Wet meadows, which occur in drylands when stream systems are connected to a floodplain, provide a host of hydrological, river-related and ecological benefits. These groundwater-dependent riparian zones improve water quality by reducing erosion, and hold water on a landscape for longer — improving ecosystem resilience to drought. They also create diverse critical habitat and function as a carbon sink, helping to mitigate climate change.
Though these moist ecosystems comprise less than 2% of the landscape in the sagebrush biome, 80% of wildlife depend on them. The local and endangered Gunnison Sage Grouse (GUSG) rely on healthy, wet meadows within or near sagebrush habitats for their leks, the breeding areas where males strut to attract females.
Healthy, wet meadow systems improve water quality and availability, combat climate change and create essential habitat for diverse plant and animal species. Protecting and restoring these “emerald islands” is essential for dryland resilience to drought, fire and flooding.
Throughout the Southwest, many stream channels are incised and disconnected from their floodplain, due to historical land use and/or deteriorating hydrological conditions in the watershed. Rivers and streams have been straightened, both intentionally and unintentionally. Additionally, grazing, soil tillage, an unbalanced fire cycle and metropolitan and ex-urban development has caused soil compaction. These factors have all contributed to a widespread trend of channel incision, which has devastating impacts on wet meadow ecosystems. Without water saturating the surrounding landscape during flood events, riparian vegetation disappears and floodplains transform into drylands. Degraded stream landscapes lose their valuable ecosystem services and are highly susceptible to drought and erosion.
Excitingly, this degradation of wet meadow systems can be combatted using a method referred to as low-tech, process-based restoration (LTPBR) solutions. This simple, low-cost technique implements natural infrastructure to improve hydrologic, geomorphic and biological processes in dryland streams through the restoration or creation of wetlands.
LTPBR utilizes hand-built rock or wood structures, commonly called Zeedyk structures, after Bill Zeedyk, to jump-start natural processes and “let the water do the work.”
These structures can be implemented in a variety of forms, depending on the specific conditions of the stream. They generally function by slowing and dispersing water and capturing sediment to raise the water table. Zeedyk structures have been designed and implemented for headcut control, grade control and flow dispersal. LTPBR in riparian and wet meadow systems has been proven effective, the most well-known studies coming from the Gunnison River Basin.
There are several ongoing wet-meadow restoration projects in the San Miguel watershed, organized by Renzo Depiccolo, the coordinator for the San Miguel Basin Gunnison Sage-Grouse Working Group. In the Greager Flats portion of the John Kane State Wildlife Area, the team built 92 structures in 2023 and 42 in 2024, adding to the 46 Zeedyk structures in the Miramonte Meadows State Trust Lands.
They continue to monitor these sites, along with more than 50 others that were built in the area prior to 2022, and report positive results. The group plans to construct at least 50 new structures in 2025, and are making efforts to create working partnerships with additional landowners that have sage grouse habitat on their lands to further the recovery of the birds. There are also various resources that provide financial and technical assistance for landowners interested in similar projects, such as the Natural Resources Conservation Service and USFWS Partners for Fish & Wildlife.
Utilizing natural infrastructure is a climate adaptation strategy that can mitigate floods and improve water quality while revitalizing the landscape. The San Miguel Watershed Coalition hopes to continue implementing LTPBR in degraded dryland stream systems to improve the hydraulic condition of the local watershed.
This column was sourced from the following and more; sources provided upon request: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). 2021; A framework for conservation action in the Sagebrush Biome. Working Lands for Wildlife, USDA-NRCS. Washington, D.C. available at: wlfw.rangelands.app; Zeedyk, B & Clothier, V. (2009). Let the Water Do the Work: Induced meandering, an evolving method for restoring incised channels. Quivira Coalition.
