Overview

-Buffalo Creek and its tributaries

-What does being an intern entail?

-Disturbances

-What we did over the summer

-What we found

-Possible restoration projects

-Acknowledgments

Data From Summer 2004 on Buffalo Creek

What Does a CWI Intern Do?

Documenting Disturbances

What counts as a disturbance?

•Gravel Bars

•Mid-Channel Bars

•Point Sources

•Rip Rap

•Debris Deposit

•Tributaries *

•Bridges

•Foot Bridges

•Dams

•Total Erosion Sites

* GPS recorded, but not an actual disturbance.

Gravel Bar

•The water table was so low this year and the drought was so severe that there were few gravel bars

Mid-Channel Bar

Point Source

Rip Rap

Debris Deposit

Evaluating Erosion Potential

Erosion Data Sheet

High Erosion

Potential

Moderate

Erosion

Potential

Low Erosion Potential

In-Stream Habitat and Riparian Buffer Evaluations

•Performed every 1 to 1.5 miles (depending on stream length)

•Used standardized forms and parameter guidelines

•Photographed each site

•Compiled numerical scores to estimate overall condition of stream habitat

We also…

•Performed chemical analysis at multiple sites along the main branch and its tributaries

•Gathered macroinvertebratekick samples at each chemical sampling site

Total Tributary Disturbances

* Note that tributaries aren’t actually a disturbance, but their GPS coordinates are recorded.