Effort

## Bosque del Apache NWR

- Control of Saltcedar/Russian Olive

- Re establishment of Native Vegetation

**Notes:**
Current efforts include exotic species control and habitat restoration

## Current Research

- Focus
- Wildlife use
- Exotic species control
- Riparian vegetation re establishment
- Techniques
- Diversity/dynamics
- Mimicking of natural processes
- Water use

## Taking It to the River

- Draft Restoration Plan on Refuge
- Research
- Monitoring
- Adaptive management

## Active Floodplain Research

- Focus of Research
- Natural processes
- Wildlife use
- Exotic species control
- Other biotic responses
- Water use
- Other

- Focus of Monitoring
- Technique success
- Adaptive management needs
- Surface water/groundwater interactions
- Succession
- Habitat diversity
- Other

**Notes:**
Both biotic and abiotic processes will need to be monitored.  Research associated with componetnts of these processes such as inter/intra specific dynamics, change response, nutrients, sediment & water balances

## Floodplain Management

- Save Our Bosque Task Force
- Feasibility study
- Conceptual restoration plan
- Implementation
- Partnerships

**Notes:**
View:  LFCC, levee, river, private lands, saltcedar.  The importance of partnerships, taking advantage of the many programs that are doing important work on the river, addressing different goals.  MRG ESA CP, NM SWCD Saltcedar Program, SOBTF, refuges, cities, water planning, other federal agencies present and future initiatives.

## Looked at vegetation cover, land ownership, flooding potential
Estimated costs of protection/restoration

- Estimated costs of protection/restoration

- Feasibility Study

**Notes:**
Step one was to talk with landowners, 1999, step 2 start to compile information

## Conceptual Restoration Plan

- Increase Habitat Diversity
- Restore River Processes
- Control of Fire Danger
- Address ES Issues
- Improved Water/Land
-                      Management

**Notes:**
Show Feasibility Study area, BdA plan area, Restoration Plan coverage, Issues involving uncontrolled tributary inflow upstream, mainstem management, compact requirements

## Technical Assistance

- Research & Monitoring Focus
- Wildlife use, trends
- Hydraulic/geomorphologic trends
- Biotic trends
- Water balance

- Planning
- Design & specs
- Modeling
- Prioritizing
- Implementation
- Maintenance

**Notes:**
Stress partnerships with landowners and non-fed expertise, maintenance issues 

## Restoration of River Processes

- Peak flows
- Maintenance flows
- Channel dynamics
- Succession of habitats

**Notes:**
What can the river do to sustain aquatic and terrestrial diversity?  Information will be a continual need as we go through whatever climactic changes are in store.  And as we affect this system, what abiotic responses do we predict, observe, adapt to.  This picture reflects some of the processes at work and what is limiting those processes = channel movement on the floodplain, establishment of new age classes of vegetation, but saltcedar, armored banklines, channel narrowing as well

## Limited Channel Capacity

- Trends
- Management needs

**Notes:**
Floodplain management addresses this to a degree, keeping development, permanent structures out of the floodplain, but other goals and targets in terms of fire protection, water use, water delivery all come into play.