Erosion Control and Arroyo Restoration Hands-On Workshop
with Bill Zeedyk
November 16–17 or 18-19, 2010
Hosted by the Ciénega Watershed Partnership, with support from the Bureau of Land Management
Soil and nutrient conservation and water retention are critical components of habitat quality and overall watershed health. These are top priorities for the Ciénega Watershed Partnership and its partners as we continue to care for the Ciénega Creek Watershed. Erosion and down-cutting annually carry acres of rich sediment from the valley’s uplands to Ciénega Creek and out of the ecosystem. Soils and habitat structure are compromised, challenging native vegetation and the wildlife that depend on it, while actually lowering water tables and draining the entire system.
Decades of on-the-ground experience in watershed restoration have made Bill Zeedyk of Zeedyk Consulting well-known in the Southwest for his innovative philosophies and “low-cost, low-tech, low-risk” arroyo and riparian restoration strategies. Partnership members who support using these strategies include local landowners in Sonoita Valley, Las Ciénegas National Conservation Area, Pima County, Sky Island Alliance, the USDA/Agricultural Research Service, and the University of Arizona’s Cooperative Extension and School of Natural Resources.
Participants in the Workshop will discuss how water moves across the landscape and how to work with those processes, induced meandering as a means of reducing erosion and increasing water infiltration, and road impacts on watersheds. On both days participants will visit existing restoration structures and receive training in the theory and practice of using various kinds of structures, while we build more of them together in eroded areas.
Format for two day Arroyo Restoration Workshops:
Day 1 – meet at Empire Ranch Headquarters – 1/2 day on Arroyo Restoration concepts and 1/2 day in field on Arroyo repair assessment including hands.
Day 2 – full day in field on arroyo restoration including hands on construction
Camping is available near the sites on LCNCA, or lodging is available about an hour away in Tucson. Registrants will receive a detailed information packet.
*Workshop size is limited to 25 participants each day, but we will keep a waiting list!
To RSVP or ask any questions contact Trevor Hare at 520 624-7080 x14 or at trevor@skyislandalliance.org.