Upper Hay Creek Restoration of Rare and Declining Habitat
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Project Goals and Objectives
Implementation of the first phase of the Dry Fork Hay Creek low-tech process-based restoration (LT-PBR) project was completed in Fall 2021. The project area spans a four-mile section of Dry Fork Hay Creek that runs through a private land parcel. Historic land-use practices (in-channel grazing, channel confinement, fur trapping), coupled with catastrophic floods (1964 Christmas flood) have resulted in floodplain conditions throughout the Hay watershed that are plagued by channel incision, sparse or no riparian vegetation, and intermittent flow that limit their ecosystem function. The restoration design for The Dry Fork section of Hay Creek was developed around four major goals: • Increase the proportion of the valley bottom composed of active channel and active floodplain. • Increase pond abundance. • Increase perennial surface flow extent during drought periods. • Increase wetland and riparian vegetation extent, diversity, and abundance. To achieve these goals, the Gilliam County SWCD installed 107 low-tech restoration structures over 4 miles of stream, completing their installation in September 2021.
Structure Construction Elements
The BDAs and PALS were installed using the Low-Tech Process-Based Design Manual.
Project Photos
Cover Photo