General Info
Cottonwood, Aspen and Willow Monitoring - Three Important Creeks near Fish Lake : October 1-6, 2010
Overview
Cottonwood, aspen, and willow on the forests of southern Utah are breakfast, lunch, and dinner for ungulates (elk, cattle, sheep, and deer). If these plants are over-browsed by too many ungulates, they cannot grow above browse height to replace old, mature trees. The eventual loss of cottonwood, aspen, and willow threatens the health of creeks, riparian areas, and wildlife dependent on those creeks and riparian habitats, including beaver.
The Dixie and Fishlake National Forests are now planning to revise their riparian livestock standards, in part because Grand Canyon Trust has gathered simple, first-rate field data since 2008 showing excessive browsing of cottonwood, aspen, and willow along numerous creeks.
We will be re-reading riparian transects to gather information on: (1) height and browse intensity on cottonwood/aspen and willow transects along UM, Tasha, and Sevenmile Creeks on Fishlake National Forest; and (2) recording height and ground cover of grazed riparian sedges, rushes, and grasses. The farthest site is about 3 miles from our vehicles, but the hike is not steep. Our work requires one member of each two-person team to kneel or sit along a 100 foot transect to measure plants that may be only an inch or two high. The work can be challenging, but is SO INTERESTING and provides VERY CRITICAL INFORMATION! Tasha and Sevenmile Creeks have active beaver dams, which make the creeks even more interesting, and our data all the more important.
To read more about the beaver restoration project, visit our Utah page.
Itinerary
| Day 1 | 3 pm: Meet in front of Fremont River Ranger District Office, 138 South Main, Loa, UT. Carpool up to Sevenmile Creek campsite, above Fish Lake. Project orientation: The strange and wonderful world of willow and beaver (and a slew of other species). Dinner and relaxation. Sleep under the stars. |
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| Day 2 | Right Fork UM Creek. Wake early for breakfast and coffee. 8 am - 5 pm (with a break for lunch). Training and reading of riparian willow and nearby aspen stand browse transects and riparian grass/sedge utilization. Evening: download photos and assemble data sheets, followed by dinner, relaxation, and stories. Sleep under the stars. |
| Day 3 | Left Fork UM Creek. Wake early for breakfast and coffee. Three mile hike (one-way) to work site. Assess recovery (or lack thereof, due to ungulate browsing) on an abandoned beaver dam; conditions on an active beaver dam; and reading of riparian willow transects and grass/sedge utilization. Return to camp (3 mile hike) to download photos and assemble data sheets, then dinner, relaxation, and different stories! Sleep under the stars. |
| Day 4 | Tasha Creek. Wake early for breakfast and coffee. 8 am - dusk: hike two miles up to assess willow/aspen browse transects and grass/sedge utilization transects located along 15 inactive and 17 active beaver dams. If weather is good, we will stay until dusk (with food to hold us) to see the beaver come out! Return to camp for dinner, relaxation, and more stories! Sleep under the stars. |
| Day 5 | Sevenmile Creek. Wake early for breakfast and coffee. 8 am - 10 am: Download photos and assemble data sheets from Day 4. 10 am - 5 pm: Establish new riparian willow browse transects and sedge/grass transects inside and outside exclosures; assess conditions near active beaver dams. Return to camp for dinner and relaxation. Sleep under the stars. |
| Day 6 | Crucial morning! Wake early for breakfast and coffee. 8 am - noon: Assemble and check all data sheets, photos, and notes. Review the strange and wonderful (but currently challenged) world of beaver. Trip evaluation, and pack up camp. Depart work site between noon and 1 pm, returning to Loa, UT by mid-to-late afternoon. |
