Download 2014 PreProposal TNC Shoshone River Revegetation

2014 WCS Climate Adaptation Fund Pre-Proposal Application Form
2014 Pre-Proposal Application Form
WCS Climate Adaptation Fund
Cover page
Applicant information
Name of applicant organization: The Nature Conservancy
Organization mailing address: 258 E. Main St., Ste. 200, Lander, WY 82520
Name of project director, job title, email address, phone (the project director will be our contact person
for the application):
Katherine Thompson, Northwest Wyoming Program Director
[email protected]
307.250.5345
Alternate contact for this proposal: Karen Craft, [email protected], 307.335.2126
Short organizational mission statement:
The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.
We achieve this by working collaboratively with others on shared solutions.
Annual Organizational Budget: $4,300,000
Project information
Project Title: Shoshone River Revegetation Project
Amount of Request: $248,900
Project Budget: $712,800
Project length: 2 years
Brief summary of request:
We propose to launch a collaborative project to restore native riparian vegetation along the Shoshone
River in northwest Wyoming and to educate the community about restoration techniques and climate
adaptation. This riparian habitat is vulnerable to warming temperatures and decreased river flows and is
quickly being dominated by two invasive non-native shrub species. Replacing these invasive plants with a
diversity of drought-tolerant native species will increase resilience to climate change in this biologically
and socially important river corridor. Successful implementation of this project will increase the diversity
of native plants and animals, improve water quality and quantity, and enhance conditions for human
enjoyment of the river.
1
2014 WCS Climate Adaptation Fund Pre-Proposal Application Form
SECTION I: Proposal Narrative
1. Project Description
We propose to restore native riparian vegetation along the Shoshone River in northwest Wyoming and to
educate the community about restoration techniques and climate adaptation. The Shoshone River
originates in Yellowstone National Park and flows east for 100 miles through the Absaroka Mountains
and then Wyoming’s Big Horn Basin, where it waters the Wyoming towns of Cody, Powell, Lovell and
others before it flows into Big Horn Lake at the base of the Big Horn Mountains. The upper Shoshone
watershed contains essential migratory routes and crucial winter range for mule deer, bighorn sheep, elk,
moose, and pronghorn. The lower watershed contains a waterfowl migratory corridor, as well as a rich
diversity of birds including endangered, threatened, and sensitive species. A number of predators occupy
the watershed, including gray wolves, grizzly bears and mountain lions. The river contains a blue ribbon
trout fishery, and native Yellowstone cutthroat trout persist in the higher elevations of the watershed.
This collaborative river restoration project will restore native vegetation to lower elevation Shoshone
River riparian habitats that are vulnerable to warming temperatures and decreased river flows and that are
quickly being dominated by two invasive non-native tree-shrubs. The 65-mile long lower Shoshone River
and the basin surrounding it were identified as wildlife conservation priorities in Wyoming’s State
Wildlife Action Plan (WGFD 2010). A recent vulnerability assessment identified that this priority
conservation area has high vulnerability to climate change, due to high exposure to warming and drying
conditions (Pocewicz et al. In draft). Recently local agencies and organizations have begun collaborating
to restore the Shoshone River due to its degraded condition, importance to wildlife, and high vulnerability
to climate change. Climate change is already impacting this wildlife-rich watershed. Recent air
temperatures in Yellowstone National Park have already exceeded those of the last 6,000 years (Clark
2010, Shuman 2012). Rivers across the Central Rockies, including the South Fork of the Shoshone, are
experiencing substantial declines in stream discharge throughout the year (Leppi et al. 2012). Higher air
temperatures and lower water levels are likely to contribute to more frequent and severe droughts,
declining water quality, higher water temperatures and lower levels of dissolved oxygen. These increases
in temperature and declining water levels are expected to cause declines in Yellowstone region trout
populations (Wenger et al. 2011). Native willow communities on the Shoshone, which provide some of
the most important wildlife habitat in the watershed, are under pressure from conifer encroachment at
higher elevations, and weed infestations at lower elevations, both a function of climate change (Rice et al.
