2022 Southwestern Willow Flycatcher

An ArcGIS Online (AGOL) page containing historical and predictive maps developed by James Hatten of the USGS for the southwestern willow flycatcher habitat across the southwestern United States. The model predicts the probabilities for suitable habitat for SWFL and can be used to guide restoration efforts. 

Use the Habitat Viewer here: https://usgs.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=b362c94bd7…

 

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Colorado Parks & Wildlife - Wildlife Species Profiles & Habitat Scorecards

The purpose of these profiles is to provide landowners and land managers with easy-to-use guidelines for understanding habitat needs of priority wetland-dependent wildlife. 

Please note that these profiles are limited to birds found in Mesa & Delta Counties.

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Tamarisk biocontrol alters bird community composition in the absence of cottonwood and willow vegetation
Invasive species disturb ecosystems and threaten biodiversity. Invasive species management, such as biological control, can cause additional disturbances, so quantifying how native species respond to invasive control is important to inform best management practices.   Mahoney et al. quantified southwestern bird communities in sites that varied in the amount of the non-native plant tamarisk (Tamarix spp.), before and after biological control efforts.
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Lessons Learned for Successful Watershed Partnerships in the Colorado River Basin

What are the key ingredients of successful collaborative partnerships? What worked well and what did not? If we had to do it all over again, what would we do differently? This document, based on interviews with stakeholders from 11 watershed partnerships in the Colorado River Basin, discusses the successes and challenges encountered from initial partnership formation to maintaining momentum over the years. It informs how RiversEdge West and other partners can continue contributing to the long-term success and viability of watershed partnerships.

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Renewing Our Rivers: Stream Corridor Restoration in Dryland Regions
Our rivers are in crisis and the need for river restoration has never been more urgent. Water security and biodiversity indices for all of the world’s major rivers have declined due to pollution, diversions, impoundments, fragmented flows, introduced and invasive species, and many other abuses.   Developing successful restoration responses are essential. Renewing Our Rivers addresses this need head-on with examples of how to design and implement stream-corridor restoration projects.
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Field Guide for Managing Kochia

Plant guide from the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service on managing Kochia. 

Casey, P.A. 2009. Plant guide for kochia (Kochia scoparia). USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Kansas Plant Materials Center. Manhattan, KS.

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Low-Water Native Plants for Colorado Gardens - Western Slope: Below 7,000'

Many people have an interest in landscaping with native plants. The purpose of this booklet is to help people make the most successful choices, based on their location in Colorado. 

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Bringing Birds Home

Bringing Birds Home is a manual that describes how to proactively improve riparian habitat for bird species in Mesa County, Colorado.  

This guide was made possible by a grant from the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies and was produced by RiversEdge West, with help from the Grand Valley Audubon Society, Tucson Audubon Society, and Audubon Arizona.

 
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How to Tell the Difference Between Russian Olive and Silverleaf Buffaloberry

This 1-page handout describes the differences between invasive Russian olive and native silverleaf buffaloberry. Photos of distinctive characteristics are provided. 

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Waterjet Stinger
This document describes how to use a stinger, a tool to plant dormant unrooted cuttings of willows, cottonwoods, dogwoods, and other species.
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Riparian Restoration Cost Calculator

This resource developed by RiversEdge West (formerly Tamarisk Coalition) allows users to estimate tamarisk and Russian olive removal and restoration costs based on existing site parameters. 

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Suggested Methodologies for Cottonwood Pole, Willow Whip, and Longstem Plantings

This guide describes techniques for harvesting, storing, and planting various types of plant materials, including dormant cottonwood pole cuttings, willow whip cuttings, and longstem products. This guide was prepared by RiversEdge West (formerly Tamarisk Coalition), based on input provided by Los Lunas Plant Materials Center.  

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Dolores River Restoration Partnership Rapid Monitoring Protocol

Rapid Monitoring Protocol used in the DRRP

Native species recovery after reduction of an invasive tree by biological control with and without active removal

Sher at al. perform a comprehensive and detailed analysis of the vegetation response to a single watershed-scale restoration effort that includes 40 sites along the Dolores River from 2010-2014.

Sher, A.A., El Waer, H., González, E., Anderson, R., Henry, A.L., Biedron, R. and Yue, P., 2018. Native species recovery after reduction of an invasive tree by biological control with and without active removal. Ecological Engineering, 111, pp.167-175.

Regional Stream Stewardship & Recovery Handbook

The purpose of the Stream Stewardship and Recovery Handbook is to create an educational resource for private landowners to better understand their streamside properties in the context of the larger watershed, what they can do to practice good stream stewardship and when/how they should engage outside help for stewardship or recovery projects.

Remote Sensing of Tamarisk Biomass, Insect Herbivory, and Defoliation: Novel Methods in the Grand Canyon Region, Arizona

Using high-resolution  multitemporal, multispectral data, the authors classified tamarisk defoliation in the Glen Canyon area in Arizona. The high spatial resolution classification provides key information to effectively inform restoration treatments regarding where and how much mechanical removal or controlled burning could be performed.

Guidance for Stream Restoration and Rehabilitation
A great deal of effort has been devoted to developing guidance for stream restoration and rehabilitation. The available resources are diverse, reflecting the wide ranging approaches used and expertise required to develop stream restoration projects. To help practitioners sort through all of this information, a technical note has been developed to provide a guide to the wealth of information available. The document structure is primarily a series of short literature reviews followed by a hyperlinked reference list for the reader to find more information on each topic.
Colorado Weed Management Association - Weed Identification Tool

This website enables users to use search functions to identify unknown weed species. 

Colorado Forestry Best Management Practices Forest Stewardship Guidelines for Water Quality Protection 2012: Field Audit Report
In an effort to proactively protect water quality, Colorado has implemented Best Management Practices (BMPs) for forestry activities. BMPs are a set of water-quality protection measures and guidelines that provide direction on planning, roads, Streamside Management Zones (SMZs), timber harvesting, pesticides and fertilizers, stream crossings and fire management.     In September 2012, an interdisciplinary team visited six timber-harvest sites in southwest Colorado to assess Colorado forestry BMP application and effectiveness.
State of the Santa Cruz River & Conservation Inventory
The Santa Cruz River and other riparian areas in the watershed have long been the backbone of the region’s natural and cultural heritage.
Stream Care Guide - A Handbook for Salt Lake County

This 57-page guide from the Salt Lake County Watershed Planning & Restoration Program  explores the basics of protecting water quality, streamside habitat, and property values. While written for the Salt Lake area, the information contained in this guide is applicable to a wide range of landowners. 

In this guide you’ll find out how you and your neighbors can:

Colorado Tamarisk Mapping & Inventory Summary Report

This 2008 report summarizes an inventory of tamarisk and Russian olive infestations on all the major rivers and their main tributaries in Colorado. The report  was completed by the Tamarisk Coalition for the Colorado Water Conservation Board. The purpose of this work was to 1) establish and implement an inventory protocol that would be economical to perform, 2) provide a relatively accurate understanding of the extent of the tamarisk problem in Colorado, 3) develop water and wildlife habitat impacts, and 4) estimate the cost of restoration.