PARENT SESSION
Oral Session #25: River and Riparian Restoration I.
Presiding: M.A. Madej
Tuesday, August 6. 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM. Mohave Meeting Room, TCC.
Balancing ecological restoration and human use: The Tuolumne River regional master plan.
Blau, David*,1, Tobin, Marcia1, 1 EDAW, Inc., San Francisco, CA
ABSTRACT- Located in California's Great Central Valley, the Tuolumne River is the largest tributary of the San Joaquin River. The Tuolumne drains a 1,960 square-mile watershed that includes the northern half of Yosemite Park, supplies drinking water to approximately 2.3 million people in four counties of the San Francisco Bay area, and supports an agricultural region of significant wealth and productivity throughout Stanislaus County. Presently, less than 15% of the historical riparian forests remain along the river. Despite these habitat losses, the Tuolumne still supports the largest naturally reproducing population of fall-run chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the San Joaquin Valley. Forty years ago, civic leaders in Stanislaus County began to acquire land along the Tuolumne with a vision that the river could become an important focal point for life and community in the region. This land has been set aside as the Tuolumne River Regional Park. The Park plan strives to find the ideal balance between ecological restoration and human use and enjoyment. Rather than a more typical grass-lined and manicured City park, this is a park where the recreational experience is oriented towards and compatible with the river's natural hydrologic processes, natural resources, and wildlife. Goals of the Park plan include the restoration and use of native riparian vegetation, protection of mature forests, creation of native plant meadows, enhancement of wildlife habitat, eradication of non-native and invasive species (where possible), and the utilization of ecologically compatible construction materials and ecologically appropriate maintenance practices. The centerpiece of the park, the Gateway site, is designed with terraces that would expand flood capacity and enhance regeneration of riparian woodland habitats while constructed wetlands and vegetated swales would be used for stormwater interception and purification. These design concepts were developed with extensive stakeholder involvement including federal, state, and local agencies and environmental groups.
KEY WORDS: riparian restoration, ecological design, Tuolumne River, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha