Chapter 3: Description of Alternatives

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Chapter 3- Description of the Alternatives Land restoration and enhancement methods to be used on Program lands may include measures for both river channel and nonchannel habitat restoration.3 River Channel Habitat Restoration ? Vegetation clearing and discing on banks and islands to improve sight distance across and along the river and to create roosting and nesting opportunities ? Lowering elevation of vegetated islands and river banks to improve sight distance and create sandbars ? Moving river sand from islands or banks back into the active river channel to offset ongoing erosion of the channel and support formation of new sandbars ? Creating higher flows within the existing river banks to help create sandbars ? Blocking ar diverting higher flows from narrow river subchannels into the main channel ? Other actions to create and maintain sandbars in the river channel Nonchannel Habitat Restoration Habitat Complexes ? Removing trees and shrubs to help restore wet meadows ? Restoring swales and sloughs (and other measures, such as blocking existing agricultural drains) to improve hydrologic conditions in wet meadows ? Haying, grazing, and prescribed burning to promote desirable plant communities ? Converting cropland to grassland for wet meadows ? Seeding with native plant species to improve food availability ? Restricting land use activities during migration periods to reduce disturbance of the target bird species ? Taking other actions to reduce disturbance, such as screening roads and relocating structures and access points ? Augmenting water supplies for wet meadows from existing drains or wells 3 For more discussion of potential habitat management and restoration methods, see the Platte River Endangered Species Parmership, Habitat Management Methods for Least Terns, Piping Plovers, and Whooping Cranes, 2000, as well as the Adaptive Management Plan (Governance Committee's Program Document, Attachment 3).