RESTORING TRUCKEE MEADOWS - … Truckee Meadows... · The Truckee River Watershed covers 3120...

RESTORING TRUCKEE MEADOWS: ASSESSMENT AND PRIORITIZATION

February 2018 A report supported by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

Results of a broadly-collaborative effort to prioritize meadows in the Truckee River Watershed for

restoration.

Restoring Walker Meadows

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Restoring Truckee Meadows: Assessment and Prioritization

Maiya Greenwood, Julie Fair, Meg Hanley, Jacob Dyste, and Luke Hunt 2018.

Restoring Truckee Meadows: Assessment and Prioritization. A report by

American Rivers submitted to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.


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CONTENTS

CONTENTS ........................................................................................................................... 2

INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 3

THE TRUCKEE RIVER WATSERSHED ..................................................................................... 3

The Middle Truckee River Watershed .................................................................................................. 5

METHODS ............................................................................................................................ 6

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION OF CONDITION DATA ............................................................ 7

PRIORITIES ........................................................................................................................... 9

Reservoirs ................................................................................................................................................ 10

PRIORITIZATION FOR LAHONTAN CUTTHROAT TROUT ................................................. 14

INFLUENCE OF BEAVER ..................................................................................................... 14

CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................... 15

TRUCKEE RIVER MEADOWS ASSESSMENT DATA .............................................................. 16

Alder Creek Meadow .......................................................................................................................... 16

Hoke Valley Meadow .......................................................................................................................... 17

Dog Valley ............................................................................................................................................. 18

Sardine Valley ....................................................................................................................................... 19

Lower Lacey Meadow .......................................................................................................................... 20

Secret Meadow ..................................................................................................................................... 21

Stampede Dam Road Meadow.......................................................................................................... 22

Russel Valley- Dry Creek ..................................................................................................................... 23

Stampede Meadow .............................................................................................................................. 24

Hobart Mills Meadow........................................................................................................................... 25

Kyburz Flat Meadow ............................................................................................................................ 26

Ranz Dry Meadow ................................................................................................................................ 27

Pink Mine Meadow ............................................................................................................................... 28

Unnamed Meadow 36 ......................................................................................................................... 29

Sagehen Meadow ................................................................................................................................. 30

Upper Independence Creek Meadow .............................................................................................. 31

Other Meadows for Consideration .................................................................................................... 32


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INTRODUCTION Meadows of the Truckee River Watershed are an extremely valuable component of the landscape.

They reduce peak flows during storms and soak up spring runoff, recharging groundwater supplies.

Meadows filter sediment, provide forage, and are important cultural and recreational sites. However,

the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) estimates that half of all meadows in the Sierra

Nevada are degraded and no longer provide these natural benefits (NFWF 2010). Fortunately, there

are methods to restore the condition of unhealthy meadows, and investment in meadow restoration is

expanding rapidly. Investors- including NFWF and other foundations, state and federal agencies,

corporations, ranchers and land managers- seek to provide the largest return on their restoration

investment. Therefore, an important question is which meadows, if restored, will provide the greatest

value? To answer this question, American Rivers partnered with the Forest Service and NFWF to

develop a scorecard to rapidly evaluate meadow condition and prioritize meadows for restoration

(American Rivers 2012). The method has been applied in the Yuba, American, Mokelumne, Kern,

Carson, Walker, and Tuolumne River watersheds, and a similar effort is underway in Sequoia National

Forest and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. UC Davis has developed a database to store

this “Meadow Scorecard” data (http://meadows.ucdavis.edu/assessments/map). This assessment

method has been used to identify dozens of high priority meadows and thereby focused our efforts

and accelerated restoration.

Between 2014 and 2017, American Rivers was funded by NFWF to use the meadow scorecard in the

Middle Truckee River Basin to focus investment and accelerate the pace of restoration. We assessed

every accessible meadow in the watershed that is larger than 15 acres, 30 in all. We prioritized these

meadows for restoration with a working group comprised of local stakeholders who are actively and

strategically pursing restoration in the watershed. These stakeholders included non-profit organizations

(Truckee River Watershed Council, The Nature Conservancy, Trout Unlimited, Truckee Donner Land

Trust, Institute for Bird Populations, Trust for Public Land, the Northern Sierra Partnership, and American

Rivers) and land managers (Tahoe National Forest, Humbolt-Toiyabe National Forest, California

Department of Fish and Wildlife, and US Fish and Wildlife Service). We identified 6 priority meadows

in the Middle Truckee River watershed.

The purpose of this Truckee River Meadows Condition Report is twofold. First, we present condition

data to highlight meadow restoration potential in the Truckee River watershed. Second, it provides

information to inform the stakeholder group for planning subsequent restoration efforts once the first

group of meadows is restored.

THE TRUCKEE RIVER WATSERSHED The Truckee River Watershed covers 3120 square miles of California and Nevada. The Truckee River

flows northeast for 121 miles from Lake Tahoe in the Upper Truckee watershed, through the Middle

Truckee Watershed, and to Pyramid Lake in the Lower Truckee watershed. Derby Dam, located

between Reno and Fernley, diverts water from the river into the Truckee Canal (National Park Service

n.d.). The diverted water flows to the Lahontan Reservoir for irrigation use. The Truckee River provides

80% of drinking water to the residents in Reno, Sparks and the Washoe County areas (City of Reno).


