Habitat Restoration
While our region’s rivers have an incredible regenerative power, they won’t reach their full potential without some help.
What does habitat restoration look like?
Effective habitat restoration can take many forms. When possible, removal of dams and culverts opens rivers and streams for fish, while improving or implementing fish passage structures allow movement when removal is not viable. Planting trees along rivers shade water for fish and provide important inputs into the aquatic food chain.
Planting trees so fish can keep their cool
The landscape along the banks of the river plays a significant role in the health of the river and influence the habitat of the fish species that call the river home. Native trees and shrubs planted along riverbanks filter polluted runoff, reduce erosion, and provide a buffer zone between our streams and land use. Planting and restoring floodplains is an important step toward improved water cleanliness, more stable riverbanks, and better fish and wildlife habitat. Trees planted along streambanks can provide canopy cover that reduces the temperature of the rivers. Fish like cool, clean and flowing rivers to spawn in. The addition of large woody debris to rivers is crucial to a healthy fish habitat. In addition to retaining sediment, large pieces of wood diversify fish habitat and provide protection. Whether woody debris enter the rivers in the form of installed logs as part of a restoration project, or as trees that grow along the river bank and fall in naturally, these structures are crucial.
How are dams and culverts removed?
The design, permitting and removal plan for each dam or culvert varies based on the project. The exact removal method for a dam or culvert depends on the size of the structure, the material it is made of, and several other factors. While some people think that removing a dam simply means blowing it up to let the water run through, more often a dam is carefully excavated using heavy machinery. Piece by piece, materials such as concrete, timber and metal are dislodged from the existing dam and trucked offsite for disposal. Some dams are removed “in-stream,” with construction equipment entering the river, while others are removed “in the dry.” This means that the river is diverted or pumped around the construction site to allow the machinery easy access. In addition to removing the barrier, removal efforts often include additional restoration work. The watershed scientists, engineers and landowners ensure that a stable river channel is created, habitat is suitable for the critters, and that the surrounding banks are planted to restore natural vegetation.
