Kahn, M. (2023, February 7). Breaking new ground in California’s Mountain Meadows. Breaking New Ground in California’s Mountain Meadows Comments. https://www.americanrivers.org/2023/02/breaking-new-ground-in-californias-mountain-meadows/
In the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, American Rivers is restoring 388 acres of the mountain meadows. The meadows that were once an incredibly intricate system of flood plains and channels have become disconnected from each other after years of drought. American Rivers reconnected many of the channels and floodplains by incising the stream channels within the flood plains. Their work ultimately improved groundwater storage, species habitat, wetland plant cover, the Rainbow Trout population, and the spread of pollinators.
This article is related to environmental science because it describes the importance of the floodplains and how the rest of the ecosystem- whether it be the trout or the beavers- relied on it. It discussed the relationship between the rivers and the floodplains and how restoration workers were approaching such a problem using scientifically tested methods. I was really fascinated with the work that American Rivers was doing. I found their method of hand rolling hay bales on site and packing them into the gullies so that it was level with the meadow floodplain really innovative. It’s cool that they were able to use the grass in the area for their project, and it makes me wonder how adaptable these sorts of projects usually are. I also found their “beaver dam analogs” (BDAs) to be really interesting. It makes me wonder if their efforts will be so successful that the beaver population will rise and there will no longer be a need for the BDA’s . Overall, I was really impressed by the article and the project it discussed. It gave me a great insight into the actual work conservation organizers conduct on the ground and what the specific benefits of each method was. Even though they have a lot of ground to cover, I was really pleased that they were already making such great progress.
I agree, I think it is great how they are using the natural resources in the area surrounding them to rebuild, this is sustainable and impressive. I really like your outlook on the importance of the rivers and land as well as the protection of animals to stabilize populations. Do you think their approach of using the natural and available resources to restore the habitats and bring back native animals could be applied on a larger scale in other ways? Could manipulating the land surrounding these rivers help their process of restoration?
Hey Shea, thanks for commenting on my post! I agree, I thought that the strategies these habitat restorers were employing were super fascinating and innovative. I think that to a certain extent, the available natural resources surrounding a project could be used effectively to restore the habitat. In the restoration above, the grass was not endangered so they had the liberty to use it to fill the gullies. However, when it comes to using endangered species living in the ecosystem, they should be avoided at all costs. Additionally, if the project was any bigger, using the natural resources present probably would have placed too much stress on the surrounding area. To reach the most environmentally friendly approach, scientists should be deployed on site to assess how to move forward.
I agree that this is a great step towards habitat preservation and restoration. I hope that this work is continued across the country and world.
Thanks for checking out my post Will! I agree, I thought this was really refreshing news.