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Wildlife Habitat Plan for Bosque Preserve Aired |
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Written by Jeff Radford
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Saturday, 27 December 2008 |
A draft habitat management plan for the Corrales Bosque Preserve is
being reviewed by the mayor, councillors and other Village officials
prior to its release to the public early next year.
Now in its seventh draft, the 44-page plan is a product of the Corrales
Bosque Advisory Commission, written primarily by Commissioner David
Worledge who was elected the board’s chairman at its December 11
meeting.
Need for such a plan had become evident in recent years following what
some villagers —and some commissioners— felt was excessive clearing of
vegetation in the preserve to reduce the threat of bosque wildfires.
Large expanses of bosque floor were reduced to chipped wood where
forest critters had once nestled in thickets, fallen logs and burrows.
It was no longer a nature preserve, villagers decried.
Councillor Sayre Gerhart led the initiative to begin formulating a
habitat plan for the bosque. A charter member of the Corrales Bosque
Advisory Commission (CBAC), retired biologist Jim Findley, produced an
outline for such a plan last summer. That work was incorporated by
bosque advocate Anita Walsh in an amplified document, and both were
incorporated by Worledge in his even more comprehensive habitat plan.
The Worledge plan sets out three basic goals:
• protect and preserve the bosque against fire;
• protect and preserve against neglect; and
• protect and preserve against the pressure of human activities.
A central, basic assumption of the CBAC habitat plan is that the bosque needs to be restored; that it is a dying forest.
That assumption is derived from the documented observation that the
cottonwood forest is no longer able to regenerate sufficiently because
the Rio Grande is no longer allowed to flow over its banks.
Upriver dams built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Cochiti and
Jemez hold back the river flows that used to flood into the bosque,
moistening the forest floor so that cottonwood seeds would sprout
and grow.
The dams not only retain river flows needed for cottonwood
regeneration, but they cause tributary water behind the dam to drop
much of its sediment load.
So for decades now since the dams were built, Rio Grande water flowing
past Corrales has been “cleaner” than it had been for hundreds of
years. In the past, the river used to dump its silt on the river bed as
it passed Corrales, but now the cleaner water picks up the silt
deposited over eons, scouring out a channel as it flows.
As the river bed drops in the Corrales reach of the Rio Grande, the
deeper natural channel carries more and more water —leaving less
against the river banks that might, at peak flows, spill over into the
bosque for cottonwood seedlings.
That scouring effect which lowers the river bed is exacerbated by the
millions of gallons of clear, silt-free water entering the river at
Corrales via two Rio Rancho sewage effluent pipes.
The CBAC’s draft habitat plan acknowledges this hydrologic-ecologic
dilemma in cursory terms, but doesn’t suggest trying to address the
basic problem. The main solution offered is to begin carving channels
into the bosque floor to divert river water to create wetlands. Another
option suggested is perhaps to divert Rio Rancho’s treated sewage
effluent (already piped to the river at the Harvey Jones Flood Control
Channel and at “North Beach,” just north of the preserve boundary) into
the bosque.
Or perhaps, the draft plan suggests, the bosque floor could be
moistened to accommodate cottonwood regeneration by letting storm water
flowing in the Jones channel pour into the bosque instead of going
directly into the river.
Another option mentioned in passing is to explore installing a movable
dam in the river similar to the one now operating south of the Alameda
Bridge which might back up water sufficiently to flood into the bosque
seasonally.
To the extent feasible, Corrales Comment will publish the text of the
CBAC plan when commissioners determine it ready for publication.
Sections of the plan include:
• management objectives; balancing objectives such as fire prevention and habitat protection;
• management recommendations and guidelines for vegetation, groundwater
and animals; fire protection; potential for wetlands; enforcement,
trails and outreach; plan implementation;
• recommendations for near-term projects;
• new action needed: assessment of vegetation, animals and groundwater;
fire protection and control; wetlands; enforcement, trail use and
maintenance; implementation; and
• recent and ongoing project activities: survey and assess
vegetation, animals and groundwater; fire protection and control.
The current version emphasizes wildfire prevention and calls for
continued removal of dead and down wood and non-native plant species
such as salt cedar, elm and Russian olive. But henceforth, if the plan
is adopted, such clearing projects should be conducted only after a
professional biologist has made recommendations on the extent and
methods of removal.
In the seventh draft, the plan states that “all future clearing in the
preserve will be required to follow the guidelines provided in Appendix
C of this plan.”
That appendix recommends that “Clearing of non-native species, thinning
to reduce excessive fuel load and firewood gathering should be
monitored to ensure that large stands of bosque are not completely
cleared of downed logs. A minimum average of at least two downed logs
per acre should be maintained in riparian forests.