2012). Segments of the Shoshone River watershed are listed by the Wyoming Department of
Environmental Quality on the 303(d) list of impaired water bodies for fecal coliform (e.g., E. coli)
impairments exceeding the primary and secondary recreational use standard (WDEQ 2012).
Replacing invasive plants with diverse native species assemblages will increase resilience to climate
change in the lower Shoshone River corridor. Russian olive and salt cedar (Elaeagnus angustifolia and
Tamarix ramosissima) are invasive non-native shrubs that were introduced in the late 1800’s as
ornamentals from Eurasia. In the past few decades, however, they have spread exponentially along rivers
in the west where they present a serious threat to native species. These invasives are quickly expanding
along the Shoshone River, where they are forming dense stands and inhibiting the regeneration of native
trees and shrubs. These monotypic thickets can shade also and inhibit the growth of understory plants
leading to exposed, unstable stream banks. Because E. coli is generally transported into streams in
contaminated run-off, unstable stream banks are positively correlated with river contamination (Muirhead
et al. 2005). E. coli and other pollutants are of increasing concern as river flows and the potential for
dilution decrease and have potential consequences for recreational opportunities and human health. While
reducing erosion does not directly address climatic changes, it helps this system to adapt to those changes
by improving water quality, which we have a greater ability to control than changing climate conditions
(Heller and Zavaleta 2008, West et al. 2009).
The thorny invaders also use large quantities of water, impede access to the river for sportsmen, increase
the salinity of the soil in which they grow, and reduce habitat quality for wildlife and livestock. Because
these invasives tend to grow in very dense stands in comparison to native riparian forests, a riparian area
2
2014 WCS Climate Adaptation Fund Pre-Proposal Application Form
dominated by Russian olive and tamarisk uses much more water than a native riparian forest would.
Removing Russian olive and salt cedar is expected to contribute to increased river flows (Andersen 1996,
1998).
Russian olive may also cause the loss of habitat for cavity nesting, insectivorous, and wetland obligate
birds (Knopf and Olson 1984, Olson and Knopf 1986, Brown 1990, Naugle et al. 1999). Working on
Idaho’s Snake River, Brown (1990) found that wildlife species richness, abundance and density were
lower in Russian olive than willow forests. He also found that all bird foraging guilds avoided Russian
olive in the breeding season, and for some guilds attributed this to low insect abundance in these trees.
Several authors have likewise found that salt cedar typically sustains a less diverse assemblage of insects
and other arthropods than cottonwood or willow (Liesner 1971, Stevens 1985, Miner 1989, DeLay et al.
1999, as cited in Shafroth et al. 2005).
Successful implementation of this project will increase the diversity of native plants and animals, improve
water quality and quantity, and enhance conditions for human enjoyment of the river. More diverse
riparian vegetation will increase the resilience of this system to climate change, and will improve habitat
quality for waterfowl and other wetland and riparian-obligate birds, macroinvertebrates, native flora, and
many other native species. Diversifying the riparian vegetation will improve habitat quality for beaver
allowing their natural reestablishment in downstream segments of the Shoshone River. Water quality in
the impaired Shoshone River will also be improved as salt concentrations brought to the surface by salt
cedar are decreased, erosion is reduced, and the water table is raised. Reducing erosion will improve the
clarity of the water and the quality of trout habitat in the river, by improving spawning grounds and
feeding ability.
Control of Russian olive has been underway on the Shoshone River for several years. To date, over 3,200
acres have been cleared of these invasive trees along roughly 25 miles of the lower Shoshone.
Approximately 25 miles still need to be restored, but a recent backlash against the removal of these
invasives has slowed our progress. Trees are typically cut down, and regrowth chemically treated for two
years. Trees are piled and usually left to rot; thorny branches are often left where they fell. Natural
revegetation is slow in areas that were heavily infested. In this project, we propose to address concerns
raised by the community about aesthetics, accessibility and shelter for wildlife by actively restoring
approximately three stream miles at sites that are highly visible and accessible to the public. These will be
places where we will demonstrate new approaches to this work to the community in order to catalyze the
restoration of the remaining river corridor.