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FIGURE 1. THE TRUCKEE RIVER WATERSHED IS COMPOSED OF THE UPPER, MIDDLE, AND LOWER WATERSHEDS. WE ASSESSED MEADOWS

IN THE MIDDLE TRUCKEE WATERSHED.

The watershed supports many wildlife species and numerous focal species, including federally

threatened Lahontan Cutthroat Trout (LCT). Historically, LCT inhabited an estimated 360 miles of cold

water stream habitat and 284,000 acres of lake habitat in Nevada and California. The largest

populations were in Lake Tahoe and Pyramid Lake. LCT populations declined in the late 1930s due to

dams and diversions, introductions of exotic competitors, pollution, and commercial fishing. The current

LCT range is now limited to about 8 miles of habitat comprising approximately 2.2% of the historic

stream distribution (Coffin and Cowan 1995). There are stronghold populations in Pyramid (currently

stocked,) and Independence Lake (Middle Truckee Watershed). Independence Lake has the only self-

sustaining lacustrine LCT population in the Truckee River (US Department of the Interior 2009).


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The Middle Truckee River Watershed

The Middle Truckee Watershed covers 1201square miles of California and Nevada from above 9100

feet on Castle Peak on Donner Pass to less than 4500 feet at the Truckee Canal (City of Reno). The

main tributaries that feed the Truckee River are the Little Truckee River, Martis Creek, Davies Creek,

Prosser Creek, Donner Creek, and Steamboat Creek. The Middle Truckee also hosts six large reservoirs

(Boca, Donner, Independence, Martis, Prosser, and Stampede).

FIGURE 2. NFWF FUNDED MEADOWS ASSESSMENTS IN THE MIDDLE TRUCKEE WATERSHED

The Middle Truckee watershed supports a number of special status species in addition to LCT, including

the federally endangered Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog (SNYLF), and California endangered

Willow Flycatcher (WIFL).

The headwaters to the Middle Truckee River watershed historically supported the SNYLF. This species

occupies high elevation aquatic sites, typically from 4,800 to 12,000 feet. SNYLF occupy sites in the

eastern Sierra from Inyo County to areas North of Tahoe. This species has experienced dramatic

declines over the last several decades, leading to their federal listing in 2016. The USFWS designated


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critical habitat areas for this species that occur at very high elevation sites in the Truckee River

watershed.

The meadows in the Middle Truckee supply important breeding habitat for the WIFL. This small insect-

eating migrant bird was once common throughout much of the Sierra, but has declined steeply since the

middle of twentieth century. There are three subspecies of WIFL that occur in California and all three

are listed as State Threatened and U.S. Forest Service Region 5 Sensitive in California. Researchers

have noted that WIFL appear to have stopped breeding at many historically occupied meadow sites

throughout their range in the Sierra (Helen Loffland et al. 2014). All of the meadows in the Middle

Truckee River Watershed are within the 12 kilometer dispersal range for Willow Flycatcher.

METHODS

We assessed all accessible meadows larger than 15 acres in the Middle Truckee River watershed using

the Meadow Condition Scorecard (American Rivers 2012).

FIGURE 3 MEADOWS GREATER THAN 15 ACRES IN THE MIDDLE TRUCKEE RIVER WATERSHED. WE USED THE SCORECARD ON 30

MEADOWS.


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The scorecard is a rapid field assessment method that quickly scores channel and vegetation conditions

to identify impacted meadows. The scorecard is based on the framework of the EPA Physical Habitat

Assessment (Barbour et al. 1999) and uses metrics from the Bureau of Land Management Multiple

Indicators Monitoring (MIM) Protocol and Proper Function Conditions (PFC) methods (USDI-BLM, USDA-

Forest Service, and USDA-NRCS 1998), as well as a vegetation indicator developed by Dave

Weixelman, Forest Service Range Ecologist for Region 5 (unpublished data). The scorecard is

qualitative in nature; however, the scoring is based on quantitative measurements, such as bank height,

percent bare ground, and length of gullies. These measurements and methods enable multiple

observers to be field-calibrated and return consistent results throughout a watershed.

Meadow condition was scored using six qualitative measures that can receive a high score of 4 and a

low score of 1:

1. Bank height

2. Bank stability (percent that is unstable)

3. Length of gullies and ditches (compared to the length of the channel)

4. Vegetation cover (graminoid/forb ratio)

5. Bare Ground (percent of meadow area)

6. Conifer or upland shrub encroachment (percent of meadow area)

In addition, the scorecard includes a checklist of anecdotal observations, such as past restoration

efforts, roads in or adjacent to the meadow, grazing observations, and evidence of beaver.