“Areas identified as ‘wildlife areas’ should contain a greater density
of downed logs in different stages of decomposition well distributed
over the riparian forest floor.”
Since the entire bosque preserve is considered a ‘wildlife area,’ these
guidelines indicate that the clearing of downed wood over the past
several years has been excessive and detrimental to the area’s function
as a preserve.
Appendix C continues: “Downed logs on the riverbank and in the water
should not be removed. Unless the excess fuel load is extreme, downed
cottonwood and willow logs should not normally be removed.”
A status report on efforts to write a wildlife habitat management plan
for the Corrales Bosque Nature Preserve was tentatively scheduled for
the December 9 Village Council meeting. Councillor Pat Clauser asked
for the status report at the November 25 meeting.
Mayor Phil Gasteyer said a draft of the habitat plan had been
distributed to members of the governing body, although the document was
still not considered complete. Gasteyer referred to the draft plan
being developed by Commissioner Worledge as “a major opus” that is
“quite comprehensive.”
Calls for such a plan came earlier this year after villagers were
distressed by what they considered excessive clearing of the bosque and
the west bank of the Riverside Drain (“Clear Ditch”) under the
direction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Middle Rio Grande
Conservancy District respectively.
Councillor Sayre Gerhart led the effort to begin such a habitat
plan after conversations with the MRGCD’s planner, Yasmeen Najmi.
The beginning of such a plan for the preserve was produced
in 1991 by then-Chairman of the Corrales Bosque Advisory Commission
Astrid Brown, a biologist.
She suggested that “Corrales police department should keep logs of
their patrolling activities of the bosque. These should be reviewed by
the CBAC every six months. Police should patrol high-use areas of
the bosque, such as Cabezon access, Romero Road access and East
Meadowlark access evenings and weekends.
“A citizen’s bosque preserve auxiliary group should be formed which
would patrol the bosque during daylight hours and report violations of
the [bosque] ordinance to the police.”
Addressing the issue of fire control, Brown wrote: “Fire poses the
greatest threat to the bosque, especially to stands of cottonwoods with
dense understory vegetation. A protocol should be developed for the
rapid location and efficient treatment of fire in the bosque.
“A member of the CBAC should be notified of the occurrence and the
location of a bosque fire, so that the burned area can be monitored by
volunteers for several days after the fire is extinguished. In addition
, the following actions should be considered:
“1. Increase number of entry points to the bosque. Currently there are
two access points for fire-fighting equipment (Cabezon and Romero).
“2. Placement of fire breaks in disturbed are as in the widest portion
of the bosque, where fire access from the levee road or river may be
difficult.
“3. Removal of deadfall in the more sensitive parts of the bosque, such as mature stands of cottonwoods.”
Over the years, police patrolling of the nature preserve has been
sporadic although it has usually increased during periods of high fire
danger. The idea of an auxiliary citizens’ patrol has also been
implemented and faded several times. Both have been judged effective
when they are active.
Regarding Brown’s recommendation for more access points for fire
fighting equipment, the Dixon bridge over the Riverside Drain has been
completed, and design work is finished for the Andrews Lane bridge.
However, her recommendations for fire breaks in disturbed areas only
and for limited clearing of dead-and-down wood have been substituted by
the Corps’ far more extensive clearing efforts.
Proposals for a wildlife habitat management plan for the Corrales
Bosque Preserve were discussed at Village Council meetings in September.
Destruction of bosque habitat earlier this year and last from clearing
of vegetation along the Clear Ditch and inside the levee triggered
intense interest in setting safeguards against future loss.
(See Corrales Comment Vol. XXVII, No. 2, March 8, 2008 “Clear Ditch Tree Cutting Stirs Villagers’ Protest.”)
Last summer, three different efforts were under way to bring wildlife
needs into consideration when projects such as fire hazard reduction
and Riverside Drain maintenance are proposed.
Two of the plans were submitted to the council September 9. One was the
draft by Findley. The other which incorporates the Findley plan was
developed by Walsh, a strong opponent of the clear-cutting done along
the Riverside Drain this past spring.
She submitted both plans at the council meeting. A third, even more
detailed, plan was being, and is still being, produced by the CBAC.
Walsh said she had been waiting for others to produce a habitat
protection plan since she attended a board meeting of the Middle Rio
Grande Conservancy District in March following that agency’s
controversial clear-cutting. “I could see, and could hear from Jim
Findley, that what is necessary for the bosque is a management plan. As
it didn’t seem like anyone else was working on a plan, I started
studying, researching and listening to collect information which would
include the work of the previous Bosque Advisory Commissions” and other
agencies that operate within the Corrales bosque, she explained.
The Findley draft for a management plan is mostly in outline form, and
is based on a vegetation classification map similar to one produced in
1984 by two biologists, V.O. Hink and R.D. Ohmart, which he said should
be updated with aerial photography.
