Dry Meadow
Dry Meadow, the southern-most meadow, is in the headwaters of Bull Run Creek, tributary to the North Fork Kern River. Drainage area above the stream monitoring station is approximately 2.7 square miles and receives 36.3” mean annual precipitation (USGS StreamStats, 2018) and is located at an elevation of approximately 6,500 ft. The Western Divide Ranger District (WDRD), Sequoia National Forest (SQF) categorized Dry Meadow as one of the most severely degraded meadows on the Forest, prior to restoration implementation in late summer of 2020. The goal of the restoration was to restore the physical and biological ecosystem functions of the meadow, utilizing the partial fill restoration technique and a valley grade control structure. Over 50 acres of montane meadow and 4,228 ft. of meadow channel(s) were restored and anticipated to provide the following ecosystem benefits: increased aerial extent of wet/moist meadow habitat, instream cover/shading, and native species refugia, extended late season stream flow, improved water quality and aquatic/terrestrial habitat, higher retained groundwater levels, increased vegetative productivity, and reduced soil erosion. By reconnecting the stream channel(s) to their naturally evolved floodplains the current degradational trend can be reversed, and ancillary actions such as fencing and grazing management will ensure sustainability of ecosystem benefits. Pre- and post-restoration monitoring is being collected to evaluate the success of the project.
Map showing locations of 2017-2021 data collection at Dry Meadow -
Bull Run Creek (North Fork Kern River watershed).
Types of data collected include:
Bull Run Creek (North Fork Kern River watershed).
Types of data collected include:
- * Stream flow measurements (manual & continuous logging)
- * Water temperature
- * Groundwater level
- * Electrical conductivity
- * Air temperature (manual & continuous logging)
- * CRAM (California Rapid Assessment Method)
- * Seismic characterization of meadow basin – groundwater capacity
- * Photo points
- * UVA/drone surveys – sedimentation
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550 Crescent Street, PO Box 3880, Quincy, CA 95971
(530)283-3739
(530)283-3739
