Case Study: River and Wetland Restoration

Collaboration and Innovation in the Valle Vidal 2005 to Present

A Diverse Partnership

Watershed Artisans, Inc. has been working in the on the restoration of native Rio Grande Cutthroat trout habitat in the Comanche Creek watershed of Northern New Mexico every year since 2005. Comanche Creek is one of the major streams that drain the high elevation wet meadows and slope wetlands the Valle Vidal, a unique part of the Carson National Forest. The Comanche Creek watershed is a special place that is home to native populations of Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout, as well as numerous other species of high country flora and fauna. Focused watershed restoration work began in 2001 when the Quivira Coalition partnered with The U.S. Forest Service, and the New Mexico Environment Department to address water temperature impairments and stream bank erosion that were having an adverse effect on the native cutthroat trout. Over the years, that partnership has grown to include a diverse group of organizations and individuals ranging from the local grazing association to the Albuquerque Wildlife Federation, Philmont Scout Ranch and Trout Unlimited. Today the partnership has matured and works through the Comanche Creek Working Group, which strives to maintain the original vision of improving water quality and quantity, diversifying wildlife habitat and increasing productivity and grazing forage throughout the Valle Vidal.

Craig Sponholtz has been deeply involved with planning of restoration projects, the facilitation of volunteer workshops, and he design and construction of numerous stream and wetland restoration projects in the Valle Vidal since 2005. Craig has been integral in leading the push to fine tune existing treatments and develop new restoration techniques that are suited to the unique conditions of the Valle Vidal and has had many collaborations with mentor and fellow restoration expert Bill Zeedyk among others.

A Holistic Approach

The restoration approach that has gradually developed over many years of evolving and adapting to the conditions of the Comanche Creek watershed is emblematic of a holistic approach to watershed restoration. Most projects have been focused on the creeks, wetlands and wet meadows of the sub-irrigated valley bottoms, but recent proposals have included the improvement of forest and rangeland health on a watershed scale.   It is not possible to heal a watershed by dealing only with issues in the mainstem streams. Most often the damages seen at the lower reaches of the watershed are symptoms of degradation happening over expansive temporal and spatial scales. The watershed must be treated as a whole to address degradation on a system level. This concept has been validated through project monitoring completed by the NMED Surface Water Quality Bureau. Their monitoring data has shown that reducing streambank erosion and promoting access to floodplains for floodwaters can yield statistically significant improvements to water turbidity and water temperature. This discovery prompted the development of additional projects in the wetlands and wet meadows found in tributary drainages to reduce channel incision and the desiccation of wetlands and encourage as much moisture storage as possible high in the watershed. This approach has created a win-win situation for water quality and quantity, as well as for high value, protein-rich forage production in the same areas. Simply put, if the hydrology is restored, then the land is more productive for fish, wildlife and livestock. These are living working systems where grazing management is an essential part of the solution because grazing use is mandated by the U.S. Forest Service’s land management policies for the area. It’s taken years of trust-building, but now anglers, ranchers and conservationist can all acknowledge that they are working toward the same goal, a healthy and resilient watershed.

A History of Innovation

The specific treatments used for the on the ground restoration work have undergone a similar evolution. We have found that the most effective treatments come from utilizing natural materials often available on site and constructing robust structures that create multiple benefits. For any type of structure to persist in the Valle Vidal, it must stand up to drought, floods, snowpack, large elk herds and livestock, while not adversely impacting the visual beauty of the Valle Vidal. The best projects harmonize the need for restorative function, resilience and aesthetic beauty, all of the values that drive the work of Watershed Artisans. Not only do restoration treatments have to be functional, resilient and beautiful, but they also have to be effective within the context of the watershed they are intended to heal. The Valle Vidal Wildlife Management Unit encompasses over 100,000 acres of high country terrain that is often inaccessible. In a large landscape with extensive degradation it is particularly important to set clear restoration priorities to efficiently utilize limited funding. This has been an evolving process due to the nature of funding cycles, but in the coming years we will finally have the opportunity to look at this landscape as a eco-hydrological whole and connect the threads to make sure that the most critical work happens in addition to all of the supporting projects that will truly weave the landscape back together.

Over the years, Craig Sponholtz and the Watershed Artisans team have been responsible for constructing over 500 restorative structures of all types throughout the Comanche Creek watershed. The the gallery contains examples from some of our favorite projects that show the diversity of treatments required to approach watershed restoration at this scale in a holistic manner. We are extremely proud of our work in the Valle Vidal and derived both an extensive breadth and depth of experience in this beautiful high mountain landscape that permeates all of the work we do.

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