Most of the Santa Cruz and San Pedro watersheds were historically a cienega habitat without gullies and erosion channels. Borderlands Restoration crews have been working at the Babocomari Ranch, south of Elgin, for the past two summers, building erosion-control structures that function by slowing rainwater, increasing soil moisture to support plant life, stabilizing soils to reverse erosion, and recharging groundwater. We have seen erosion structures bring surface flows and vegetation back to waterways, supporting ranching operation, wildlife, and people.
This project is funded by a grant from the Walton Family Foundation. Collaborators in the effort include a growing number of local ranchers, the Audubon Research Ranch; the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation; and Bureau of Land Management, the US Forest Service, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The current effort extends through 2015, and we fully expect to receive continuing support after that.
Our crew created a series of erosion structures to keep channels from deepening and losing grass, (photo, above). Everyone can build these kinds of structures to slow water—look for our workshops and events to learn how!
A gully cut in need of some attention was plugged with rocks to stop further erosion (photo, left). Because there was no vegetation to slow rainwater coming off the banks around this channel, the water cut into the banks as it slid into the deepening hole. Channels like these can lower groundwater levels, causing wells to go dry. The rocks will work to keep soils in place and slow water to rebuild the channel. We used sandbags to slow and spread rainwater as it flows through a badly eroded canyon.
Borderlands’ trained landscape techs include crew leader Ernesto Cabrera, Oscar Majalca, Hugo Mingura, Tony Segebartt, and Zach Yourgules. They continue to Restructuring and Renewal hone their skills in the field, and their work to date has impressed not only the landowning family, but also agency officials and other practitioners who have been involved in this kind of work for decades.
Look for a public presentation in Patagonia on our projects and methods later this fall.
Molly McCormick is the Restoration Project Manager/Outreach Specialist for Borderlands Restoration.