To begin our assessment in the Truckee, we used GIS layers provided by UC Davis and the California

Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to identify all the meadows in the watershed larger than 15

acres. Initially, we identified 39 meadows. We did not survey 9 of these; five were incorrectly

delineated from remote data and were in reality smaller than 15 acres, and the other four were

discounted as meadows because they were dominated by willow, which is not consistent with the

mountain meadow ecosystem definition described in the scorecard.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION OF CONDITION DATA

The results for the lowest-scoring meadows (the bottom 50%) are shown in Table 1. In addition to

condition data, we include the number of actively eroding headcuts. The names of the meadows

prioritized for restoration appear in bold text (see the section on Priorities, below).

A score of 1 or 2 indicates either a substantial level of impact or an unusual environmental setting. For

example, large areas of bare ground may be present where soils are well drained (coarse grained or

steeper slopes) and where gopher activity is high. Meadows with scores in this range require a closer

look to decide if there is a need for restoration, a change in management, or if the meadow condition

is within the normal range for its particular site. Because information on a meadow’s historical condition

is rarely available for comparison there is no absolute method to identify and evaluate impacts (aerial

photographs sometimes show the progression of encroachment by upland shrubs, but channel incision

almost always predates aerial photography). It often takes field visits with an interdisciplinary team to


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decide whether a meadow is a candidate for restoration. The purpose of the data in Table 1 is to

distinguish between meadows that need a closer look and those that are in good condition.

Meadow Name Bank

Height Bank

Stability Gullies

Vegetation Cover

Bare Ground

Encroachment Number of Headcuts

Alder Creek Meadow 1 2 2 4 3 2 7

Hoke Valley Meadow 1 4 4 3 3 1 5

Dog Valley 1 3 3 4 3 1 2

Sardine Valley 2 2 3 2 2 1 1

Lower Lacey Meadow 2 3 4 3 3 3 0

Russel Valley - Dry Creek 3 4 3 3 2 1 3

Stampede Dam Road Meadow

3 3 3 4 2 3 2

Stampede Meadow 3 4 3 3 4 2 2

Hobart Mills Meadow 3 3 3 3 2 3 1

Kyburz Flat 3 3 3 4 3 1 0

Ranz Dry Meadow 4 4 3 3 1 2 2

Pink Mine Meadow 4 4 4 3 1 2 2

Secret Meadow 4 4 4 3 3 3 1

Unnamed Meadow 36 4 4 4 3 1 1 0

Sagehen Creek Meadow 4 4 4 3 4 2 0

Upper Independence Creek Meadow

4 4 4 4 4 2 0

TABLE 1. THE CONDITION AND NUMBER OF HEADCUTS FOR THE 16 LOWEST SCORING MEADOWS. NOTE THE COLOR AXIS FOR THE

HEADCUT COLUMN DIFFERS FROM THE COLORS FOR THE CONDITION SCORES.


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Top priorities include the meadows with the poorest channel conditions as well as Secret Meadow,

which was identified because it has a large headcut at the bottom threatening the entire meadow

area.

Two patterns are evident in Table 1. First, most meadows are affected by encroachment of upland

species, including Large Sagebrush (Artemesia tridentata). Encroachment is present in meadows with and

without downcut stream channels. The cause of encroachment likely varies between meadow and may

include fire suppression, historic overgrazing that enabled the recruitment of upland species into bare

areas or naturally well-drained areas that were misidentified as encroachment.

The second pattern is that meadows with high banks tend also tend to have unstable banks and

headcuts that are a result of channel incision. (The process of incision, headcutting and erosion has been

descriptively called “unravelling.”) Meadows showing this second pattern of impact are the meadows

that we identify for potential re-watering, using restoration designs that reverse incision and

simultaneously address bank instability, headcutting and encroachment of upland species.

In addition to patterns of past impacts, headcuts are an indication of risk from future erosion. Often

headcuts are a symptom of incision because after the channel has incised the beds of tributaries and

swales downcut to reach the elevation of the incised channel. These headcuts may be best treated by

fixing the root cause, namely incision. In other cases, for example, Secret Meadow, the headcuts are

extending from a more recent nickpoint such as a culvert or roadbed. For these meadows, treating a

headcut may be the stitch in time that saves nine.

PRIORITIES Members of the Truckee River Stakeholder Group met multiple times between 2014 and 2017, to

identify priorities and goals for restoration at individual meadows. The prioritization process began by

collecting range, habitat and occurrence data for important management species, including

unpublished occurrences known by members of the work group. Using overlay maps of species’

occurrence and meadow condition (see Figures 4-5, following pages), we identified meadows where

restoration may benefit target species. For LCT, we utilized historic and current range data from

USFWS (2016) and information from US Fish and Wildlife Service staff about potential future

recovery reaches. For SNYLF we utilized USFWS designated critical habitat areas. For WIFL, we

utilized data from the Institute for Bird Populations for recent breeding season detections (since 2000)

and areas within the average dispersal range from these sites (Helen Loffland et al. 2014).

Completing restoration on these initial sites will build momentum and strengthen working relationships

among the work group members. We will build on this foundation to address other meadows we

identified during the assessment. The meadows prioritized for restoration are shown in Table 2 and

Figure 6.


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Meadow Name Management

Species Present Reasoning

Alder Creek Meadow Historic LCT,

WIFL

Historic LCT and current Willow Flycatcher breeding. Condition and headcuts

indicate restoration.

