Oral Abstract Details
Prioritization of potential riparian buffer locations in an urbanizing, agricultural Midwestern (U.S.A.) watershed - (published)
Author(s):
Andrew P. Rayburn; Molly van Appledorn
Affiliation:
Utah State University; University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Presentation Type:
Oral
Topic Area:
Application of ecological research in land-use planning
Abstract Text:
The establishment of riparian forest buffers is a common practice in agricultural watersheds, designed to mitigate the negative effects of runoff on water quality. However, it is often infeasible to create buffers around all affected streams given landowner desire to maximize production and limited conservation funding. Prioritization of potential buffer locations is therefore required to optimize runoff interception versus the conservation investment. The Clear Creek (IA) watershed is an urbanizing agricultural watershed in eastern Iowa in which water-quality concerns have motivated conservation efforts. We used a novel set of GIS tools to identify priority riparian buffer locations in the watershed, based on slope, land-cover, and on the drainage of upland agricultural fields into unforested streamside locations. We identified 79 total priority buffer locations that drained approximately 17 km2 of cropland. 17 patches were within 10 m of 2008 riparian forest cover and were largely concentrated near the main stream channel. Conservation efforts in this region could focus on expanding existing forest cover to encompass nearby priority locations. Most of the remaining patches were greater than 100 m away from 2008 riparian forest cover, and generally occurred in two distinct regions lacking substantial forest cover. The more northerly region fell within an area of rapid urbanization, while the more southerly region fell within a matrix of cropland. Conservation efforts in these regions could focus on the creation of riparian forests through initiatives such as CRP and urban forest programs, serving the dual purpose of improved water quality and habitat provision. The results of this study inform ongoing attempts in the watershed to mitigate the effects of intense anthropogenic land-use, and may be used by state and local agencies to prioritize riparian locations for targeted conservation measures.
