Riparian Health Assessments

Twice a year, SCWC forum participants work together to conduct riparian health assessments to map the locations of native riparian trees, plants, springs, and invasive species. Healthy, native riparian vegetation is an indicator of the landscape’s resilience to drought, land use changes, or groundwater withdrawals, while non-native vegetation can indicate stress and threaten native plants and ecosystem health. By establishing baseline information we can better understand and protect our local waterways.

These assessments serve multiple purposes and we aim to expand their impact even further.  One value of the assessments is to build direct relationship, knowledge, and experience with the creeks while working on a team of diverse experts. Secondly, the watershed-wide data collected is compiled into a database that is available for our partners to use. 

We'd like to invite you to participate. Together, let's continue to protect and cherish our watershed!

Outcomes
So far, through SCWC field forums, 9 different locations have been mapped across the Tucson Metro Area, including Sabino Creek, the Tanque Verde, the Santa Cruz River, and the Rillito. Many of these sites have not been mapped by agencies in many decades and most have never been surveyed in detail.  To protect these riparian areas, we hope to fill in baseline condition data and assess change over time so that responsive actions can be taken for protection.

Highlights so far include mapping a rare Hackberry stand and successful eradication progress of the invasive Arundo in the Tanque Verde Creek, documenting dead cottonwoods as a result of the acute 2020 drought on Rillito Creek, finding signs of drought resilience on lower Sabino Canyon, and mapping the xeri-riparian habitat in the Santa Cruz in the Green Valley area before the potential addition of instream reclaimed water flows. The results of this data can be viewed on the interactive map and be read about in more detail in the twice-annual field forum summaries available here.

Potential Uses

The data collected can be invaluable for research, resource protection, and integration into various agency databases. Here are some exciting ideas from SCWC discussions on how this data could possibly be used:

• Drought Response and Data Utilization: The SCWC collaborative drought grants, led by Watershed Management Group (WMG), are exploring how to effectively use drought-related riparian signals in drought responses. This includes community outreach and local land management strategies. 

• ADWR Drought Reporting: Including tree health conditions to enhance drought reports.

• Riparian Proper Function Condition Assessments: Incorporating landform conditions to meet national standards.

• ADEQ’s Surface Water Protection Program: Adding notes on recreational and ecological significance, such as perennial or intermittent waters, saturated soils, endangered and threatened fauna, geology, aesthetics, perceived water quality, or wilderness characteristics.