Findley recommended the next step would be to “assign acceptable use
categories for each vegetation type. Some types might be ‘hands off
under all circumstances.’ Some might be ‘limited alteration allowable
for specific purposes’ (such as wetland creation). Some might be
‘limited clearing allowable if demonstrably critical for public
safety.’”
He goes on to explain “the map is the basis for decisions on all
proposals for alterations of any kind in the Corrales Bosque Preserve.
Such proposals are to be approved only rarely and under unusual
circumstances. Proposals are to be studied by the Corrales Bosque
Advisory Committee which will take into consideration all available
evidence bearing upon the situation, and will consult with appropriate
experts and agencies. The CBAC will base its decisions upon the
acceptable uses for each vegetation type as shown on the map. After
careful study, CBAC makes its recommendations for the Corrales Village
Council.”
The Findley outline has three additional components: monitoring, patrolling and trails.
• “Monitoring. Periodic monitoring of vegetation and wildlife is
desirable so that CBAC may be aware of changes or trends that may
require its attention. Useful censusing requires professional workers
who must be recompensed for their labor. The purpose of monitoring is
to record, not necessarily to manage, change. It is expected that, as a
living community, the bosque changes in some ways from year to year as
part of its normal development.
• “Patrolling. Regular patrol by the Corrales Police Department should
be an ongoing part of management of the preserve. It seems entirely
feasible to supplement such patrols with citizen volunteers.
• “Trails. The presently existing bosque trails adequately allow access
to most parts of the preserve. Since, in general, trails represent an
invasion into what should be regarded as a mostly inviolate sanctuary,
no new trails should be constructed except under unusual circumstances.
Present trails should be maintained by periodic clearing, but should
not be widened or extended.”
Walsh’s “Active Habitat Management Plan for the Corrales Bosque
Preserve” is more developed than Findley’s outline, which is
incorporated word-for-word. It also pulls in data and recommendations
from other previous studies and proposals.
She notes that the Village’s Corrales Bosque Preserve Ordinance No. 234
states that the designated bosque is “to be protected in order to
preserve its natural character for the use and enjoyment of the
residents of the village in such manner as will leave it unimpaired for
future use and enjoyment in its natural and protected condition.”
The Walsh plan states its objectives to be:
• “To maintain uniquely high levels of diverse bird and mammal populations;
• “To maintain native plant colonies both common to the general Rio
Grande Bosque with particular concern for more rare native plant
colonies present in the Corrales Bosque Preserve;
• “To protect the Corrales Bosque Preserve from fire damage without compromising its inherent value as a preserve.”
Based on the 1984 Hink and Ohmart recommendations, Walsh’s plan call
for three additional permanent monitoring transects to be established
in the bosque here. Those were identified as a previously burned area,
one at the south end of the preserve and another in the central bosque.
One is already established south of the Romero Road entrance.
Data from those transects collected every two years would include:
number and size of each perennial species of plant; summer census of
breeding birds; fall census of over-wintering birds and census of small
mammals using live traps.
The Walsh plan calls for a screening process for projects proposed in
the nature preserve. Such proposals would have to be weighed against
the objectives of the preserve.
The plan has guidelines for projects such as removal of
dead-and-down wood to reduce threat of wildfire and for maintenance of
the MRGCD ditch banks.
For example, it calls for “coordination with MRGCD for scheduled
dredging of Riverside Lateral Drain, removal of branches and trees
causing erosion, removal of beaver dams and solely essential pruning of
branches limiting efficient water flow, as well as any essential
erosion repair.”
In a section headed “Fire Control Projects for Review,” Walsh listed:
• “Possible introduction of levee turn-around areas and other options of access-egress improvement;
• “Deadfall removal not necessary to habitat should be removed by crews
by hand. A biologists’ mapping of this and any other work should
preceed all maintenance operations.
• “Detrimental, non-native species which have created impenetrable
stands should be removed allowing fuel reduction as well as native
planting and re-seeding to occur.
• “Areas that no longer pertain to habitat should be channel watered,
irrigated or, in cases where there is excessive room for heavy
equipment, should be considered top priority for wetland construction.”
A similar section on “Trail Maintenance and Use Projects for Review”
notes that regular trail maintenance has been carried out by members of
the CBAC. It notes that “Low-impact recreational uses including
walking, biking, horseback riding and fishing have provided public
access to the Corrales Bosque Preserve without sacrificing the goals of
habitat management and protection.”
Her plan calls for periodic evaluation of the physical and ecological
effects of such permitted and encouraged uses of the preserve. Changes
in those policies would be considered if intensity of permitted uses
results in compromises to the objectives of the preserve. |
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