8097

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 8097
• Author: American Fisheries Society.
• Title: Proceedings of the 18th Annual Meeting, Colorado - Wyoming Chapter, American Fisheries Society.
• USFW Year: 1983.
• USFW - Doc Type: March 2-3, 1983.
• Copyright Material: NO

comm. 1982), one in Arizona (Ingebo 1971), and one in California (Rowe
1963). These studies involved the removal of mostly non-riparian vegeta-
tion, such as juniper and chapparal. The most detailed study (Rowe 1963)
was on Monroe Canyon Creek in California. Removal of 34 acres of woodland
vegetation and 4 acres of riparian resulted in significant increases in
streamflow. The removal of non-riparian, deep-rooted woodland plants was
thought to have been responsible for most of the flow increase observed.
In two other studies on perennial streams in Arizona, elevated summer
flows occurred after removal of valley bottom vegetation. Eradication of
cottonwood, willow and seepwillow along a grazed reach of Cottonwood Wash
resulted in summer streamflow increases equalling six percent over inflow
(Bowie and Kam 1968). In another study, the removal of a small amount of
riparian vegetation along the North Fork of Workman Creek had no effect,
but conversion of 80 acres of adjacent moist-site conifer to grass resulted
in an average 45 percent increase in water yield (Rich and Thompson 1974).

Livestock Grazing

Several studies show that removal of cattle from streamsides may result
in increased summer streamflow, even when riparian vegetation increases.
After fencing seven miles of Willow Creek in the Crooked River National Grass-
land in Oregon, change from intermittent to perennial flow has occurred after
six years (Winegar, pers. comm. 1982). While Willow Creek for five miles
above and below the exclosure is still dry in summer, there is now peren-
nial flow within the exclosure. Beaver have not yet made dams within the
exclosure. Fencing of McMeen Springs and McMeen Springs Creek, a tribu-
tary to Willow Creek has also resulted in perennial streamflow.
A similar finding has been reported on Camp Creek in Oregon. By 1974,
four miles of Camp Creek had been fenced from cattle grazing. Dramatic in-
creases in wildlife utilization, pronounced soil buildup, and recovery of
riparian vegetation was reported as a result (Winegar 1977). During the
droughts of 1977 and 1981, the West Fork of Camp Creek, which is the main
source of flow for Camp Creek, dried up. However, during these periods, flow
in Camp Creek began just within and persisted through the exclosure, and then
dried up just below the exclosure. Camp Creek now supports fish and beaver,
where none were present at the time of fencing (Winegar, pers. comm. 1982).
Change from intermittent to perennial flow on three small, spring-fed
Texas streams upon elimination of cattle grazing has also been observed
(McCollum, pers. corom. 1982). Big game species were not removed. Riparian
vegetation grew abundant at about the same time perennial flow developed.
It is unknown if flows from the springs increased.

DISCUSSION

Channel morphology, streamside soils and vegetation, and land uses
affecting these factors, can have important effects on the timing of flows
in small streams. Flow increases after removal of cattle, and after dams
have been constructed, show that vegetation management is only one alter-
native to management in valley bottoms for summer streamflow increase.
Summer flow increases after dam construction show that the potential
for instream and bank storage is often unrealized on small streams. Enough

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