Meadows in this area have become degraded by more than a century of land use impacts including overgrazing, water diversion, and forestry practices. Healthy meadows provide important hydrologic functions by spreading and slowing flows during the wet season and storing groundwater that is slowly released as cool flows in late summer. An eroded stream in a degraded meadow drains winter rains and snowmelt quickly downstream as the channel is no longer connected to the floodplain. This can lead to a drop in the water table as the “sponge” of the meadow is dried out. Invasive species and upland conifers and shrubs can encroach on the meadow and take over.
Restoration goals include returning hydrologic function, and enhancing habitat for terrestrial and aquatic species including migratory birds and native fish (Rainbow Trout and the Modoc Sucker). Restoring meadows in the Upper Pit Watershed can improve groundwater recharge and late-season base flows and benefit water quality in the Pit River by moderating flood events and reducing sediment loads.
Over the summer, multi-stakeholder teams assessed a total of 35 meadows with an area totaling over 5,000 acres. Assessment scores ranged from 47 to 98, showing some healthy meadows and others in bad shape.
Nearly all the assessed meadows had evidence of grazing, although some meadows in the Modoc National Forest scored highly despite being grazed for some part of the year, demonstrating that when appropriately managed, grazing can take place in meadows without causing erosion and degradation.
The next step was prioritization, ranking meadows based on the scorecard results and other criteria including habitat diversity and complexity, importance to the Pit River, feasibility for successful restoration, and “bang for the buck.” The process identified four priority meadows to be restored - two in the Modoc National Forest, one on private land, and one meadow split between Bureau of Land Management and California Department of Fish and Wildlife ownership.
Restoring over a century of degradation
RESTORATION
"It’s exciting to extend CalTrout’s meadows work beyond the
Sierra Nevada and be
part of inter-
regional cooperation
between the Shasta-
Klamath and Sierra
Headwaters offices."
- Phoenix Isler