Hoke Valley

Meadow Historic LCT Historic LCT. Condition and headcuts indicate restoration.

Dog Valley Historic LCT Historic LCT. Condition and headcuts indicate restoration. Berms throughout

meadow are concentrating water flow and initiating headcutting

Sardine Valley Historic LCT Historic LCT. Condition indicates restoration. Encroachment issues.

Lower Lacey

Meadow WIFL Historic LCT. Condition indicates restoration.

Russel Valley - Dry

Creek Historic LCT

Historic LCT. Inset floodplain development. Moderate risk for headcut

advancement.

Stampede Dam Road

Meadow Historic LCT Historic LCT. High risk for headcut advancement.

Stampede Meadow Historic LCT,

WIFL

Historic LCT and current Willow Flycatcher breeding. Moderate risk for headcut

advancement.

Hobart Mills Meadow Historic LCT Historic LCT. Inset floodplain development.

Kyburz Flat Historic LCT Historic LCT. Inset floodplain development.

Ranz Dry Meadow Historic LCT,

SNYLF Historic LCT and current SNYLF. Moderate risk for headcut advacement

Pink Mine Meadow None Bare ground. Low risk for headcut advacement

Secret Meadow Historic LCT,

SNYLF

Historic LCT and current SNYLF. High risk for headcut advancement threatening

more than 75% of the meadow area.

Unnamed Meadow

36 None Bare ground and encroachment. Inset floodplain development.

Sagehen Creek

Meadow

Historic LCT,

WIFL

Bare ground and encroachment. Candidate for Lahontan Cutthroat Trout

reintroduction.

Upper Independence

Creek Meadow

Current LCT,

SNYLF Supports a self-sustaining population of LCT. Encroachment issues.

TABLE 2. SPECIES PRESENT AND THE REASONING BEHIND PRIORITIZATION IS GIVEN FOR EACH MEADOW. MEADOWS IDENTIFIED FOR

RESTORATION ARE IN BOLD TEXT. MEADOWS ARE IN THE SAME ORDER AS IN TABLE 1: THEY ARE RANKED BY OVERALL CONDITION,

WITH LOWEST SCORES FIRST. SPECIES CODES: WIFL= WILLOW FLYCATCHER, SNYLF=SIERRA NEVADA YELLOW LEGGED FROG, AND

LCT=LAHONTAN CUTTHROAT TROUT.

Reservoirs

The stakeholder group discussed the value of restoring meadows that will continually be negatively

impacted by reservoirs. Fluctuating water levels result in bathtub rings and wide bare areas. During

low water (often at the beginning of spring runoff,) exposed channels that lack vegetation have the

potential to create headcuts, and erosion leading to channel incision. Seven of the 16 identified

meadows occur adjacent to reservoirs.

Upper Independence Creek Meadow is above the Independence reservoir owned by The

Nature Conservancy (TNC). This reservoir is not used for water supply, but for preserving and

protecting the LCT populations.


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Alder Creek Meadow and Hobart Mills Meadow are above the Prosser Creek dam owned by

the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR). BOR uses the water for irrigation and flood management.

Sagehen Creek Meadow and Hoke Valley Meadow are above Stampede dam owned by

BOR. BOR initially constructed the dam as a fishery enhancement project, but now uses it for

flood management and recreation.

Russel Valley meadow and Stampede Dam Road Meadow are above Boca dam owned by

BOR. BOR uses the water for irrigation and flood management.

All seven of these meadows have valuable, intact meadow acreage above the effects of reservoirs

that would be worth investing time and resources into preserving for the habitat of important

management species.

FIGURE 4 MEADOWS OF THE MIDDLE TRUCKEE WATERSHED WITH POTENTIAL FOR RESTORATION ARE SHOWN IN RED. RANGES AND

LOCATIONS OF IMPORTANT MANAGEMENT SPECIES ARE ALSO SHOWN.


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FIGURE 5 MEADOWS IN THE TRUCKEE RIVER WATERSHED WITH HEADCUTS ARE SHOWN IN RED. RANGES OF IMPORTANT MANAGEMENT

SPECIES ARE ALSO SHOWN.


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FIGURE 6 MEADOWS PRIORITIZED FOR RESTORATION ARE OUTLINED IN RED. RANGES OF IMPORTANT MANAGEMENT SPECIES ARE ALSO

SHOWN.


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PRIORITIZATION FOR LAHONTAN CUTTHROAT TROUT

One goal of this assessment was to evaluate meadow restoration opportunities to benefit LCT.

However, only one meadow assessed occurs on a reach that currently supports a self-sustaining

population of LCT, Upper Independence Creek (Figures 4-6). The channel through this meadow is low,

with stable vegetated banks. The sole issue is conifer encroachment. Thus, we do not envision the need

for a restoration project at this site to improve LCT habitat.

The CDFW Fish Release Plan for 2017 shows hatchery LCT stocking on the Little Truckee River above

Stampede Reservoir near Highway 89 and 9 miles upstream in Perazzo Meadows. CDFW also stocks

LCT in the reach of the Truckee River that overlaps with Placer County. These fish are stocked for

recreation, not recovery of the species. Without the eradication of non-native trout that outcompete

LCT, these fish are unlikely to persist in these reaches, which CDFW has documented. USFWS and

CDFW indicated that it is not important to prioritize meadow restoration for these stocked populations.

