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Research ArticleResearch Section

Native American methods for conservation and restoration of semiarid ephemeral streams

J.B. Norton, F. Bowannie, P. Peynetsa, W. Quandelacy and S.F. Siebert
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation September 2002, 57 (5) 250-258;
J.B. Norton
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F. Bowannie Jr.
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P. Peynetsa
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W. Quandelacy
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S.F. Siebert
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ABSTRACT:

Combined effects of brush encroachment and channel entrenchment in the Southwestern United States threaten ecological, hydrological, and agricultural functions of ephemeral streams and associated alluvial surfaces. Restoration is difficult because entrenchment is widespread, and highly variable flow magnitudes defy standardized structural approaches. Methods developed by the Zuni Indians during more than 2,000 years of farming on dynamic alluvial fans combine brush removal with ephemeral channel-erosion control and show promise for effective watershed-scale conservation and restoration. Zuni utilize several types of simple brush structures that rely on hydraulic characteristics of woody material to modify erosive and depositional effects of both small seasonal and irregular storm-flow events. Zuni brush structures are inexpensive and quick to build, require no external material inputs, and avoid the extensive disturbance associated with conventional rigid check-dam construction. Successive surveys at three incised-headwater ephemeral channels on the Zuni Indian Reservation showed that Zuni techniques increased the incidence of overbank flow during small streamflow events (acting as permeable check dams) and large floods (moving downstream and forming debris jams) and thereby helped reconnect channels to alluvial fans. Zuni brush structures represent a potential alternative to capital- and labor-intensive approaches to semiarid watershed conservation and restoration.

Footnotes

  • Jay B. Norton is a former research associate at Iowa State University and is currently a research associate at Utah State University. Patterson Peynetsa is director and Fred Bowannie Jr. and Wilmer Quandelacy are former employees of the Zuni Sustainable Agriculture Project, Stephen F. Siebert is an associate professor in the School of Forestry at the University of Montana.

  • Copyright 2002 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society

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Journal of Soil and Water Conservation: 57 (5)
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
Vol. 57, Issue 5
September/October 2002
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Native American methods for conservation and restoration of semiarid ephemeral streams
J.B. Norton, F. Bowannie, P. Peynetsa, W. Quandelacy, S.F. Siebert
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation Sep 2002, 57 (5) 250-258;

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Native American methods for conservation and restoration of semiarid ephemeral streams
J.B. Norton, F. Bowannie, P. Peynetsa, W. Quandelacy, S.F. Siebert
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation Sep 2002, 57 (5) 250-258;
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