PARENT SESSION
Poster Session #21: Riparian and Wetland Restoration.
Tuesday, August 6. Presentation from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM. Exhibit Hall B & C, TCC

A spatial model of macrophyte habitat in Fossil Creek, Arizona: Recommendations for decommissioning a dam.

Jones, Charles^*,1, Johnson, Nancy¹, ¹ Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ

ABSTRACT- Many dams are expected to be decommissioned in the next 30 years and ecological tools must be developed to help restore riparian ecosystems that have been altered or destroyed by the dam. Models that predict the outcome of alternative re-watering scenarios will aid in the reestablishment of desired macrophyte communities and the critical habitats that they provide. The goal of this research is to develop models of habitat suitability for emergent macrophytes in Fossil Creek, AZ under multiple re-watering options proposed by the US Forest Service. Specific habitat requirements of macrophytes were measured (i.e. water flow, water depth, channel morphology, sediment texture, sediment depth, and light levels) and incorporated into a GIS-based habitat suitability model to predict the quantity and locations of macrophyte habitat at different flow regimes. This research provides valuable baseline data on macrophyte habitats in Fossil Creek so that habitat changes following re-watering of the stream channel can be monitored. Furthermore, this model helps identify biotic responses to alternative flow regimes and should help managers more effectively attain their restoration targets. These kinds of ecological tools will become increasingly important as more dams are decommissioned and riparian ecosystems restored.

KEY WORDS: Typha, macrophytes, dams, model