This is also the case with much of the historic range of LCT. In general, self-sustaining populations can

only be established where the population can be isolated from non-native fish populations, by a

natural feature or otherwise. Rather than prioritize based on stocking locations or historic range, the US

Fish and Wildlife Service provided information about reaches considered for potential future LCT

recovery. In the Middle Truckee, these include Perazzo Creek, Cold Stream Creek, Central Fork Gray

Creek, Silver Creek, Deer Creek, and Hell Hole Creek (Coffin and Cowan 1995). Perazzo Creek flows

through Perazzo meadows on land owned by the Truckee Donner Land Trust and the Trust for Public

Land. These landowners intend to maintain the meadow’s healthy condition. Cold Stream Creek runs

through Cold Stream Meadow, which is also healthy. Because of the good condition of meadows in

current and proposed LCT habitat, we did not identify an opportunity for meadow restoration to

directly benefit LCT in the watershed. Rather, this highlights the importance of protecting meadows in

these reaches. The last four creeks (Central Fork Gray Creek, Silver Creek, Deer Creek and Hell Hole

Creek) are on steep mountain sides that do not run through meadows.

INFLUENCE OF BEAVER

We observed five meadows in the Truckee River watershed with active beaver populations: Alder

Creek Meadow, Donner Memorial Meadow, Saddle Meadow, Sagehen Meadow, and Upper

Independence Creek Meadow.

The meadows with beaver dams are spread throughout the Middle Truckee watershed and located in

separate drainages. The influence of beaver activity on meadow condition is significant. All of the

meadows were healthy with minimal entrenchment, stable banks and robust vegetation, with the

exception of Alder Creek. The influence of beaver is patchy in Alder Creek because of the Prosser

Creek reservoir. Two beaver dams in the upper meadow at Alder Creek have created healthy

meadow conditions (raised the water table, wetted the meadow surface,) and flooded out encroaching

conifers. Substantial incision and widespread bank instability occur downstream, where the reservoir

inundates the bottom of the meadow. Seasonal flooding of the reservoir inundates and kills vegetation

and low water levels leave bare ground and soils that are susceptible to erosion. The beaver dams on

Upper Alder Creek may have arrested headcuts and prevented incision from advancing upstream.

Independence Creek Meadow and Sagehen Creek Meadow are also adjacent to reservoirs, but in

healthy condition. This is because the Independence Lake reservoir adjacent to Independence Creek


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Meadow is not used for water supply, and Sagehen Creek Meadow is not close enough to Stampede

reservoir be affected by rising and lowering waters.

FIGURE 7 ALDER CREEK WITH DEAD CONIFERS (LEFT). BEAVER DAM IN DONNER MEMORIAL MEADOW (RIGHT)

CONCLUSION

Six meadows were identified as top priority by the Truckee River Watershed stakeholder group: Alder

Creek Meadow, Hoke Valley Meadow, Dog Valley Meadow, Sardine Valley Meadow, Lower Lacey

Meadow, and Secret Meadow. These priorities include the meadows with the poorest channel

conditions as well as Secret Meadow, which was identified because it has a large headcut at the

bottom threatening the entire meadow area.


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TRUCKEE RIVER MEADOWS ASSESSMENT DATA

Alder Creek Meadow

The lowest scoring meadow was Alder Creek meadow (114 acres) on Alder Creek, a tributary to

Prosser Creek Reservoir and Prosser Creek, in Tahoe National Forest. An incised channel and unstable

banks characterize the lower 75% of the meadow. This channel incision in addition to heavy conifer

and sage encroachment indicates an inset floodplain that may have formerly been meadow floodplain.

The upper 25% of meadow hosts active beaver dams that are functioning to raise the water table and

reduce conifer encroachment (see photo on page 15 in the Influence of Beaver section). This meadow

also has 7 headcuts- the most of all meadows assessed in the Truckee River Watershed. These headcuts

are off the main channel, but at least two of them have high movement potential. This meadow

historically hosted Lahontan Cutthroat Trout, and has had Willow Flycatcher breeding since 2000.

ALDER CREEK – CLOCKWISE FROM UPPER LEFT - HEADCUT, STEEP AND UNSTABLE BANKS IN MAIN CHANNEL, EXPOSED DIRT LEFT FROM

LOW RESERVOIR LEVELS, OHV TRACKS CROSSING MEADOW, MEADOW HABITAT LOOKING EAST TO PROSSER RESERVOIR.


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Hoke Valley Meadow

Hoke Valley Meadow (120 acres) on Hoke Valley Creek, is located off of Stampede Dam Road on the

far eastern finger of Stampede Reservoir in Tahoe National Forest. The meadow area is

characterized by mainly sage with a narrow inset floodplain along the channel. There are five

headcuts in the main channel that threaten 75% of the meadow area. Two of these headcuts have high

movement potential. There are a total of 5 large rock check dams in this meadow, with at least 1 that

is non-functional. This meadow historically hosted Lahontan Cutthroat Trout.

