Agricultural clearing of streamside and floodplain vegetation has undermined channel stability on the lower Applegate River. Large floods devaste floodplain and riparian areas that were stable historically, and as a result many river reaches currently exhibit shallow, unstable channels that lack vegetation and stream bank stability. These sites contribute to non-point source pollution and adversely affect river water quality and aquatic habitat. Additionally, insufficient soil resources and summer preceipitation along flood scourced reaches impede natural vegatative recovery. The Applegate River Watershed Council proposes to develop a pilot project to revegetate, stabilize and monitor an unstable reach along the lower river floodplain. This proposal aims to actively pursue lower river stabilization and revegetation on a small scale. Various planting and maintenance techniques will be tested throughout the course of this project and revegetation results will be monitored in order to effectively plan for future large-scale restoration and stabilization of the lower Applegate floodplain. Sample vegetation treatments will evaluate the success of different planting methods, groundwater tapping, irrigation, soil importation, unaided natural recolonization, and species and site selection. The results will help structure further lower river floodplain restoration programs. Grant 000451990 Project 31