We will apply a proven combination of mechanical and chemical treatments to control the invasive trees
(and in an effort to reduce waste and carbon emissions, we will make the wood available to a local
furniture maker who will turn it into high end furniture and art). There are native cottonwoods and
willows persisting at these sites and elsewhere on the lower Shoshone, and we expect them to expand into
the available space after the invasives are removed. Cottonwoods, however, are shade-intolerant,
disturbance-dependent species with relatively specific germination and establishment requirements that
are not well met on a regulated river system such as the Shoshone (Shafroth et al. 1995). Natural
revegetation of cottonwoods and willows will be supplemented with the planting of several native shrub
species better adapted to hotter, drier conditions predicted on the lower river, including silver buffaloberry
(Shepherdia argentea), skunkbrush sumac (Rhus trilobata), snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) and
others. Historically, this riparian area was likely dominated by willow and cottonwood, but using a wider
range of species for revegetation will provide wildlife food sources for more months of the year and
reduce the vulnerability of this habitat to extreme weather events predicted as climate changes. Crews
from Marathon Oil Company, Montana Conservation Corps, Wyoming Department of Corrections’
Honor Farm, Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, and National Wild Turkey Federation will assist with
these efforts. We plan to create a technical note for free public distribution that will compare various
approaches to riparian revegetation in the arid west. Scientists from Northwest College and the University
of Wyoming will conduct surveys to determine the impacts of this revegetation work on native wildlife.
Survey results will be incorporated into project outreach materials.
3
2014 WCS Climate Adaptation Fund Pre-Proposal Application Form
2. Activities & Timeline
Initial mechanical and chemical treatments of invasives will occur between October and December 2014.
Intensive treatment of re-sprouts will occur in August of 2015 and 2016. Revegetation and other riparian
enhancements will occur in the fall of 2016 after large scale chemical re-treatments are no longer
necessary and re-sprouts can be treated with spot treatments. In 2014, project partners and other interested
conservation practitioners will participate in a communications workshop taught by a communications
specialist from the University of Wyoming. At this workshop, we will develop key messages and
formulate a communications strategy that will be executed over the following two years of the project.
We will create outreach materials that address the concerns of various Wyoming audiences (farmers and
ranchers, sportsmen, small acreage owners, etc.) that could include permanent interpretive signs &
displays, technical notes, brochures, fact sheets, PSAs, and an informational video. In late August of each
year, the Cody Wild West River Fest raises awareness of the important roles healthy rivers play in our
communities. At upcoming river festivals, we will promote the ongoing riparian restoration work
described herein, by leading interpretive hikes and field tours, and distributing outreach materials.
3. Outcomes
Deliverables under the term of this
grant [maximum 2 years]





Remove noxious Russian olive and
salt cedar trees on 400 acres of
riparian habitat along the Shoshone
River at 3 public access sites.
Revegetate the sites with a mix of
native plants adapted to hotter,
drier conditions.
Conduct wildlife surveys to
determine impacts of riparian
restoration.
Test different planting methods
(pole cuttings, bare root and potted
plants).
Execute a communications strategy
designed to educate different
interest groups about the benefits of
this work and the different ways to
get involved.
Expected near-term conservation
outcomes [3-10 years]





A diverse, drought-tolerant, native
plant assemblage is established on
400 acres along the Shoshone River.
Restored areas are providing high
quality forage and nesting habitat for
native wildlife year-round.
The improvement of riparian
revegetation methods in arid regions
is being promoted to landowners and
conservation practitioners in the area.
We see an increase in numbers of
landowners participating in efforts to
restore Shoshone River riparian areas
to native vegetation adapted to a
changing climate.
Technical notes and other outreach
materials about riparian restoration
methods are created and distributed.
Expected long-term adaptation
goal [10-50 years]


Riparian areas on the lower
Shoshone support a diverse
native flora better adapted
to hotter, drier conditions
expected as climate
changes.
Understanding and support
of this work has increased
in the region, and it is
being replicated throughout
the Shoshone River system
and along other river
corridors in the region so
that water quality, wildlife
habitat quality, and public
access are all measurably
improved in northwest
Wyoming.
