Deer Creek Riparian Restoration Ecological Monitoring

• Rebecca Hufft. Associate Director of Applied Conservation. Denver Botanic Gardens. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8404-2712
• Margo Paces. Graduate Student and Botany Seasonal. University of Colorado, Denver. Denver Botanic Gardens. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0221-4921
• Richard Levy. Database Associate. Denver Botanic Gardens. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4401-1380

The study area lies within the Deer Creek Sub Watershed (Hydrological Unit Code: HUC 12 101900020702) which lies within the Upper South Platte River Watershed (HUC 8 10190002). This area, known as the Chatfield Basin, is located at the base of the foothills of the Eastern Slope of the Rockies at the intersection of the Southern Rockies, High Plains and South-western Tablelands Level III Ecoregions (Chapman et al. 2006). Deer Creek is a stream that flows from west to east, in southern Jefferson County, Colorado. The 4.7 km section of stream (and adjacent area) that is being monitored is located just west of Chatfield Reservoir. Monitoring sites are located within the Hildebrand Ranch Park (Jefferson County Open Space) and Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farms. Monitoring sites were selected to represent sections of stream upstream, within and downstream of hydrological manipulation sites, within the extents of the properties granting permission for the survey that had sufficient bank vegetation accessible for a 25 m transect parallel to the creek. Hydrological manipulation, with the aim of restoring natural stream conditions, is being conducted only within the Denver Botanic Gardens Chatifeld Farms property, at three distinct sites within the streambed (locationID = Deercreek04, DeerCreek05, DeerCreek06), where historical oxbows were thought to exist. In total, 18 ecological monitoring sites have been established along this section of the creek. The habitat is characterised by historical ranching, previous and ongoing agricultural practices, hydrological manipulation, an understorey dominated by non-native plant species and a tree canopy consisting primarily of cottonwood (Populus) species in the riparian zone. During the first four years of ecological monitoring (2016-2019), the region's temperate climate experienced an average of 529 mm of precipitation and a mean temperature of 10.25°C , with a mean minimum and maximum temperature of 2.275 and 18.3°C , respectively (PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State Univeristy 2019).

Temporary structures, designed to mimic beaver dams (Fig. 1), were installed in three locations within the Deer Creek stream bed (locationID = DeerCreek04, DeerCreek05, DeerCreek06) to facilitate over-bank flows and wetting of larger floodplain areas and to restore hydrological conditions suitable for the regeneration of cottonwoods and willows. While beavers are present in the immediate and surrounding areas, artificial dam structures were installed to accelerate the recovery of the stream, doing so in locations which are accessible, beneficial for educational outreach efforts and where historical oxbows are thought to have existed and will not impact existing infrastructure. Monitoring of these three locations and fifteen additional downstream and upstream sites was designed to document and describe the ground vegetation community, soil moisture conditions and canopy cover. Belt transects at each site were 25 m long and sampled via the point-intercept method (Hufft et al. 2019a adapted from Herrick et al. 2005). Reaches of the stream, adjacent to the transects, were sampled for water quality and macroinvertebrate community diversity.

Funding was provided by the Borgen Family Foundation, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Five Star and Urban Waters Program, Colorado Department of Agriculture Noxious Weed Fund, Denver Debutante Ball, Jefferson County Open Space and Colorado Water Conservation Board.

Data were collected in 2015 through 2019. In 2015, a botanical survey was conducted to record and voucher plant species occurring in the area of interest for restoration. Twelve monitoring sites were established in 2016 and six were added in 2018 for a total of eighteen sites. Each site has a permanent 25-m belt transect that was surveyed once per year during the summer months. Stream and water conditions in points of stream, adjacent to transects, were sampled once per year, as were aquatic macroinvertebrates. Specimens housed in the Kathryn Kalmbach Herbarium (KHD), collected during previous surveys (Alba and Islam 2019, GBIF.org 2019) of the area, are also included in the data resource. These surveys were conducted as inventories to document species richness of the area.

All sites were sampled once per year, during the growing season when most vegetation was mature enough to make proper species identifications.