HOKE VALLEY – LEFT TO RIGHT – HEADCUT, PAST RESTORATION EFFORT TO STABILIZE HEADCUT WITH A ROCK, INSET FLOODPLAIN,

LARGE ROCK CHECK DAM INSIDE INSET FLOODPLAIN


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Dog Valley

Dog Valley (414 acres) is located on Dog Creek, close to the California/Nevada Border on Humbolt-

Toiyabe National Forest. Dog Valley has two channels, which are both incised, unstable and often

inset. There is a berm with an OHV road on top of it that lines the main channel for ¾ of the meadow

length. The berm then cuts north and crosses over the main channel. Here, there is a non-functioning

culvert which has created pooling and a headcut upstream. This headcut is over 3 feet tall and erodes

the outside bank of the main channel. There is another headcut that is small, has low movement

potential, and on a side channel. The secondary channel also passes under the berm, but has a

functioning check dam that slows water flow and allows meadow vegetation to establish before the

berm. There has been interest from the Humbolt Toiyabe National Forest to pursue restoration at Dog

Valley. This meadow historically hosted Lahontan Cutthroat Trout.

DOG VALLEY - CLOCKWISE – DEEPLY INCISED MAIN CHANNEL, POOLING ABOVE BERM FROM NONFUNCTIONAL CULVERT, HEADCUT

ABOVE POOLING, INSET SECONDARY CHANNEL WITH SAGE ENCROCHMENT, DEEPLLY INSET MAIN CHANNEL WITH SAGE

ENCROACHMENT


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Sardine Valley

Sardine (1604 acres) on Davies Creek, is located north of Stampede Reservoir on private property.

The main channel is characterized by high and unstable banks which are indicators of erosion. Smaller

side channels are not gullied, but undercut with slumping banks. There are large swaths of raised sage

brush throughout the meadow, which indicate that the meadow may be an inset floodplain. There is one

small headcut with low movement potential outside of the main channel. The Truckee River Watershed

Council is currently working on restoration designs for Sardine Valley. This meadow historically hosted

Lahontan Cutthroat Trout.

SARDINE - CLOCKWISE – INSET FLOODPLAIN, UNDERCUT SLUMPING BANKS, STEEP AND UNSTABLE BANK, UNSTABLE BANKS, STEEP AND

BARREN BANKS, INSET FLOODPLAIN


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Lower Lacey Meadow

Lower Lacey (571 acres) along the south shore of Webber Lake, is a Truckee Donner Land Trust & Trust for Public Land protected area. The main channel in Lacy Meadows is incised limiting floodplain access and allowing sagebrush encroachment. About halfway through the meadow, a dirt road crosses the channel contributing to excess sediment delivery and habitat degradation. Truckee River watershed Council has completed assessments and has funding for designs and permitting. This meadow has supported Willow Flycatcher populations since 2000.

LOWER LACEY- CLOCKWISE - INCISION ON MAIN CHANNEL, INCISION ON MAIN CHANNEL, BARE HIGH BANKS IN MAIN CHANNEL, ROAD

RUNNING THROUGH MEADOW, DEEP POOLS IN MAIN CHANNEL


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Secret Meadow

Secret meadow (39 acres) on Secret Meadow Creek, is east of Independence Lake. In general, the meadow condition is healthy. There is one large and unstable headcut in the lower meadow with the potential to move and effect more than 75% of the meadow area. This meadow historically hosted

Lahontan Cutthroat Trout, and currently hosts Sierra Nevada Yellow-Legged Frogs.

SECRET – LEFT TO RIGHT – MEADOW OVERVIEW, LARGE HEADCUT, MAIN CHANNEL


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Stampede Dam Road Meadow

Stampede Dam Road Meadow (35 acres) on East Boca Canyon Creek, is located on Tahoe National

Forest. There are two large headcuts in this meadow. One headcut is anchored by rocks, but

threatening over 75% or the meadow, and the other has high movement potential, but on the side of

the main channel.

STAMPEDE DAM - CLOCKWISE – LARGE HEADCUT, ENCROACHMENT, UNSTABLE HEADCUT, CHANNEL


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Russel Valley- Dry Creek

Russel Valley (238 acres) on Dry Creek, is located north of Stampede Reservoir and on both Tahoe

National Forest and private land. At the top of the meadow, the main channel is severely incised.

Throughout the rest of the meadow, there are large swathes of encroaching sagebrush and patches of

bare ground. Russel Valley is also subject to a larger road system (Hobart Mills road) that flanks the

southwestern side of the meadow and has extensive OHV trails that cross the main channel. The main

channel runs through a culvert underneath Hobart Mills Road near the top of the meadow. There are

three headcuts in the main channel with low movement potential. This meadow historically hosted

Lahontan Cutthroat Trout.

RUSSEL VALLEY - CLOCKWISE – SEEVRE CHANNEL INCISION AT TOP OF MEADOW, SLIGHT CHANNEL INCISION, BAREGROUND, INSET

FLOODPLAIN, TWO HEADCUTS IN MAIN CHANNEL


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Stampede Meadow

Stampede meadow (80 acres) on the Little Truckee River, feeds the western fingers of stampede

reservoir on Tahoe National Forest. The main issue with this meadow is sagebrush encroachment.

