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Information for Conference Attendees Conservation Development Green Roof Alternative Stormwater Management Prairie and Savanna Restoration Natural Resource Planning Streambank and Shoreline Restoration Wetland Restoration and Mitigation Mine, Quarry and Landfill Reclamation Watershed Studies Ecological Management Parks, Forest Preserves and Greenways Rain Garden Grant Program   Applied Ecological Services, Inc. Wisconsin Office 17921 Smith Road, P. O. Box 256 Brodhead, WI 53520 Phone: 608.897.8641 Voicemail: 608.897.4898 AES Fax: 608.897.8486 TCRN Fax: 608.897.2044 Info@AppliedEco.com Illinois Office 120 West Main St W. Dundee, IL 60118 Phone: 847.844.9385 Fax: 847.844.8759 Kansas City Office 1904 Elm Street Eudora, KS 66025 Phone 785.542.3090 Fax 785.542.3570 Minnesota Office 21938 Mushtown Rd Prior Lake, MN 55372 Phone: 952.447.1919 Fax: 952.447.1920 East Coast Office 1100 E. Hector Street Suite #398 Conshohocken, PA 19428 Phone: 610.238.9088

AES gets to root of problem in Utah's Zion National Park To most of Zion National Park's two million annual visitors, the majestic cottonwood trees dominating the canyon's vegetation systems appear in excellent health. But to the ecologically trained eye, a major problem is quickly apparent there are no young trees. Zion's famed cottonwoods are simply not regenerating. AES recently conducted research that has identified the culprit: a century of human manipulation of the Virgin River inside Zion National Park, in the form of a series of "revetments" or levees built of stone and wire mesh. Constructed in the 1930s, the revetments were intended to protect the park's roads and infrastructure from flood damage but, in the process, this has unintentionally altered the canyon's fragile ecosystem. According to AES' studies, the revetments have "channelized" the river, resulting in three phenomena: 1. The river cannot access its historic meanders and floodplain, where it used to deposit sediment and nutrients vital to germination of cottonwood seeds. 2. The channelization makes the flow run swifter than normal during periods of snowmelt and heavy rainfall. The rapid flows scour away any young cottonwood plants that manage to sprout along the riverbank. 3. The swift-running channels dig the river deeper, lowering the water table and further inhibiting the ability of young cottonwood trees to find moisture they need to survive. The environmental impact of the river's manipulation goes beyond the cottonwoods, in fact, to affect the area's entire riparian and aquatic system. The Virgin spinedace, for example, one of the river's indigenous fish species, could soon be headed for the Endangered Species list if steps are not taken to allow the waterway to function as it should. AES' recommendations call for an active restoration program that includes removal of the revetments along a two-mile stretch of the river. Reconstruction of the river's natural bed is advised, to allow the river to shift back and forth in its historical, "braided" pattern of channels across the canyon bottom. Currently, the AES team is preparing proposals for further action on the project. Watch Confluence for updates on the plight and preservation of Zion National Park. | Home | Services | GIS Services | Native Landscape Design | Staff | Projects | | Taylor Creek | Spring Lake | Kaw River | Copyright 2008 Applied Ecological Services, Inc. - All Rights Reserved Website Design - Computer Know How