October 16-18, 2019

The UCSRB and Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest convened a three-day workshop in October 2019 to learn about and discuss techniques for restoring annual floodplain connectivity. The workshop was taught by the US Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region Restoration Assistance Team (RAT), Dr. Colin Thorne of Nottingham University, and by local experts and attended by Forest Service staff, permitting agencies, partners, funders, and sponsors to allow for a good discussion. The first day of the workshop provided an overview of the Stream Evolution Model (Cluer and Thorne, 2013) and the impact on floodplain connectivity; shared examples of restoration work; discussed permitting; and introduced the Geomorphic Grade Line modeling approach to restoration using LiDAR (Powers et. al., 2018). The second day was field-based, with site visits in the Wenatchee watershed and an overview of how to use the Relative Elevation Model (REM) results in the field. The third day covered other restoration techniques including wood loading, beaver dam analogs (BDAs) and beavers. See below for all associated workshop materials including recorded WebEx, meeting summary, participant list, presentations, and resources.

Links:

DAY 1: STAGE-0 BACKGROUND
8:00 – 8:15 Welcome and Introductions Greer Maier/UCSRB and Emily Johnson/USFS
8:15 – 8:30 Aim of Short-course & schedule for the day Johan Hogervorst/USFS
8:30 – 9:00 Stage 0: genesis and theory, anabranching channels in nature (past and present), bankfull discharge in depositional reaches, constrained vs unconstrained reaches, stable channel design vs stable channel evolution & adaptation Colin Thorne/Univ. of Nottingham
9:00 – 9:30 Stage 0: history and practice in Oregon, including review of disturbance history, early attempts at restoration in incised channels and transition to Stage 0 restoration Hogervorst/USFS
9:30 – 10:00 Class exercise 1 – screening potential sites, identifying whether sites are suitable for restoration to Stage 0 Paul Powers/USFS
10:00-10:15 Morning Break
10:15 – 11:00 Geomorphic analysis and design I: Stage 0 valley restoration based on Geomorphic Grade Line (GGL), Relative Elevation Models (REM), cut/fill balance, d/s grade control, & preserving relict features Powers/USFS
11:00 – 12:00 Class exercise 2: Designing restoration to Stage 0 using the GGL and REM  – Applying the GGLREM Toolbox Powers/USFS
12:00 – 13:00 LUNCH BREAK
13:00 – 13:40 Continue Class exercise 2: Powers/USFS
13:40 – 14:10 Consultation and Permitting for Stage 0 in Oregon Bill Brignon/USFWS
14:10 – 14:40 South Fork McKenzie River Stage 0 – an example of a large scale, multi-phased Stage 0 project on the Willamette National Forest Kate Meyer/USFS
14:40 – 15:30 Stage 0 Outcomes – monitoring results to date; abiotic (geomorph., hydrology, habitat) & biotic (fish, vegetation, wildlife, foodweb) & stakeholder views Thorne and Meyer
15:30 – 15:45 Afternoon Break
15:30 – 16:30 Discussion and Q&A – Stage 0 Challenges, opportunities, physical, biological, social, and regulatory. All
16:30 – 16:45 Wrap up and Follow-up Steps

 

DAY 2: FIELD REVIEW OF MODELED RESULTS IN CLASS
8:00 Meet at USFS Supervisor’s Office, 215 Melody Lane
8:30 Stop 1: Big Meadow Creek
11:00 Stop 2: White River and Little Wenatchee
12:30 LUNCH BREAK (Lake Wenatchee State Park): bring your own lunch
14:00 Stop 3: Peshastin Creek
17:00 Return to USFS Supervisor’s Office

 

 

DAY 3: STAGE-0 TOOLS – WOOD, BDA, and BEAVERS
8:00 – 8:15 Welcome and Introductions.  Aim of Day 3 Greer Maier
8:15- 9:15 Wood Loading– Use, site selection, design, funding, installation; Round table discussion of challenges, approaches, and examples from partners Susan Dickerson Lange/NSD (lead)
9:15-10:15 Beaver Dam Analogs– Use, site selection, design, funding, installation; Round table discussion of challenges, approaches, and examples from partners Julie Vanderwal/Okanogan Highlands Alliance (lead)
10:15- 10:30 Morning Break
10:30-11:30 Beavers– Use, site selection, design, funding, installation; Round table discussion of challenges, approaches, and examples from partners Alexa Whipple/Methow Beaver Project (lead)
11:30-12:00 Discussion Wrap Up and Q&A – Application of different Stage-0 tools and techniques, challenges and opportunities, next steps
12:00- 13:00 Lunch- on your own
13:00- 15:30 Field Visit Opportunity– Mission Creek – Established wood site, techniques used, successes and challenges

RESOURCES

Deer Creek Story Map

Powers et al. 2019. A process‐based approach to restoring depositional river valleys to Stage 0, an anastomosing channel network. River Restoration and Applications.

Johnson et al. 2019. Biomic river restoration: A new focus for river management. River Restoration and Applications.

Thorne, Johnson, and Castro. 2019. Partnering with Nature’s River Restorers for Sustainable River Management. SEDHYD.

Castro & Thorne. 2019. The Stream Evolution Triangle. SEDHYD.

Castro & Thorne. 2019. The stream evolution triangle: Integrating geology, hydrology, and biology. River Research and Applications 35 (4).

Powers et al. 2018. A process‐based approach to restoring depositional river valleys to Stage 0, an anastomosing channel network. River Research and Applications 35 (1).

Walter and Merritts. 2018. Natural Streams and the Legacy of Water-Powered Mills. Science (319).

Roca et al. 2017. Green Approaches in River Engineering. Guidance Document (NERC).

Hauer et al. 2016. Gravel-bed river floodplains are the ecological nexus of glaciated mountain landscapes. Applied Ecology.

Thorne et al. 2014. Project risk screening matrix for river management and restoration. River Research and Applications. 

Cluer and Thorne. 2013. A stream evolution model integrating habitat and ecosystem benefits. River Research and Applications.

Thorne et al. 2012. Design of an environmentally aligned flood alleviation scheme: the Burn of Mosset, Moray, Scotland. Flood Risk. 

Thorne et al. 2012. Design of an environmentally aligned flood alleviation scheme: the Burn of Mosset, Moray, Scotland. Flood Risk.

Thorne, Soar, and Skinner. 2010. Driving processes II. Investigating characteristising and managing river sediment dynamics. Chapter 4 in Guidelines for applied fluvial geomorphology.

Thorne. 1992. River meanders: Nature’s answer to the straight line. Inaugural Lecture.

Thorne. 1998. Stream Reconnaissance Handbook. 

Sedell and Froggatt. 1984. Importance of streamside forests to large rivers: The isolation of the Willamette River, Oregon, USA, from its floodplain by snagging and streamside forest removal.