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2011 South Mountain Weather Station: Report for Quarter 3

2011 annual report.

This manual describes how to monitor three rangeland attributes: soil and site stability, hydrologic function, and biotic integrity.

SCOPE OF SERVICES FOR THE ESTANCIA BASIN WATERSHED HEALTH, RESTORATION, AND MONITORING PROJECT - POST-FIRE MONITORING STUDY In April 2008, a large area of the Estancia Basin watershed was burned in the 13,709-acre Trigo wildfire. This burn area encompassed a large portion of the Cibola National Forest and also included 3,712 acres of private land on its eastern fringe. Fire creates significant impacts to watershed health, which in turn impacts water yield and groundwater recharge. Since three large wildfires (Ojo Peak, Trigo, and Big Spring) have now burned a considerable portion of the eastern slopes of the Manzano Mountains, the impacts of wildfire on Estancia Basin watershed health are likely significant. SWCA Environmental Consultants (SWCA) is currently monitoring the effects of thinning treatments in the area as part of the Estancia Basin Watershed Health, Restoration and Monitoring Project since 2007. That project is overseen by the Estancia Basin Watershed Health, Restoration and Monitoring Steering Committee (Steering Committee), with funding from the New Mexico State Water Trust Board. The Steering Committee recently awarded SWCA additional funding to develop and implement post-fire monitoring to evaluate wildfire impacts to Estancia Basin watershed health. SWCA developed this proposed scope of services, task list, study plan, and budget that will investigate the impacts of wildfire on forest and watershed health, and to enhance our knowledge of forest disturbances and their impacts on hydrology of the Estancia Basin. Of the three major wildfires, Ojo Peak, Trigo, and Big Spring, SWCA has chosen to focus efforts on the Trigo fire. Replicated study sites across watersheds will be more comparable if they are located within an area that burned at about the same time. The Trigo fire also was the largest of the three, it was centrally located within the study region and relative to the existing forest thinning monitoring site, and it burned more watersheds than the other two .

Winward, Alma H. 2000. Monitoring the vegetation resources in riparian areas. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRSGTR- 47. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 49 p. This document provides information on three sampling methods used to inventory and monitor the vegetation resources in riparian areas. The vegetation cross-section method evaluates the health of vegetation across the valley floor. The greenline method provides a measurement of the streamside vegetation. The woody species regeneration method measures the density and age class structure of any shrub or tree species that may be present in the sampling area. Together these three sampling procedures can provide an evaluation of the health of all the vegetation in a given riparian area. Keywords: riparian sampling, vegetation cross-section, greenline, woody regeneration

An article that explains the assembly and use of a simple piezometer for groundwater and surface water levels, interactions and riparian assesment.

A short article on how to assemble a simple piezometer for groundwater and surface water levels, interactions and riparian assesment.

The ERI library contains approximately 600 items relating to ecological restoration. The library includes articles involving ecological and sociopolitical research, congressional testimony, newsletters, press releases, slides, videos, audio files, working papers, and white papers.

The ERI is nationally recognized for mobilizing the unique assets of a university to help solve the problem of unnaturally severe wildfire and degraded forest health in the region. The ERI works to help land management agencies and communities by providing comprehensive focused studies, monitoring and evaluation research, and technical support.

We're people of northern New Mexico, living in and around the upper Pecos and Canadian River watersheds. A nonprofit organization of young, old and in-between, students and retired people, office workers, engineers and wildlife professionals -- all concerned about the land. Government and private landowners need good information on which to base their decisions for the long-term health of the environment. We do ecological monitoring to help fill that gap. Monitoring is done by community members under the direction of professionals.