Water Modeling

Amazing how cold it can be at the end of April at Silver Creek! The wind cuts through clothing like nothing. And this is the week that Maria Loinaz scheduled to come to the valley and install monitoring devices for her pHd studies!

Originally from Puerto Rico, she is doing her pHd research in Denmark focusing on groundwater and surface water modeling. She chose the Wood River Valley as a research location because of the unique nature of the area—the groundwater and surface water are closely tied together, it is a world class fly fishing destination, and there are environmental stressors effecting the system (in particular sediments, nutrients, and temperature). There have been models of the Wood River water system done before but the unique thing about Maria’s is that she is coupling the water model with an ecological model. She will be able to see how changes to the system (such as temperature, land use changes, etc) will affect the ecosystem and specific habitats.

Stay posted!

The Meetings continue

I enjoyed two great meetings this week and look forward to the last one of this series tonight. These meetings are open houses and meant to be forums for discussion. So far, we have talked more about silt and added a few topics--- for instance, shoudl the tributaries be managed differently than the main stem of Silver Creek?

Ecosystem Sciences Foundation has been knee deep in data and studies, and also knee deep in Silver Creek. Some of their VERY PRELIMINARY observations and discussion topics are as follows:

• The majority of sediment deposits in Silver and most tributary streams are “legacy” sediments from the early years of livestock grazing. Relatively recent studies seem to confirm this and that a sediment balance has been reached in Silver Creek in that the annual sediment inputs may equal the annual sediment exports.
• Current sediment sources occur during spring runoff from agriculture fields adjacent to streams that are not adequately buffered with riparian vegetation. Other sediment sources such as airborne (losses during tilling), bank erosion, muskrat activity, etc., are far less significant than the overland runoff.
• The average and minimum annual summer temperatures in Silver Creek are well below threshold temperatures for all trout life stages. Maximum summer temperature, generally at dusk, are high yet still below the threshold temperature for trout. Rapid temperature decline beginning at night fall ameliorates adverse affects on trout. In fact studies show substantial trout feeding activity at night.
• Neither temperatures nor sediments are currently having an adverse affect on Silver Creek trout populations; however, there is small margin for additional temperature increases or sediment deposition before a “tipping point” is reached in which trout numbers, recruitment and growth are adversely affected.

These are discussion topics only as ESF may revise them based on further investigation!!! Stay posted!

For the meetings in May, we can look forward to seeing these maps:
• Watershed Map: Basic map of what area will be included as
the “ecosystem”
• River-Tributary Map: Bellevue triangle including Big and Little Wood river connections
• Groundwater: Basic local of the aquifer(s) in triangle and major wells
• Land Use: Color coded for ag, rural, urban, preserve, etc
• Irrigation System: Use hydro graphics to map major canals and diversions
• Landform and Vegetation: riparian, etc
• Fish Habitat: Pools, riffles, runs
• Sediment Inputs: Using info from Goodman and Griffith/Minshall studies
• Sediment Deposition: Major sites of deposition in Loving, Silver
• Thermal Conditions: Using thermal imagery, temp data from data loggers)
• Steam Widening 1946 overlay on 2009 (with quantification)
• Buffer Zones: areas where ag land and tributary interface are or are not adequately buffered
• Stream Restoration: Map restoration projects as length of stream to illustrate connectivity and isolation
• Priority Areas: sediment input, channel overwidening, diversions/backwater, ponds, deposition zones, thermal loading, etc


What do we need now???
Your comments and old photos! Please use get us your comments, thoughts, photos, and information as soon as possible.
Thank you and hope to see you tonight at the Nature Conservancy office in Hailey at 116 1st ave. north, 5:30 pm.
Dayna

Restoration and Values

Brown trout photo by Paddy McIlvoy

To restore, or not to restore.
To enhance, or not to enhance.
These are the questions...

As we gather information from people around the area, I am amazed at how much we all want generally the same thing for Silver Creek--- for it to be a healthy, resilient, functioning, amazing place for future generations to enjoy as we have. It seems we all have a little different way of getting there, and where we focus our energy may be different, but the end goal appears to be very much the same.

We all value things uniquely no doubt. Values are difficult to quantify and interpret, but realizing the diverse environmental philosophies can tell us a lot about the values people hold regarding nature and restoration and how receptive they will be to changes (or to no changes!). Erik Katz (2000), a noted critic of restoration, frames the philosophical questions of restoration:

"Why is the restoration and management of nature a philosophical issue?
Why, indeed, should any environmental policy be a matter of concern for philosophers? The obvious reason is that any human activity is subject
to ethical analysis and justification—we need to see what values are promoted
or retarded by particular policies. But even more basic than the ethical
analysis is the philosophical search for meaning. What is the essential
character of a given human activity? What does it mean to say that we humans
are restoring natural ecosystems? What are we doing when we restore the
natural world? In asking these questions, I am not seeking a detailed description
of the science and technology of the restoration process—I am seeking the
philosophical meaning of the restoration of nature" (37).

These philosophical questions require us to question our relationship to nature when we attempt to restore it.

In posting this blog, I hope to be a little provocative-- we want to hear everything. What do you value about Silver Creek? What would you like to see inhe future? All of your comments are welcome and encouraged!