Dolores River Restoration Partnership Rapid Monitoring – Tracking Restoration Progress on a Site-By-Site Basis
Emily Kasyon1
1Dolores River Restoration Partnership/Conservation Legacy, Durango, CO, USA; ekasyon@conservationlegacy.org
The invasion of tamarisk and other aggressive invasive plants negatively affects the health of the Dolores River, where their extensive growth has displaced native plants, increased wildfire risks, impaired wildlife and fish habitat and forage, and diminished recreation access. The Dolores River Restoration Partnership (DRRP) is a coalition of organizations created in 2009 that has been working collaboratively to restore Dolores River riparian habitat across two states, four BLM field offices, five counties, and more than 26 engaged private lands, implementing invasive species removal and other restoration activities along 1,900 acres of the riparian corridor to date. The DRRP utilizes a rapid monitoring protocol, developed specifically for the needs of the partnership, to record vegetation response to restoration activities. Data is used to track restoration progress and make informed management decisions on a site-by-site basis along the 200 miles of river where restoration activities have been conducted. This monitoring effort is fundamental to adaptive management on the Dolores River, where decisions about restoration activities are based on relevant site-specific information.