Two Decades of Restoration in the Middle Rio Grande
Ondrea C. Hummel1*
1Tetra Tech Inc., Albuquerque, NM, USA
Like many arid southwestern riverine systems, the Rio Grande in New Mexico has had many anthropogenic influences over the past 100 years that have changed both the physical form as well as the related function of the system.
Within the central portion of the Rio Grande in New Mexico (called the Middle Rio Grande) various agencies, partners, stakeholders and other interested parties have worked individually and together to implement restoration and enhancement projects with the goal of sustaining existing quality habitat and increasing a ‘mosaic’ of habitat types similar to those that historically occurred.
The presentation will review a number of restoration efforts implemented throughout a number of reaches of the Middle Rio Grande. Lessons learned were taken forward during that 20+ year period and included in designs of newer project. Ongoing lessons learned, adaptive management, adjustment to continuing climate change influences, and results from monitoring will be highlighted.