Creeks & Communities Effort Within the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area

What is Creeks & Communities?

• Created in 1996 by BLM and Forest Service in cooperation with NRCS

• Mission: Healthy Streams (and wetlands) Through Bringing People Together

• Multi-party approach for all lands where interest exists in improving riparian condition

Increase awareness and shared understanding of riparian function and sustainability across a large number of

diverse people

Cooperatively develop solutions to present and future resource

issues

Principles & Practices

• Bring affected/interested parties together

• Create learning environments and build relationships

• Develop community information base – joint fact finding – useful information

• Use the experience and learning in riparian management

Proper Functioning Condition (PFC)• Dissipate stream energy• Reduce erosion• Filter sediment• Capture bedload• Aid floodplain development• Improve floodwater

retention and groundwater recharge

• Develop root masses that stabilize stream banks

• Increased water quality and quantity

• Diverse ponding and channel characteristics

• Habitat for fish and wildlife

• Greater biodiversity

Adequate vegetation, land form or large woody material to:

Physical Functions Values

Determine Status and Trend

PFC Potential

Values

Tim

e

Recreation / Birding

Watershed Values

Livestock Values

Fisheries/Wildlife/ESA

BLM Standard: Meeting or moving toward Proper Functioning Condition (PFC)

PFC is minimum acceptable condition BLM decision space is a range, is based on values, and is

somewhere between proper functioning condition and potential natural community

Not ResilientVulnerable

Potential

TR1737-15 (1998)Potential - the

highest ecological status a riparian-wetland area can attain given no political, social, or economical constraints

SEC. 102. (a) GENERAL AUTHORITIES.-The Secretary shall manage the conservation area in a manner that conserves, protects, and enhances the riparian area and conserves, protects, and enhances the riparian area and the aquatic, wildlife, the aquatic, wildlife, archeological, paleontological, scientific, cultural, educational, and recreational resources of the conservation area.

PFC Potential

Values

Tim

e

Recreation / Birding

Watershed Values

Livestock Values

Fisheries/Wildlife/ESA

Not ResilientVulnerable

Sustaining the SPRNCA, Communities and EconomiesIt’s all linked

Riparian FunctionRiparian Functio

n

SPRNCA Law

Fort Huachuca

Fish, Wildlife & Recreation

Watershed Health

SustainabilityFuture Developmen

t

Local Economy

T&E Species

Mar/Apr 2011 Situation Assessment

NRST met with diverse parties (March) to get a better understanding of the situation and options for NRST involvement

Three categories of themes emerged1. Larger San Pedro basin2. SPRNCA all resources3. SPRNCA riparian

Mar/Apr 2011 Situation Assessment

Three categories of themes emerged1.Larger San Pedro basin2.SPRNCA all resources3.SPRNCA riparian

Three Levels of Needs Became Apparent1. BLM involvement on USPP, BLM

water rights claim2. BLM initiate Resource

Management Plan (RMP) process for SPRNCA which includes creation of the legislatively mandated Advisory Committee (FACA-chartered)

3. Creeks & Communities Project: Collaboratively reaching agreement on current riparian condition, desired conditions, and riparian management objectives (community members, stakeholders, and technical specialists)

• Report on findings April 26, 2011• May 2011 meeting with BLM and

Stakeholders, finalized C&C activities for 2011

Mar/Apr 2011 Situation Assessment

2011 Creeks & CommunitiesAction Plan

• July Technical Riparian Workshop #1, Tucson• July Community Meeting, Sierra Vista• Oct Community Riparian Workshops

July 2011Technical Riparian Workshop

and Community Meeting• NRST met with BLM and partner technical

specialists in Tucson to review existing information

• Developed 2012 action plan to collect additional information needed to develop comprehensive description of potential and current riparian condition on a reach-by-reach basis in a manner that satisfies AZ BLM Land Health Standards in advance of BLM planning process

• Community meeting in Sierra Vista to report out and get feedback from those unable to attend the technical meeting

October 2011Community Riparian

Workshops• NRST-led workshops focused on understanding the

attributes and processes that constitute riparian-wetland function and sustainability

• BLM and Community Watershed Alliance co-sponsored workshop on wetlands/cienegas (Apache Nitrogen conference room/St David Cienega). BLM and Friends of the San Pedro River co-sponsored workshop on river systems (Fairbanks Schoolhouse/San Pedro R at Fairbanks)

• Information presented on how stakeholders can get involved in 2012 activities

2012 Creeks & CommunitiesAction Plan

• February - Technical Riparian Workshop #2 - Review “potential” for reaches

• February Community meeting Thursday 5-8 pm

• March PFC for Professionals Training• April Pre-assessment Community Workshop• April PFC assessments• September Post assessment workshop

February – April 2012Technical Riparian Workshop #2• NRST contractor-led interdisciplinary effort to

synthesize existing information and provide a description a riparian potential for the 40+ miles of the San Pedro river within the SPRNCA on a reach-by-reach basis

• NRST work with BLM and partner technical specialists to review and finalize these descriptions (February 2012), which will provide a benchmark against which to compare current condition and trend, and to develop riparian management objectives

• Community meeting (February 9) in Sierra Vista to report out and get feedback from those unable to attend the technical meeting

• Final report by April 1

March – April 2012Riparian Assessment Training

• ‘PFC for Professionals’ : (week of March 19) NRST-led, intensive 4-day training for natural resource professionals who either perform PFC assessments or are interested in better understanding how they are integrated into a broad planning, implementation and monitoring program

• ‘Pre-Assessment Community Workshop’ : (April 10) NRST-led, 1-day training for community members who are interested in learning more about the PFC assessment process and/or are planning to accompany the ID Team in the field. An evening overview (April 9) will also be provided for those unable to attend the 1-day session

April 11-20, 2012Field Based Riparian

Assessments• NRST members/contractors work with the BLM ID

Team to conduct updated PFC assessments on the 40+ miles of the San Pedro river within the SPRNCA

• Technical specialists from partner agencies and organizations, plus other interested stakeholders, are encouraged to attend to witness the process and engage in discussions

• Report documenting assessment results will be written by NRST contractor (July 2012) and reviewed by internal BLM and external technical specialists (final report August)

September 2012Post-Assessment Workshop

1. How the BLM can best use the information and stakeholder interest that has been generated as they move forward in their planning process?

2. How the larger community can use the assessment results, coupled with resultant BLM decisions regarding desired future condition, to inform watershed scale efforts?

NRST and SPRNCA ID team-led stakeholder workshop to explain the results of the assessment & explore next steps (week of Sept 17)

For more information contact:

Ryan Pitts, BLM Gila District,

520-439-6409 rpitts@blm.gov

Janice Staats, NRST541-416-6891

jstaats@blm.gov

View from Hereford Bridge: (left) circa mid-1980s (BLM); (right) 10 years later (D. Krueper, BLM)