Riparian Areas

Riparian Areas PDF

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2002-10-10

Total Pages: 449

ISBN-13: 0309082951

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The Clean Water Act (CWA) requires that wetlands be protected from degradation because of their important ecological functions including maintenance of high water quality and provision of fish and wildlife habitat. However, this protection generally does not encompass riparian areasâ€"the lands bordering rivers and lakesâ€"even though they often provide the same functions as wetlands. Growing recognition of the similarities in wetland and riparian area functioning and the differences in their legal protection led the NRC in 1999 to undertake a study of riparian areas, which has culminated in Riparian Areas: Functioning and Strategies for Management. The report is intended to heighten awareness of riparian areas commensurate with their ecological and societal values. The primary conclusion is that, because riparian areas perform a disproportionate number of biological and physical functions on a unit area basis, restoration of riparian functions along America's waterbodies should be a national goal.

An Economic Comparison of Three Cattle Grazing Management Strategies Intended to Improve Riparian Habitat and Water Quality

An Economic Comparison of Three Cattle Grazing Management Strategies Intended to Improve Riparian Habitat and Water Quality PDF

Author: Jeffrey L. Sharp

Publisher:

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 218

ISBN-13:

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Grazing of riparian forage by livestock may alter stream channel morphology in ways that impact nearby aquatic habitat, bank stability, vegetative cover and water quality. A number of grazing management practices have been proposed as a means to reduce the amount of time cattle spend in the riparian zone. The effectiveness and long-term economic feasibility of these grazing management practices is largely unknown. Little is known about economic differences resulting from seasonally prescribed grazing. Findings from this research will aid ranch and resource managers in making economically viable and ecologically sound resource decisions for the future. This study was conducted to analyze the economic and environmental impacts of seasonal grazing and off-stream water development on a 300 head cow-calf ranch in northeastern Oregon. A bio-economic model was developed to analyze and compare three grazing management practices at the ranch level. Economic impacts to the model ranch were analyzed by examining changes in long-run annual revenue and total net present value (NPV) expected for each of the three management practices under various rainfall conditions, cattle market scenarios and discounts rates. Late summer grazing of riparian pasture with off-stream water development yielded the highest comparable NPV across all rainfall and market price scenarios examined Changes in the discount rate inversely affected the NPV of future returns, but did not alter the optimal grazing strategy. Only slight differences in NPV were measured between early and late seasonal grazing options. Water quality monitoring results from the study were inconclusive. Results showed that the optimal strategy for the protection of water quality varied depending upon the limiting factor of highest concern. Cattle distribution indicators such as average distance from stream and streamside fecal counts, point toward early season grazing as the most effective strategy at dispersing cattle away from the stream corridor.

Managing for Enhancement of Riparian and Wetland Areas of the Western United States

Managing for Enhancement of Riparian and Wetland Areas of the Western United States PDF

Author: David A. Koehler

Publisher:

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 376

ISBN-13:

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This annotated bibliography contains 1,905 citations from professional journals, symposia, workshops, proceedings, technical reports, and other sources. The intent of this compilation was to: (1) assemble, to the extent possible, all available and accessible publications relating to riparian management within a single source or document; (2) provide managers, field biologists, researchers, and others, a point of access for locating scientific literature relevent to their specific interest; and (3) provide, under one cover, a comprehensive collection of annotated publications that could dessiminate basic information relative to the status of our knowledge.

Riparian Areas of the Southwestern United States

Riparian Areas of the Southwestern United States PDF

Author: Peter F. Ffolliott

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2003-07-28

Total Pages: 432

ISBN-13: 1135463212

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Riparian Areas of the Southwestern United States: Hydrology, Ecology, and Management provides hydrologists, watershed managers, land-use planners, educators, policymakers, and non-governmental organizations with a comprehensive account of the multiple benefits and conflicts arising from the uniquely structured ecosystems of arid and semi-arid regions. The text describes the inhabitants of southwestern riparian ecosystems and addresses the research, planning, and management concerns for these fragile ecosystems in relation to the impacts of water and sediment flows, livestock grazing, and other human activities, and the maintenance of key wildlife and fish habitats.

Wetland and Riparian Areas of the Intermountain West

Wetland and Riparian Areas of the Intermountain West PDF

Author: Mark C. McKinstry

Publisher: University of Texas Press

Published: 2010-01-01

Total Pages: 327

ISBN-13: 0292778406

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Wetlands and riparian areas between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada are incredibly diverse and valuable habitats. More than 80 percent of the wildlife species in this intermountain region depend on these wetlands—which account for less than 2 percent of the land area—for their survival. At the same time, the wetlands also serve the water needs of ranchers and farmers, recreationists, vacation communities, and cities. It is no exaggeration to call water the "liquid gold" of the West, and the burgeoning human demands on this scarce resource make it imperative to understand and properly manage the wetlands and riverine areas of the Intermountain West. This book offers land managers, biologists, and research scientists a state-of-the-art survey of the ecology and management practices of wetland and riparian areas in the Intermountain West. Twelve articles examine such diverse issues as laws and regulations affecting these habitats, the unique physiographic features of the region, the importance of wetlands and riparian areas to fish, wildlife, and livestock, the ecological function of these areas, their value to humans, and the methods to evaluate these habitats. The authors also address the human impacts on the land from urban and suburban development, mining, grazing, energy extraction, recreation, water diversions, and timber harvesting and suggest ways to mitigate such impacts.