Riparian Cottonwood Ecosystems and Regulated Flows in Kootenai and Yakima Sub-Basins : Volume III (Overview and Tools). Page: 4 of 39
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2.0 STUDY AREAS
Maps of the study areas are provided in the separate reports. A description of some of the
essential differences between the sub-basins is provided below.
Kootenai River: The Kootenai River is an international sub-basin with one major
reservoir (Libby) mid-way on the portion of the river we looked at. There are few dams,
none of which have significant storage, in the headwaters of this river. Irrigation
removals are minor but diking for agricultural has had major impacts on the lower portion
of the river. The hydrograph below Libby dam is highly regulated. Over the last decade,
flows on the downstream reaches of this river have been manipulated to create a series of
artificial spring freshettes aimed at stimulating spawning in white sturgeon. This gave us
the opportunity to observe the response of native cottonwoods and willows to these
experimental flow releases.
Yakima River: The Yakima River has several storage reservoirs in the upper reaches of
the system. The major alluvial floodplains lower on the system support extensive areas of
intensive agriculture. A significant proportion of the annual flow is removed from the
river for irrigation. Agriculture, settlement and regulated flows have had a significant
impact in the floodplain portions of the system. Flows vary substantially over the season
in a manner that is referred to locally as "flip-flop". In this sub-basin our project
benefited substantially from collaborative research activities on the alluvial floodplains of
this system. A Bureau of Reclamation project, the Yakima Reaches Project under the
direction of Dr. Jack A. Stanford of the University of Montana Flathead Biological
Station has completed extensive work on the basic ecology of these alluvial floodplain
areas.
3.0 METHODS
We applied six major tools is assessing riparian vegetation in these sub-basins.
1. A regional overview using Landsat and other data sources.
2. A historic assessment, using air photo interpretation comparing photos over a 50 to 80
year period, of riparian vegetation and land uses in three study reaches (5-12 km in
length) along portions of the main stem rivers in each sub-basin.
3. An assessment of the present distribution of cottonwood, using a range of remote
sensing tools, in these study reaches.
4. An assessment of the health of riparian vegetation and cottonwood stands, based on
vegetation transect data collected at 30 to 60 sites in each sub-basin on point bars both
within and outside the major study reaches.
5. An assessment of annual and seasonal flow data for each study reach.
The methods used are described in detail in the separate reports.BioQuest International Consulting Ltd.
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Jamieson, Bob & Braatne, Jeffrey H. Riparian Cottonwood Ecosystems and Regulated Flows in Kootenai and Yakima Sub-Basins : Volume III (Overview and Tools)., report, October 1, 2001; Portland, Oregon. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc735941/m1/4/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.