Summary of Monitoring and Research Cottonwood Ranch

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Platte River within the Cottonwood Ranch (Figure 1). A surve-y-grade global positioning system was used to make topographic measurements along ea,ch cross-section by defining the slope breaks occumng between riverbanks. Topography along a1157 cross-sections was measured during this round of data collection. Addztional detailed topographic data was collected along riverbanks, island and bar edges and along longitudinal profiles to supplement the cross-section data collected at the Managed aj1d Output reaches. This data has been used to create detailed maps of bed elevation along these reaches for input to multi- dimensional computational flow models. Bed material was sampled at almost every other crciss-section surveyed. Bed material was collected at equal intervals (verticals) across a cros:>-section. The number of samples collected at a section varied as a function of the width of the section. The spacing of the verticals was on the order of one per approximately 10 to 12 meters, although shorter sections were sampled with greater intensity to give a larger statistical population. A total of 62, 119, and 108 bed-material samples were collected at the Input,lVlanaged and Output reaches respectively. We took ground photography along each cross-sect:ion by standing over the left pin and sighting the right pin in the center of the frame. Phatographs were also made of the left riverbank immediately upstream and downstream of each section by standing on or around the left pin of the section and turning both upstrearr.i and downstream to sight the bank in the center of the frame. B. Spring - 2003- (Surveying, Sampling, and Photography -- Temporal Sections) Data collection in support of the temporal intensive monitoring component of the protocol was initiated March 26, 2003. At this time all of the; monitoring and research sections were resurveyed and bed material resampled at the temporal intensive monitoring sections only. These resurveys included 11 sections in the Input re;ach, 21 in the Managed, and a1125 sections in the Output reach. These resurveys and samples are intended to document natural intra-year variability in bed elevation and bed-mater.-ial grain size. While only a subset of the monitoring and research sections is typically resurveyed at this time of year, additional surveying was performed to ensure that if a high spring flows occurred post flow comparison could be made with all of the monitoring sections. C. Summer - 2003 -(Surveying, Sampling, and Fhotography -- Temporal Sections, General Monitoring Sections) On July 22, 2003 we revisited the subset of intensive monitoring sections referred to as the temporal intensive sections. These resurveys included 2 sections in the Input reach, 3 in the Managed, and 3 sections in the Output reach. Natural or artificial high Spring flows did not occur otherwise we would have resurveyed all of the river sections at this time. The General Monitoring component was also completed. A total of 5 additional cross- sections that traverse the entire width of the Platte FUver (include all channels) were