4. Key partners
 Montana Conservation Corps and Wyoming Department of Corrections Honor Farm crews
will assist with Russian olive control and site revegetation.
 Participating Landowners: Buffalo Bill Memorial Association; Bureau of Reclamation, City of
Cody; Glenn Nielson; Marathon Oil Company; Mike Johnson; Ron Good.
 University of Wyoming and Northwest College will assist with wildlife surveys and the design
and monitoring of various revegetation treatments to determine the optimal techniques.
 Wyoming Game and Fish Department and Powell-Clarks Fork Conservation District will
provide technical assistance on treatment, monitoring, and project outreach.

Details below for: Big Horn and Park County Weed and Pest Districts, City of Cody, Ducks
Unlimited, Marathon Oil Company, Pheasants Forever, National Wild Turkey Federation,
Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality.
4
2014 WCS Climate Adaptation Fund Pre-Proposal Application Form
SECTION II: Budget and Matching Funds
Budget
Expenses
WCS request Non-WCS funding
Staff salary and benefits
Katherine Thompson, TNC NW
$30,000
WY Program Dir, 20% * 2 yrs
Amy Pocewicz, TNC Staff
$15,000
Scientist, 10% * 2 yrs
Operating
Contractors
$84,100
$373,900
Supplies
$60,000
$60,000
Communications
$25,000
Indirect Costs (max 10%)
$64,800
$248,900
$463,900
Totals
Total Project Budget
$30,000
$15,000
$458,000
$120,000
$25,000
$64,800
$712,800
Matching Funds
 Big Horn County Weed and Pest District in Greybull, WY will contribute $18,150 (40 hours
labor at $60/hr for technical assistance + 50% cost-share on chemical for initial and follow-up
treatments (at $300/acre) on 105 acres in Big Horn County). Committed.
 City of Cody will contribute $5,500 toward the weed treatment costs from tax dollars earmarked
for pest management on city property ($1,100/acre * 5 acres). Committed.
 Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, and National Wild Turkey Federation will provide
volunteer labor and cash contributions totaling at least $20,000. Pending - notification by July.
 Marathon Oil Company in Cody, Wyoming has committed $100,000 in cash and in-kind
contributions to the project, including $74,000 in cash for weed treatments, $20,000 in-kind
heavy equipment operation, and $6,000 in volunteer labor. Committed.
 The Nature Conservancy will contribute $35,000 private dollars (toward Montana Conservation
Corps crews) already secured. Received.
 Park County Weed and Pest District in Powell, WY will contribute $50,250 (100 hours labor at
$60/hr for technical assistance + 50% cost-share on chemical for initial and follow-up treatments
(at $300/acre) on 295 acres in Park County). Committed.
 Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality will provide funding for the project through
the 319 Nonpoint Source Reduction Program ($40,000). Committed.
 Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust Fund will contribute $195,000 toward weed
control and revegetation costs. Pending - notification in July.
Citations
Anderson, B. W. 1996. Salt cedar, revegetation and riparian ecosystems in the Southwest. Proceedings of
the California Exotic Pest Plant Council, Symposium 1995. California Exotic Pest Plant Council:
32–41.
Anderson, B. W. 1998. The case for salt cedar. Restoration and Management Notes 16:130–134, 138.
Brown, C. R. 1990. Avian use of native and exotic riparian habitats on the Snake River, Idaho. M.A.
Thesis. Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO.
Clark, G. 2010. Changes in patterns of streamflow from unregulated watersheds in Idaho, western
Wyoming, and northern Nevada. Journal of the American Water Resources Association 46(3):
486-497.
DeLay, L., D. M. Finch, S. Brantley, R. Fagerlund, M.D. Means, and J.F. Kelly. 1999. Arthropods of
native and exotic vegetation and their association with willow flycatchers and Wilsons warblers.
5
2014 WCS Climate Adaptation Fund Pre-Proposal Application Form
Pages 216-221 in D. M. Finch, J. C. Whitney, J. F. Kelly, and S. R. Loftin (tech. coords.). Rio
Grande ecosystems: Linking land, water and people. Proceedings RMRS-P-7. USDA Forest
Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Ogden, Utah.