For the first two years of monitoring (2016-2017), twelve 25-m transects were installed to measure ground and canopy cover. For ground cover, every 0.25 m was sampled via the point intercept method. Ground vegetation species were recorded as top canopy (1st hit) or lower canopy (2nd hits) and presented here as occurrences, based on human observation. In 2016 and 2017, the ground surface type was recorded only when no vegetation was present, but beginning in 2018, ground surface type was recorded every 0.25 m. Ground surface type is provided in the extendedMeasurementOrFact extension within this resource. When no vegetation was present at a point along the transect, we provide this information in the form of an occurrence record with the status "absent" and indicate the type of ground cover in the occurrenceRemarks. For canopy cover, every 0.5 m was sampled. Canopy species observed through a GRS densiometer were recorded and are provided here as occurrences, based on human observation. Any plant species observed within 1 m of either side of the transect, that were not recorded as part of the point intercept sampling, were also recorded as observation occurrences. Voucher specimens of plants were taken when identification to species was not confident or possible in the field. Sections of stream, directly adjacent to the vegetation transects, were sampled for stream conditions and water quality measurements, including stream velocity, stream depth, stream width, bank height, bank to thalweg distance, streambed substrate at thalweg, water surface to bankful distance, wetted channel width, estimated percent of pools, estimated percent of runs, estimated percent of riffles, estimated percent of undercut bank, water nitrogen levels, E. coli content, dissolved oxygen, water temperature, electrical conductivity, pH, coliform levels, total dissolved solids and visual condition of water in stream. Water samples were sent to a contractor for measurements. Aquatic macroinvertebrate communities were also sampled within the stream and sent to a contractor for sorting and identification.

In 2018, six additional transects were added upstream of the temporarily installed dam-like structures. Several additional measurements were also recorded along the vegetation transects: soil moisture percentage was measured every 1.0 m, canopy cover percentage was measured with a spherical densiometer every 0.5 m and ground surface type, regardless of the presence of vegetation, was recorded every 0.25 m. These measurements are provided within the extendedMesurementOrFact extension of this resource.

Voucher specimens from previous botanic surveys, aimed at documenting species richness of the area, are also included in this resource as occurrences, based on preserved specimens. The property on the eastern portion of the stream reach is managed by Denver Botanic Gardens and, consequently, has been an area of thorough botanical survey. Specimen occurrence data from these varied botanical surveys is provided here to document the historical existence and/or location of plant species in the area, as this passive long-term restoration effort may rely on seedbanks and the movement or expansion of existing local populations. Methods used in previous surveys were not as well documented, but are similiar to those in Alba and Islam (2019) with the purpose of producing species checklists. Specimen occurrence data were downloaded from the Kathryn Kalmbach Herbarium Occurrence Dataset via the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (Kathryn Kalmbach Herbarium (Denver Botanic Gardens) 2019, GBIF.org 2019) and subsequently limited to those falling within the immediate vicinity of the riparian zone of Deer Creek (within 0.0005 degrees or 116 m of Deer Creek) (U.S. Geological Survey 2018).

Raw data from sampling transects were checked upon transcription into digital format. Once data were submitted into a relational database, a random sample of records was produced and checked against the raw data. During ecological surveys, herbarium voucher specimens were collected when species identification could not be confidently determined in the field.

Measuring ground cover/community composition (Hufft et al. 2019a)

1. Pull out the 25 m tape in between two rebar posts. The line should be taut and as close to the ground as possible.
2. Take photograph at origin of transect. Stand behind the post, face the endpoint and take the picture with the post in the photo.
3. Begin at the “0” end of the line, move at 0.25 m intervals towards the end.
4. At origin (0 m), midpoint (12.5 m) and end (25 m), measure distance from transect to bank and bank height.
5. The starting point will be 0.25 m. Always stand on the same side (away from the stream) of the line.
6. Drop a pin flag to the ground from a standard height of 1 m next to the stream side of the tape. The pin should be vertical. The pin should be dropped from the same height every time. Do not guide the pin to the ground, let it fall freely.
7. Once the pin flag is on the ground, record every species it intercepts. The first species it hits (the highest one/furthest from the ground) is the “Top canopy”. If no leaf, stem or plant base is intercepted, record “NONE” in the “Top canopy” column. Record all additional species intercepted by the pin in the “Lower Canopy Layers” column. Record them in order from closest to the top canopy to furthest (highest to lowest). Record each species only once, even if it is intercepted multiple times. If species cannot be identified at the current stage, flag the plant and record location on “Unidentified Species” datasheet and “Unidentified Species” section of the vegetation datasheet. Return later to identify or collect voucher specimen of same species from outside the transect.
8. Record the ground surface the pin flag rests on. Options are litter, bare soil, rock (> 5 mm diameter), standing dead vegetation, water, downed woody debris (logs/large branches), road/trail (paved or gravel trail).

