Channel Aggradation by Beaver Dams on a Small Agricultural Stream in Eastern Nebraska

McCullough, Mary Carla; Harper, J. L.; Eisenhauer, D.E.; Dosskey, M. G.

doi:10.13031/2013.17423

Cited by 6 publications

(13 citation statements)

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“…In other semi-arid regions, aggradation (recovery from incision) has been observed when grazing practices and riparian land uses are altered to allow the re-establishment of riparian vegetation (Zierholz et al, 2001). Aggradation has also been observed to occur where beavers are able to build dams on streams (Scheffer, 1938;Butler and Malanson, 1995;McCullough et al, 2005). This suggests that recovery will occur when natural processes are allowed to operate.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus beaver dams should affect sediment transport by directly influencing stream velocities, and indirectly by creating an environment conducive to the establishment of emergent vegetation that traps sediment. The geomorphic effects of beaver dams has been documented (reviewed by Gurnell, 1998;Pollock et al, 2003), though few studies have examined aggradation rates and only one has done so in an incised stream (McCullough et al, 2005). Butler and Malanson (1995) estimated sedimentation rates of 0·02-0·28 m yr −1 above four beaver dams in Glacier National Park, MT, while Meentemeyer and Butler (1999) observed average sediment depth of 0·28 m in five ponds 5 yrs old or less (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They calculated that if this sediment were distributed evenly across all the streambeds, it would raise them by 42 cm. McCullough et al (2005) studied beaver colonization of an incised stream in Nebraska and found that in a reach where beaver had been established for 12 years stream bed aggradation averaged 0·65 m.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Geomorphic changes upstream of beaver dams in Bridge Creek, an incised stream channel in the interior Columbia River basin, eastern Oregon

Pollock

Beechie

Jordan

2007

Earth Surf Processes Landf

164

132

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Channel incision is a widespread phenomenon throughout the dry interior Columbia River basin and other semi-arid regions of the world, which degrades stream habitat by fundamentally altering natural ecological, geomorphological and hydrological processes. We examined the extent of localized aggradation behind beaver dams on an incised stream in the interior Columbia River basin to assess the potential for using beaver, Castor canadensis, dams to restore such channels, and the effect of the aggradation on riparian habitat. We estimated aggradation rates behind 13 beaver dams between 1 and 6 years old on Bridge Creek, a tributary to the John Day River in eastern Oregon. Vertical aggradation rates are initially rapid, as high as 0·47 m yr − − − − −1 , as the entrenched channel fills, then level off to 0·075 m yr − − − − −1 by year six, as the sediment begins accumulating on adjacent terraces. We found that a 0·5 m elevation contour above the stream channel approximately coincided with the extent of new riparian vegetation establishment. Therefore, we compared the area surrounding reaches upstream of beaver dams that were within 0·5 m elevation of the stream channel with adjacent reaches where no dams existed. We found that there was five times more area within 0·5 m elevation of the channel upstream of beaver dams, presumably because sediment accumulation had aggraded the channel. Our results suggest that restoration strategies that encourage the recolonization of streams by beaver can rapidly expand riparian habitat along incised streams. Figure 5. The accumulation of sediment behind beaver dams consistently lowered the slope of the stream bed. Upstream of beaver dams, bed slopes averaged 0·004, while the underlying bed slopes averaged 0·018. Circles mark the underlying bed slope; diamonds mark the bed slope immediately upstream of the beaver dam.Geomorphic changes upstream of beaver dams in an incised stream channel

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Geomorphic changes upstream of beaver dams in Bridge Creek, an incised stream channel in the interior Columbia River basin, eastern Oregon

Pollock

Beechie

Jordan

2007

Earth Surf Processes Landf

164

132

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“…Restoring wetlands, reconnecting incised streams to their floodplains through the removal of retired roads or railroads, and installing structures that mimic the ecological services provided by beavers are all examples of natural infrastructure-based methods of slowing runoff and promoting water retention in dewatered basins [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]. Previous research on the feasibility of wetlands and other natural infrastructures to attenuate flood and waste water has yielded promising results [14,[23][24][25][26][27].…”

