Presentation about the Rillito River Ecological Restoration Project - given at the April 2009 Arizona Native Plant Society general meeting

1. Rillito River Ecosystem Restoration Carianne Funicelli and Lori Woods, RECON Environmental Mike Fink, USACE, Los Angeles District John Taylor, USACE, Los Angeles District Andrew Wigg, Pima County Regional Flood Control District

2. Project Sponsors: Project Contractors and Subcontractors:

6. AREA 2: 4 acres, Installation complete April 2008

9. Rillito River Park

10. Keep the Good Stuff

11. Get Rid of the Bad Stuff… buffelgrass, tamarisk, Sahara mustard, Russian thistle, African sumac, Mexican paloverde, giant reed, yellow starthistle, yellow bird of paradise, cocklebur, filaree, malva, Bermuda grass, London rocket, cheeseweed, horehound, tree tobacco…

19. Irrigation versus water harvesting (7 months)

20. Habitat Considerations

21. Stump treatment to preserve habitat for reptiles and small mammals

26. FOOD RESOURCES = seeds, berries, nectar, insects...

30. Kino Ecological Restoration Project

31. Identification and Inventory Prior to Release

32. Baseline Mosquito Monitoring

33. Channel Design

34. Terraces

38. SEED MIX

39. HYDROSEEDING

40. Protection

42. Ongoing Maintenance and Monitoring

43. Invasive Species Management

44. A Couple of Surprises

45. Irrigation Function & Plant Replacement TOO MUCH NOT ENOUGH

46. Thirsty Critters

47. From straight concrete channels… Photos this slide courtesy of Andrew Wigg, Pima County Regional Flood Control District

48. To a Moonscape…

49. To Moonscape with Dormant Plants…

50. To Mustard Fields…..

51. On the Way to Valuable Wildlife Habitat...

52. 4 February 2008 16 December 2008 On the Ground...

53. From the air… 2006 2008

54. QUESTIONS?