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Soils and Hydrologic Processes Drive Wet Meadow Formation and Approaches to Restoration, Western USA

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Abstract

In 1805, the Lewis and Clark Expedition encountered Nez Perce people at a wet meadow that now holds historical significance to both cultures. Over the past two centuries this northern Idaho site, known as Weippe Prairie, was modified by digging of drainage ditches and introduction of exotic plants for livestock forage. From 2013 to 2017 a restoration was implemented that included filling a drainage ditch and planting five native wetland species. Between 2008 and 2018 we analyzed monitoring well data to quantify water levels through time, soil oxidation/reduction stations to measure redox potential, vegetation plots to track community changes, and pits for soil characterization. Seasonal saturation occurred top-down from direct precipitation and sheet flow over fine-grained soil and a low permeability hardpan approximately 60 cm below ground. Resulting hydrologic effects included a mean water level rise of 23 cm and prolonged growing season saturation. Although the restoration appears to be on a desirable trajectory, two years were insufficient for the wet meadow to transition from dominance by exotic pasture grasses to native wetland species. A combination of recurring monitoring, adaptive management, time, and reevaluation of the physical and ecological processes driving wetland function is required to achieve longterm restoration success.

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Acknowledgements

This research and wetland restoration were supported by Nez Perce National Historical Park (NEPE) and the Water Resources Division of the National Park Service. We thank NEPE staff for their essential roles in making this project possible, including Jason Lyon, Heidi Tamm, Jannis LeBlanc, and Kathryn Matthews. We thank Anita Falen of the University of Idaho for her role in soil analyses, which also included helpful contributions from Mitch Valerio and Roger Falen. We thank the anonymous reviewer whose comments helped streamline and clarify the the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Colorado State University, 1472 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA

    Derek M. Schook, Andrea K. Borkenhagen & David J. Cooper

  2. Water Resources Division, National Park Service, 1201 Oakridge Drive, Suite 250, Fort Collins, CO, 80525, USA

    Derek M. Schook & Joel I. Wagner

  3. Soil & Land Resources Division, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive MS 2339, Moscow, ID, 83844, USA

    Paul A. McDaniel

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  1. Derek M. Schook
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  2. Andrea K. Borkenhagen
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  3. Paul A. McDaniel
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  4. Joel I. Wagner
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  5. David J. Cooper
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Correspondence to Derek M. Schook.

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Schook, D.M., Borkenhagen, A.K., McDaniel, P.A. et al. Soils and Hydrologic Processes Drive Wet Meadow Formation and Approaches to Restoration, Western USA. Wetlands 40, 637–653 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-019-01200-8

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