Section: Natural Infrastructure and The Quantification Of Natural Watmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous research on the feasibility of wetlands and other natural infrastructures to attenuate flood and waste water has yielded promising results [14,[23][24][25][26][27]. Beaver mimicry structures, for instance, can improve water quality and slow water flow, generate riparian vegetation, enhance channel stability and wetland hydrologic processes, deliver ancillary benefits to fisheries, and provide cost-effective natural storage opportunities [15][16][17][18][19]21]. Interflow and percolation of water from flood irrigation are critical to the existence of many wetlands in the West [28][29][30][31].…”

Section: Natural Infrastructure and The Quantification Of Natural Watmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Geospatial Approach for Identifying and Exploring Potential Natural Water Storage Sites

Holmes

McEvoy

Dixon

et al. 2017

Water

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Across the globe, climate change is projected to affect the quantity, quality, and timing of freshwater availability. In western North America, there has been a shift toward earlier spring runoff and more winter precipitation as rain. This raises questions about the need for increased water storage to mitigate both floods and droughts. Some water managers have identified natural storage structures as valuable tools for increasing resiliency to these climate change impacts. However, identifying adequate sites and quantifying the storage potential of natural structures is a key challenge. This study addresses the need for a method for identifying and estimating floodplain water storage capacity in a manner that can be used by water planners through the development of a model that uses open-source geospatial data. This model was used to identify and estimate the storage capacity of a 0.33 km 2 floodplain segment in eastern Montana, USA. The result is a range of storage capacities under eight natural water storage conditions, ranging from 900 m 3 for small floods to 321,300 m 3 for large floods. Incorporating additional hydraulic inputs, stakeholder needs, and stakeholder perceptions of natural storage into this process can help address more complex questions about using natural storage structures as ecosystem-based climate change adaptation strategies.

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Natural and historical variability in fluvial processes, beaver activity, and climate in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Persico

Meyer

2012

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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Two centuries of human activities in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) have strongly influenced beaver activity on small streams, raising questions about the suitability of the historical (Euro-American) period for establishing stream reference conditions. We used beaver-pond deposits as proxy records of beaver occupation to compare historical beaver activity to that throughout the Holocene. Forty-nine carbon-14 ( 14 C) ages on beaver-pond deposits from Grand Teton National Park indicate that beaver activity was episodic, where multi-century periods lacking dated beaver-pond deposits have similar timing to those previously documented in Yellowstone National Park. These gaps in the sequence of dated deposits coincide with episodes of severe, prolonged drought, e.g. within the Medieval Climatic Anomaly 1000-600 cal yr BP, when small streams likely became ephemeral. In contrast, many beaver-pond deposits date to 500-100 cal yr BP, corresponding to the colder, effectively wetter Little Ice Age. Abundant historical beaver activity in the early 1900s is coincident with a climate cooler and wetter than present and more abundant willow and aspen, but also regulation of beaver trapping and the removal of wolves (the beaver's main predator), all favorable for expanded beaver populations. Reduced beaver populations after the 1920s, particularly in the northern Yellowstone winter range, are in part a response to elk overbrowsing of willow and aspen that later stemmed from wolf extirpation. Beaver populations on small streams were also impacted by low streamflows during severe droughts in the 1930s and late 1980s to present. Thus, both abundant beaver in the 1920s and reduced beaver activity at present reflect the combined influence of management practices and climate, and underscore the limitations of the early historical period for defining reference conditions. The Holocene record of beaver activity prior to Euro-American activities provides a better indication of the natural range of variability in beaver-influenced small stream systems of the GYE.

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Channel Aggradation by Beaver Dams on a Small Agricultural Stream in Eastern Nebraska

Cited by 6 publications

References 0 publications

Geomorphic changes upstream of beaver dams in Bridge Creek, an incised stream channel in the interior Columbia River basin, eastern Oregon

Geomorphic changes upstream of beaver dams in Bridge Creek, an incised stream channel in the interior Columbia River basin, eastern Oregon

A Geospatial Approach for Identifying and Exploring Potential Natural Water Storage Sites

Natural and historical variability in fluvial processes, beaver activity, and climate in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

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