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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Integrated Pest Management Plan: Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge

An Integrated Pest Management Plan for the Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge. This plan outlines the biological degradation of native riparian forest habitat along the Lower Colorado River and the invasive species management actions needed to protect and restore riparian forests and marshlands of the Bill Williams River. 

DeRango, B., 2023. Integrated Pest Management Plan Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge.

Factsheet and Habitat Scorecard for Dabbling Ducks

Habitat factsheets and scorecards describe the habitat needs and behaviors of species of interest in the Colorado State Wildlife Action Plan. This particular document is for dabbling ducks and their utilization of seasonal shallow water wetlands. These habitat details and score cards can be used to analyze current habitat conditions and potential for improvement.

Southwestern Willow Flycatcher Habitat Viewer User's Manual

A guide that walks the user through the use of the AGOL-based habitat viewer (https://usgs.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=b362c94bd7714969805ab7dd29336ce0). User is provided with instructions for changing base map layers, toggling through data layers, utilizing tools to compare different datasets, and locating the metadata for the provided layers. Manual uses screen shots of the AGOL platform to aid in seamless navigation.

Rethinking Avian Response to Tamarix on the Lower Colorado River: A Threshold Hypothesis

Riverine ecosystems are known to provide important habitat for avian communities, but information on responses of birds to differing levels of Tamarix is not known. Past research on birds along the Colorado River has shown that avian abundance in general is greater in native than in non-native habitat.

REPORT - Status, reproductive success, and habitat use of the Southwestern willow flycatcher on the Virgin River, Utah
Southwestern willow flycatcher status update - Gila River, AZ/NM
Southwestern willow flycatcher status and habitat restoration efforts along the Virgin River, Utah
Southwestern willow flycatcher status update – Lower Colorado River
Tamarisk Leaf Beetle Species and Habitat Analysis with Management Implications for the Middle Rio Grande, NM; Ondrea Hummel and Matthew Johnson
      Tamarisk Leaf Beetle Species and Habitat Analysis with Management Implications for the Middle Rio Grande, NM   Ondrea Hummel1*, Matthew Johnson2*, Chris Sanderson1   1 Tetra Tech, Albuquerque, NM, USA; ondrea.hummel@tetratech.com, 505-235-6470;
Private Lands Stewardship: Connecting People, Birds and Land; Kelsea Holloway
    Private Lands Stewardship: Connecting People, Birds and Land   Kelsea Holloway1*, Lauren Connell2, Angela Dwyer3   1Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, Greeley, Colorado, US; kelsea.holloway@usda.gov 2Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, Fort Collins, Colorado, US;