The Watershed Restoration Program is starting 2025 stronger than ever. With over 5,000 erosion control structures under our belts since our program’s inception, we are looking forward to a year of building even more of these structures, and surveying over 100 miles in the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area (LCNCA).
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We are working with our partners at the Bureau of Land Management to create a Watershed Assessment for the seven sub-watersheds at LCNCA. This has also allowed us to increase our crew’s capacity, with three new full-time positions created through this partnership.
This project will take place on and around the LCNCA, just 15 minutes north of Patagonia, which was created in 1999 to protect the unique and nationally important wildlife, vegetative, archaeological, cultural, and historical resources of the Cienegas Watershed.
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The LCNCA is managed by the Bureau of Land Management’s Tucson Field Office, and contains 28.3 miles of Cienega Creek as well as several of its tributaries. Cienega Creek has seven subwatersheds that are at least partially within the LCNCA borders. As part of the ongoing efforts to manage this area, the Las Cienega Landscape Restoration Environmental Assessment was recently completed.
One of the purposes of this assessment is to identify best management practices, and the implementation of erosion control structures was included because the area has been experiencing heavy erosion. This project will allow our crew to survey over 100 miles throughout the seven subwatersheds, mark areas of concern, and prescribe a plan for where to build new erosion control structures. Once this initial assessment is complete in phase one, a work plan will be devised and on-the-ground work may begin to mitigate erosion in phase two. This will help slow downstream flooding, and preserve critical riparian habitat for wildlife like beavers.
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LCNCA supports over 300 animal species, including threatened and endangered species like the Gila topminnow, Mexican garter snake, and lesser long-nosed bat, as well as plants like the Huachuca water umbel. It will also improve upland habitat, which is beneficial for ranchers and recreationists who utilize the LCNCA. The final phase will be to implement a monitoring plan.
After only a couple days of surveying, the Watershed Restoration crew has seen some beautiful country, amazing views of the Sky Islands, and herds of over 20 pronghorn grazing throughout the grasslands. We are so excited for the year ahead, and all the restoration work we will accomplish with the help of our partners.