Presenters: Jeff Bennett/American Bird Conservancy, and Rebecca Mann/U.S. Geological Survey
Rebecca and others from U.S. Geological Survey established an extensive network of reclamation study sites on abandoned oil and gas well pads in the Uinta Basin, UT to test reclamation methods commonly used by industry in conjunction with novel methods designed to overcome major barriers to restoration of native plants at these harsh sites, such as low soil moisture and low soil fertility. The team has found that treatments hypothesized to increase soil moisture, such as mulching, have had the largest positive effect on plant establishment compared to all other treatments. Rebecca will share results from this study, costs and benefits of mulching for reclamation, and discuss how this experiment network can inform future restoration efforts at a broad scale.
Woody species encroachment into arid grasslands is a significant threat to wintering grassland birds and grassland obligate species like the Pronghorn. Restoration tools such as prescribed fire and herbicide application can reduce brush presence and increase grass cover. However, in some locations lack of fuel can limit the use of fire and a depauperate seed bank limit a robust grass response. In Big Bend National Park, removal of livestock in the 1940s resulted in good grassland recovery in coarse upland soils. However, in lowland fine textured soils, lack of grazing pressure did not lead to recovery. In the 1950s, and in cooperation with the Soil Conservation Service, the National Park Service began pitting, planting, and altering the surface hydrology to increase residence time of precipitation runoff. Unfortunately, this project began during the drought of record and was a complete failure. Additional alterations to surface hydrology occurred with park development as roads were built and desert rills and arroyos were combined and concentrated into culverts. Beginning in 2004, NPS staff began experimenting with mulch, branch mulch, rock mulch, and a variety of planting techniques in highly degraded and eroded soils in the north area of the park. Park staff ended up combining hydroseeding of grass with a commercial bonded fiber matrix (BFM), and then with branch mulch cover. The BFM keeps seeds in place until the rainy season and prevents widespread removal by harvester ants. In addition, the branch mulch acts as a surrogate for vegetative cover, taking on the vital hydrologic role of interception, allowing for throughfall of precipitation along with shade and significantly lower temperatures. Finally, the treatments were arranged to mimic natural cover in arid landscapes. On undissected surfaces, the treatments were arranged in bands to mimic banded vegetation. On surfaces with rills, the treatments were arranged as chevrons within the rills. Soil analysis done by Texas Tech University found that nutrient cycling rates were greater under the branch mulch, and soil microbial biomass increased significantly within the first year. Grass production under treatments was successful with normal monsoon rain even if the rain came more than a year later.
About the speakers
Rebecca Mann is a U.S. Geological Survey biologist focused on restoring functioning ecosystems on the Colorado Plateau, with the goal of bringing scientific knowledge to the management community through collaborative research projects. Rebecca has been working on restoration projects out of the Southwest Biological Science Center in Moab, UT since 2016; prior, she was involved with studies of rare plant biology, rangeland health, vegetation monitoring methods, and assisted with management of a citizen scientist program.
Jeffery Bennett is employed by the American Bird Conservancy as a Conservation Delivery Specialist for the Rio Grande Joint Venture, a binational, public-private habitat conservation partnership. Prior to starting work with the Rio Grande Joint Venture in 2018, Jeff worked for the National Park Service for 15 years as a Physical Scientist and Hydrologist. While with the park service, he coordinated restoration, science and resource management projects related to Big Bend National Park and the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River, its tributaries and related groundwater systems. Jeff’s work has focused on building strong binational and regional partnerships for the conservation of aquatic and grassland habitats. Jeff serves on the Far West Texas Regional Water Planning Group, the Upper Rio Grande Flood Planning Group, and the Expert Science team for the establishment of instream flows for the upper Rio Grande in Texas. Jeff is a Professional Geologist and has a M.S. in geology from the Northern Arizona University and a B.S. in earth science from Sul Ross State University.
Webinar access
We are utilizing Zoom for our webinar presentations. You do not need to create an account, and guest access is free. Audio will be through your computer speakers, so you may need to test this prior to the webinar.
Contact Matt Grabau (matthew_grabau@fws.gov) if you have questions!
Notice: We will use Zoom to record presentation materials, audio, and video viewed during this conference. By participating in this meeting, you agree that your communications may be recorded.