Integrated Levee Vegetation Management – Flood Maintenance and Habitat

Updated on 2/4/2022: Potential Project Partners and Project Status

Project Lead: River Partners

Potential Project Partners:
WCB; California Department of Water Resources; USBR; Natural Resources Conservation Service; landowners; RDs; environmental NGOs

Short Project Description:
This project includes re-establishing appropriate vegetation on levee slopes to promote terrestrial wildlife survival during floods – either native sod on active levees or native brush vegetation on inactive levees (RDs 2099, 2100, 2102, and 2092 in the future).

Long Project Description:
Since 2002, wildlife researchers at the Endangered Species Recovery Program at CSU Stanislaus have been working with landowners and other stakeholders to identify habitat management and restoration activities that can contribute to the recovery of terrestrial riparian species in the region including riparian brush rabbit and riparian wood rat. Levees in the region provide crucial high-ground refugia for such wildlife during flood events. Vegetation on levees in the region is currently not managed to facilitate levee use during floods for wildlife survival and post-flood recovery. On levees that have been or will be removed from the federal project, brushy vegetation can be re-established on the levees through a three-year restoration project and live trapping has shown that these efforts are successful for wildlife recovery. On levees that must continue to pass state and federal inspections/maintenance requirements, native grass sod has been shown to provide marginal habitat that can act as a movement corridor for terrestrial species during flood events. This project includes re-establishing appropriate vegetation on levee slopes to promote terrestrial wildlife survival during floods – either native sod on active levees, or native brush vegetation on inactive levees (RDs 2099, 2100, 2102, and 2092 in the future).

Unique Project Characteristics:
Once established, the vegetation proposed for levee slopes requires very low maintenance. On inactive levees, the vegetation is left alone after the initial 3-year establishment period. On active levees, maintenance requirements can be reduced to mowing once per year to facilitate spring inspections. Native sod promotes erosion control on levee slopes as well as wildlife usage, thus this is a multi-benefit project. On private lands, this project will require consultation with the wildlife agencies regarding future levee vegetation maintenance.

Background Information:
Check next CNGA Grasslands Journal; Various technical reports from ESRP – please request from River Partners.