Measuring soil moisture (Hufft et al. 2019a)

1. Beginning at the “0” end of the transect, measure the soil moisture on the right side of the tape at 1 m intervals, starting at 1 m.
2. At each point, insert the soil moisture meter at the right side of the transect 20 cm deep into the soil.
3. Record the percent volumetric soil moisture that appears on the screen. If the soil is too hard or rocky to fully insert the moisture meter, record that the measurement was unable to be taken.

Measuring tree canopy cover (Hufft et al. 2019a)

1. Beginning at the “0” end of the transect and starting at the 0.5 m mark, measure the tree canopy cover every 0.5 m. Stand on the side of the tape furthest from the creek facing the end point of the transect.
2. At each point, open the spherical densiometer.
3. Hold the densiometer out so that the bubble in the corner is in the centre of its circle, indicating that the instrument is level.
4. Hold the densiometer about 30-46 cm away from you and low enough so you can see all 24 squares in the window.
5. Imagine 4 dots at each corner of each of the 24 squares. Count the number of dots in which a tree is visible.
6. Additionally, record species of every tree that appears in the densiometer window.

Recording additional species (Hufft et al. 2019a)

1. After measuring for percent cover, use the metre stick as a guide to search the belt transect area for any species that were not recorded while measuring percent cover.
2. Record additional species identified that are rooted within the 25 m × 2 m belt. Collect a voucher specimen, if unable to identify in the field.

Water Quality Measurements (Hufft et al. 2019b)

1. Start at thalweg (deepest point) adjacent to transect origin.
2. Collect three water samples in official Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment bottles:
   • Nitrate/Nitrite (250 ml)
   • Total Nitrogen (125 ml)
   • E. coli (125 ml)
3. Fill each bottle to the max fill line.
4. Attach supplied CDPHE labels.
5. Fill out CDPHE Request for Analytical Services form. Each transect needs its own testing form.
6. Each water quality test will have its own specific bottle (3 per transect for E. coli, nitrate/nitrite and total nitrogen)
   • Nutrient bottles contain an acid for preservation, so do not dump or spill bottles.
7. Take water samples at the thalweg origin or, if stream is too deep for wading, at the deepest point possible. Make sure to collect probe data and water samples at the same place and record this location on the datasheet.
8. Samples are TIME SENSITIVE. Samples must be dropped off within 8 hours of sampling. No sample drop-offs on Fridays.

Stream Measurements (Hufft et al. 2019b)

1. Start at thalweg adjacent to vegetation transect origin. If thalweg is too deep to wade, take measurement at the deepest point possible and record this point on datasheet.
2. For each probe, make sure to not submerge probes past the point where the storage caps seal and swish the probe in water to remove air bubbles and allow reading to stabilise before recording.
3. Using the appropriate probes, collect the following data and record on data sheet:
   • Temperature (°C)- Use pH probe’s thermometer.
   • pH
     • Probe should not be allowed to dry out. Store in pH 4 standard (or storage solution, if available).
     • If probe does dry out, it must be soaked in standard or storage solution for 1 hour before use.
   • Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)
   • Dissolved Oxygen (DO, mg/l)
     • If the probe has not been used in 7 days, it requires 3 minutes to polarise. Turn probe on and wait 3 minutes before testing.
     • Sponge in storage cap must always be moistened (but not soaked) with DI or RO water.
   • Electrical Conductivity (EC)
   • Flow
     • Beginning at thalweg at origin, find a section of reach with uniform bottom and flow.
     • If thalweg is too deep to wade, take measurement at the deepest point possible at the origin and record location on data sheet.
     • Plug cord into back of white unit, zero should appear on screen.
     • To zero counter, switch position up.
     • To pause measurements, put switch in middle.
     • To start measuring, put switch down.
     • Use timer to measure flow for 60 seconds at 60% of stream depth.
     • Once back in the office, to calculate surface velocity (m/s), convert the flowmeter readout using the following equation: V(c/m)=(0.000854C)+0.05
   • Rinse all probes with Reverse Osmosis water after use and before putting on cap to avoid contamination.

