Join Johan Hogervorst, USDA Forest Service, and Rebecca Wassell, Mid Columbia Fisheries who will explore what constitutes Stage 0 in restoration work and how what we have learned can be applied in our region.
The Forest Service has pioneered a river restoration approach within depositional alluvial valleys that aims to re-create a pre-disturbance condition referred to as “Stage Zero”. As described in Brian Cluer and Colin Thorne’s 2013 paper on the Stream Evolution Model, disturbance in unconfined valleys often leads to stages of incision, widening and conversion from depositional to transport environments, leading to loss of valley water table, increased stream power and significant alteration of natural ecological functions. Depending on the degree of degradation, various techniques can be used to alleviate incision, restore water table and recover historic processes throughout a valley bottom. Johan Hogervorst will describe the agency’s experience with valley bottom reset projects in the McKenzie River Watershed in Oregon, and suggest how it can be applied in other watersheds.
While all of our speakers’ series events are free of charge, we welcome a donation in any amount to support our ongoing work. Suggested is $20! Thanks for considering! Be sure to register here and then visit our website or click here to be transferred to our donations page!