Fall River Restoration Update

CCA and our partners at the BLM and Western Colorado Conservation Corps (WCCC) were busy the last two months removing tamarisk and spraying other weeds on the Colorado and Gunnison Rivers. Crews worked at the entrance to the Black Rocks camps and Dog Island on the Colorado River and Leonard's Basin and Beach areas on the Lower Gunnison.

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Tamarisk Removal at Leonard’s Basin & Leonard’s Beach

Last month, CCA’s River Restoration Program saw a new type of tamarisk removal treatment on the Gunnison River. WCCC saw crews cut a meandering path in the tamarisk leaving 50% of trees standing. This strategy provides shade for established and planted natives between sections of tamarisk, resulting in higher survival rates of native species. After natives are established, saw crews will return to the site and remove the remaining tamarisk. Overall, during week one, the crews created 8 burn piles and 27 habitat piles and during week two, crews created 36 burn piles and 24 habitat piles.

This season, through Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) funds, CCA sponsored five weeks of WCCC work at six different sites within the McInnis Canyons and Dominguez-Escalante NCAs. We owe a huge thanks to WCCC, BLM, and all of our volunteers for helping restore the riparian areas that are vital to our NCAs and to our community.