Heller, N.E. and E.S. Zavaleta. 2008. Biodiversity management in the face of climate change: A review of
22 years of recommendations. Biological Conservation 142: 14-32.
Knopf, F.L & T. E. Olson. 1984. Naturalization of Russian olive: Implications to Rocky Mountain
Wildlife. Wildlife Society Bulletin 12:289-298.
Leppi, J.C., T.H. DeLuca, S.W. Harrar & S.W. Running. 2012. Impacts of climate change on August
stream discharge in the Central-Rocky Mountains. Climatic Change 112: 997-1014.
Liesner, D. R. 1971. Phytophagous insects of Tamarix spp. in New Mexico. Master of Science thesis, New
Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Miner, K. L. 1989. Foraging ecology of the Least Bells Vireo, Vireo bellii pusillus. Master of Science
thesis, San Diego State University, San Diego, California.
Muirhead, R.W., R.P Collins & P.J. Bremer. 2005. Erosion and subsequent transport state of Escherichia
coli from cowpats. Applied Environmental Microbiology 71(6):2875-9.
Naugle, D.E., K. Higgins & S.M. Nusser. 1999. Effects of woody vegetation on prairie wetland birds.
Canadian Field Naturalist 113:487-492.
Olson, T. E. & F.L. Knopf. 1986. Naturalization of Russian-olive in the western United States. Western
Journal of Applied Forestry 1:65-69.
Pocewicz, A., H. Copeland, L. Washkoviak, M. Grenier, & D. Keinath. In draft. Assessing the future
vulnerability of Wyoming’s terrestrial habitats and wildlife species. To be published jointly by
the Wyoming Game and Fish Department , The Nature Conservancy, and Wyoming Natural
Diversity Database at the University of Wyoming.
Rice, J.A. Tredennick & L.A. Joyce. 2012. Climate change on the Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming: a
synthesis of past climate, climate projections, and ecosystem implications. Gen. Tech. Rep.
RMRS-GTR-264. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky
Mountain Research Station. 60 p.
Shafroth, P.B., G.T. Auble & M.L. Scott. 1995. Germination and establishment of the native plains
cottonwood (Populus deltoides Marshall subsp. monilifera) and the exotic Russian-olive
(Elaeagnus angustifolia L.). Conservation Biology 9(5):1169-1175.
Shafroth, P.B. J.R. Cleverly, T.L. Dudley, J.P Taylor, C. Van Riper III, E.P. Weeks & J.N. Stuart. 2005.
Control of Tamarix in the Western United States: Implications for Water Salvage, Wildlife Use,
and Riparian Restoration. Environmental Management 35(3):231-246.
Shuman, B. 2012. Recent Wyoming temperature trends, their drivers, and impacts in a 14,000-year
context. Climatic Change 112: 429-447.
Stevens, L. E. 1985. Invertebrate herbivore community dynamics on Tamarix chinensis Loueiro and Salix
exigua Nuttal in the Grand Canyon, Arizona. Master of Science thesis, Northern Arizona
University, Flagstaff, Arizona.
6
2014 WCS Climate Adaptation Fund Pre-Proposal Application Form
Wenger, S.J., D.J. Isaak, C.H. Luce, H.M. Neville, K.D. Fausch, J.B. Dunham, D.C. Dauwalter, M.K.
Young, M.M. Elsner, B.E. Rieman, A.F. Hamlet & J.E. Williams. 2011. Flow regime,
temperature, and biotic interactions drive differential declines of trout species under climate
change. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108:14175-14180.
West, J. M., S.H. Julius, P. Kareiva, C. Enquist, J.J. Lawler, B. Petersen, A.E. Johnson & M.R. Shaw.
2009. U.S. natural resources and climate change: concepts and approaches for management
adaptation. Environmental Management 44:1001-1021.
Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ). 2012. Wyoming Water Quality Assessment
and Impaired Waters List (2012 Integrated 305(b) and 303(d) Report). Document #12-0203.
Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD). 2010. Wyoming State Wildlife Action Plan. Cheyenne,
Wyoming.
7