Stampede meadow also has two headcuts- one in the main channel with moderate movement potential,

and one in a side channel with low movement potential. This meadow historically hosted Lahontan

Cutthroat Trout, and has supported Willow Flycatcher populations since 2000.

STAMPEDE – LEFT TO RIGHT – HEADCUT IN MAIN CHANNEL, HEADCUT IN SIDE CHANEL, INCISION IN MAIN CHANNEL


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Hobar t Mills Meadow

Hobart Mills Meadow (134 acres) on a tributary to Prosser Creek, is located on Tahoe National Forest. The upper section of meadow is healthy, but becomes channelized before reaching the culvert that passes under Hobart Mills Road. A gravel mill is situated just south of this road crossing. After the culvert, the meadow becomes an inset floodplain with a slightly incised channel until it reaches the reservoir. There are sections along this channel with 3 foot unstable and eroded banks. Halfway down the meadow, the channel breached a berm. This meadow historically hosted Lahontan Cutthroat Trout.

HOBART - CLOCKWISE – STEEP INCISED UNSTABLE BANKS IN MAIN CHANNEL BELOW THE CULVERT, CHANNEL AT LOWER TRANSECT

CLOSEST TO PROSSER RESERVOIR, HEADCUT, BARE GROUND, INSET FLOODPLAIN


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Kyburz Flat Meadow

Kyburz Flat Meadow (296 acres) on Kyburz Flat Creek, is located on Tahoe National Forest. The main

issue with this meadow is the development of an inset floodplain and encroachment. This meadow

historically hosted Lahontan Cutthroat Trout.

KYBURZ FLAT - CLOCKWISE – MAIN CHANNEL, SAGE ENCROACHMENT, MAIN CHANNEL WRAPPING AROUND A SAGE TERRACE, INSET

FLOODPLAIN


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Ranz Dry Meadow

Ranz Dry Meadow (395 acres) on both the Little Truckee River and Independence Creek is on privately

owned land. The main issue with this meadow is the development of an inset floodplain and

encroachment. This meadow has two headcuts with moderate movement potential. Plumas Corps has

previously worked with the landowners to complete conceptual restoration designs for the meadow.

This meadow historically hosted Lahontan Cutthroat Trout, and currently hosts Sierra Nevada Yellow

Legged Frogs.

RANZ DRY - CLOCKWISE – SAGEBRUSH ENCROACHMENT, HEADCUT, SMALL GULLY, INSET FLOODPLAIN


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Pink Mine Meadow

Pink Mine Meadow (24 acres) is on Tahoe National Forest. This main issue in this meadow is bare

ground. It has two headcuts with moderate movement potential outside of the main channel.

PINK MINE – LEFT TO RIGHT – MEADOW OVERVIEW, HEADCUT, SAGE ENCROACHMENT


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Unnamed Meadow 36

Unnamed Meadow 36 (20 acres) is on Tahoe National Forest. This meadow is set in a slight basin, with steep slopes around the northern and eastern edges. The main issue with this meadow is the development of an inset floodplain and sage encroachment. There is a large functioning check dam at the bottom of the meadow. There is heavy OHV use, including tracks in the main channel.

UNNAMED 36 - CLOCKWISE – ENTRENCHED MAIN CHANNEL, INSET FLOODPLAIN, INSET FLOODPLAIN WITH SAGE ENCROACHMENT, INSET

FLOODPLAIN


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Sagehen Meadow

Sagehen Meadow (324 acres) on Sagehen Creek, is located in Tahoe National Forest. In general, the meadow is healthy, but scored poorly for encroachment. The upper stringer is home to the Sagehen Experimental Field Station and has grade control at a check dam. The upper and middle stringers have terraced inset floodplains. All three stringers have conifer along the terrace edge, with meadow vegetation present on the inset floodplain and the upper terrace. Lower stringer is where Sagehen Creek enters Stampede Reservoir. This meadow historically hosted Lahontan Cutthroat Trout, and currently hosts Willow Flycatcher. Sagehen is a candidate for Lahontan Cutthroat Trout reintroduction.

SAGEHEN – LEFT TO RIGHT –MAIN CHANNEL, MINOR ENCROACHMENT, MEADOW OVERVIEW, SLIGHT INCISION OF MAIN CHANNEL


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Upper Independence Creek Meadow (61 acres) on Upper Independence Creek is located on an

easement owned by The Nature Conservancy. The meadow scored poorly for conifer encroachment,

but in general, is healthy. This meadow currently hosts the only self-sustaining lacustrine LCT Truckee

River population, and Sierra Nevada Yellow-Legged Frogs.

UPPER INDEPENDENCE – LEFT TO RIGHT – SLIGHT ENCROACHMENT, MEADOW OVERVIEW, LCT WEIR


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Other Meadows for Consideration

The following meadows were not included in the 16 top priorities due healthy condition, private

landownership, or size (smaller than 15 acres). However, the Truckee River stakeholders have identified

these as additional priorities due to the work currently being conducted in the meadow or their

outstanding benefits to the watershed.