Bank Measurements (Hufft et al. 2019b)

1. Total Bank Height: Distance from streambed at edge of bank to top of bank.
2. Surface to bank height: Distance from the water surface level to top of bank.
3. Distance to bank from Origin: Distance from the origin rebar to the edge of the adjacent stream bank.
4. If water is too deep at the thalweg to wade in, take measurements at the deepest point possible adjacent to the origin and record location on datasheet. This is especially important for stream reaches with dams.

Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Collection (Hufft et al. 2019b)

1. Since the water is moving when we sample, we use the kicknetting method.
2. Start at thalweg at 20 m mark downstream from origin. Start downstream and move upstream towards origin (See Fig. 1)
3. Conduct kicknetting for 1 minute every 5 m, for five sampling bouts moving upstream.
4. Five sampling bouts should be conducted for each transect.
   • However, samples should be 5 m apart, so if large parts of the stream are dry, only take as many samples as the stream allows.
5. At each sampling bout,
   • Disturb area 1 m2 upstream of net, using heel or toe to dislodge the upper layer of cobble/gravel and scrape underlying bed.
   • Pick up larger substrate and rub by hand to remove attached organisms.
   • If the water is slow moving, use your hands or feet to push what has been kicked up into the net.
   • Exclude specimens clinging to the outside of nets.
6. Place contents of net into the mesh bucket.
   • Rinse outside of net to move sediment and specimens inside the net to one corner.
   • Flip net inside out in bucket and rinse down outside of net with more water to wash all contents into bucket.
   • To avoid contamination of the sample, do not pour water into the side of the net with the specimens. Only pour water on the outside of the net.
   • Continue adding contents of net into mesh bucket for the length of the transect.
7. Scoop specimens into 1 litre plastic rectangular Nalgene sampling jar by hand. It may be necessary to place the mesh bucket in the stream and swirl to get specimens to one side.
   • Release any fish, amphibians, reptiles or crayfish back into stream, but record their presence on the data sheet.
8. Fill jar with no more than 50% of sample material from the stream. Use more than one jar per sample, if necessary.
   • Add ethanol to the bottles to create a 50:50 sample to ethanol ratio.
   • In 2018, we used an average of 2-3 bottles per sample site (max 5 at TSP and dammed sites) and roughly 2.5 x 750 ml of ethanol per day.
9. Pick out and scrape off larger rocks in the bucket to remove any macroinvertebrates clinging to them. Smaller gravel can be added to bottle.
10. Properly label each bottle using a marker that is not alcohol-soluble. Check naming conventions file to make sure samples are labelled consistently from year to year.
11. Follow the instructions below for proper storage and sample drop-off for identification.
12. Backwash the net with stream water before collecting samples from the next site.

Data were collected from 18 sites along Deer Creek (Fig. 2), a stream that flows from west to east through urbanised montane foothills ecosystems in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The 4.67-km section of stream studied here occurs on the east slope of the Front Range mountain range, where is flows through Hildebrand Ranch Park (Jefferson County Open Space) and Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farms, sites of historical ranching and historical and active agriculture.

39.544 and 39.555 Latitude; -105.0885 and -105.136 Longitude.

Angiosperms and gymnosperms are provided as occurrences, both as preserved specimens and observations. These originate from botanical surveys, ground vegetation and canopy monitoring efforts. Invertebrate animals are provided as observation-based occurrence data. Invertebrate samples were collected as part of the aquatic macroinvertebrate surveys within the stream and sent to a contractor laboratory for identification and analysis.

Kathryn Kalmbach Herbarium

http://grscicoll.org/institutional-collection/kathryn-kalmbach-herbarium

http://biocol.org/urn:lsid:biocol.org:col:15415

Dried and pressed

Deer Creek Riparian Restoration Ecological Monitoring

https://www.gbif.org/dataset/f61e69d1-e79f-4ccb-bd92-56a7cefcf1e4

https://doi.org/10.15468/scmp5u

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