27px, we want 27. Please register or login . The zone around a lake or natural stream that supports vegetation and habitat for birds, animals, and insects. Deep in a canyon in Utah this could mean a tree near a pool with some reeds and nothing but rock everywhere else. It could also mean an immense cottonwood forest along the Rio Grande River in New Mexico.
Riparian zones help keep the soil from eroding during floods and on a day to day basis.
In the southwest native riparian plants are being forced out of their habitat by invading species like tamarisk, a woody plant that now lines the shores of many southwestern rivers. Tread especially lightly in riparian areas, because they are very fragile. Click here to find out how. Copyright Rodale, Inc. 2001.