Meadow Name Management

Species Present Reasoning

Mainstem Martis Historic LCT Truckee River Watershed Council (TRWC) pursuing funding

Upper Lacey

Meadows None Funded for design and permitting (TRWC)

Lower Bear Creek None TRWC pursuing funding

Cold Stream

Meadows Historic LCT

Assessment in Progress (Trout Unlimited). Potential LCT reintroduction (Coffin and

Cowan 1995)

Elizabethtown

meadows None Implementation in progress

Jackass meadows None Assessment completed

Upper Perazzo

Canyon Historic LCT TRWC pursuing funding

Truckee Meadows None Designs completed, implemented in 2017


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References

American Rivers. 2012. “Evaluating and Prioritizing Meadow Restoration in the Sierra.” http://www.americanrivers.org/assets/pdfs/meadow-restoraton/evaluating-and-prioritizing-meadow-restoration-in-the-sierra.pdf?422fcb.

Barbour, M.T., J. Gerritsen, BD Snyder, and JB Stribling. 1999. “Rapid Bioassessment Protocols for Use in Streams and Wadeable Rivers.” USEPA, Washington.

City of Reno. n.d. “Truckee River Watershed | City of Reno.” Accessed February 28, 2018. https://www.reno.gov/government/departments/public-works/regional-stormwater-quality-management-program/watershed.

Coffin, Patrick D., and William F. Cowan. 1995. “Recovery Plan for the Lahontan Cutthroat Trout.” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 1.

Helen Loffland, Rodney Siegel, Ryan Burnett, Brent Campos, Chris Sterner, and Tina Marks. 2014. “Assessing Willow Flycatcher Population Size and Distribution to Inform Meadow Restoration in the Sierra Nevada and Southern Cascades.” The Institute for Bird Populations, Point Reyes Station, California. https://www.birdpop.org/docs/pubs/Loffland_et_al_2014_Assessing_WIFL_Population_Size_and_Distribution_to_Inform_Meadow_Restoration.pdf.

National Park Service. n.d. “Nevada: Derby Diversion Dam (U.S. National Park Service).” Accessed February 28, 2018. https://www.nps.gov/articles/nevada-derby-diversion-dam.htm.

NFWF. 2010. “Business Plan: Sierra Nevada Meadow Restoration.” National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. http://www.nfwf.org/Content/ContentFolders/NationalFishandWildlifeFoundation/GrantPrograms/Keystones/WildlifeandHabitat/Sierra_Meadow_Restoration_business_plan.pdf.

US Department of the Interior. 2009. “Independence Lake Land Acquisition.” USDI-BLM, USDA-Forest Service, and USDA-NRCS. 1998. “A User Guide to Assessing Proper

Functioning Condition and the Supporting Science for Lotic Areas Tech. Rep. 1737‐15.”


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Appendix 1: All meadow scores

Meadow Name Bank

Height Bank

Stability Gullies Veg Cover

Bare Ground

Encroachment #

Headcuts

Alder Creek Meadow 1 2 2 4 3 2 7

Hoke Valley Meadow 1 4 4 3 3 1 5

Dog Valley 1 3 3 4 3 1 2

Sardine Valley 2 2 3 2 2 1 1

Lower Lacey Meadow 2 3 4 3 3 3 0

Stampede Dam Road Meadow 3 3 3 4 2 3 2

Russel Valley - Dry Creek 3 4 3 3 2 1 3

Stampede Meadow 3 4 3 3 4 2 2

Hobart Mills Meadow 3 3 3 3 2 3 1

Kyburz Flat 3 3 3 4 3 1 0

Secret Meadow 4 4 4 3 3 3 1

Ranz Dry Meadow 4 4 3 3 1 2 2

Pink Mine Meadow 4 4 4 3 1 2 2


Sawtooth Meadow 4 4 3 3 4 3 0

Big Meadow 4 4 4 3 3 3 0

Cold Stream Meadow 4 4 4 4 4 4 0

Donner Memorial Meadow 4 4 4 4 4 3 0

Elizabethtown Meadow 4 4 4 3 3 3 0

Independence Lake Meadow 4 4 4 4 4 4 0

Independence Lake Secret Meadow 4 4 4 4 4 3 0

Jackass Meadow 4 4 4 3 4 3 0

Upper Perazzo Canyon Meadow 4 4 4 4 4 4 0

Saddle Meadow 4 4 4 4 4 3 0

Sagehen Meadow 4 4 4 3 4 2 0

Stampede-Boca Meadow 4 4 4 3 3 2 0

Tom's Valley 4 4 4 3 4 3 0



4 4 4 4 4 2 0

Upper Sagehen Meadow 4 4 4 3 4 2 0

CONDITION DATA FOR ALL MEADOWS. FOR ADDITIONAL OBSERVATIONS AT EACH MEADOW (E.G., PRESENCE OF BEAVER, WILLOW

COVER, ASPEN, ETC.) SEE HTTP://MEADOWS.UCDAVIS.EDU/

http://meadows.ucdavis.edu/

RESTORING TRUCKEE MEADOWS - … Truckee Meadows... · The Truckee River Watershed covers 3120...

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