Riverscape Restoration

We focus on high mountain headwater streams throughout New Mexico, understanding that repairing our water systems at their source is arguably the most critically important restoration strategy currently available to address the overall health of our watersheds. Our work triggers a cascade of positive effects: water stored in floodplains flows steadily year-round, pollutants settle out in ponds, streams are shaded by willows, and wetlands spring back to life – creating resilience in the face of drought, wildfire, and flooding. Improved riverscapes benefit humans, beavers and lots of other species that depend on streams and wetlands.

While every project includes assessment, design, permitting, and monitoring, it is skilled implementation that makes the difference. Our core field crew, anchored by members of the Navajo Nation – Torreon Chapter, works year-round.  We also employ a seasonal crew of college students, recent graduates and skilled laborers. Together, the crews harvest and re-plant willow and cottonwood poles, build fences to protect maturing vegetation, and construct instream structures that influence the interaction of water, sediment, wood and vegetation and add diversity and complexity to the stream. Instream structure complexes include:

• Beaver Dam Analogues (BDAs): Made from branches, cobbles, and log posts, these mimic natural beaver dams to raise water tables and spread flows.
• Post-Assisted Log Structures (PALS): Logs pinned in place to collect debris, move water, and boost habitat complexity.
• Large Woody Debris Structures (LWDS): Whole trees secured in streams, where they break down over time to form natural habitat features.

Everyone wants clean, abundant water. With these techniques, Rio Grande Return is helping riverscapes remember how to heal themselves.

Riverscape Restoration Projects