Virgin River Riparian Habitat Restoration & Wildlife Conservation

Authors: Christian Edwards, Rick Fridell

Year: 2022

Abstract

The Virgin River originates from headwaters north and east of Zion National Park and travels southwest approximately 150 miles through Utah, Arizona, and Nevada before emptying into Lake Mead. In the St George area, the river meanders through a wide floodplain, which supports wetlands and associated riparian woodlands. In addition to providing water for urban development and agriculture, the Virgin River supports hundreds of wildlife species including six native fish species and five aquatic and riparian conservation species. Three general actions are included in the preservation of the Virgin River 100-year floodplain: 1) land acquisition and floodplain protection, 2) species monitoring and recovery, and 3) habitat restoration. The Virgin River Program has worked in a collaborative effort to acquire and conserve hundreds of acres of the Virgin River floodplain below Zion National Park. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) has conducted extensive monitoring of Virgin River fish species since the 1990s and annual monitoring of the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, Empidonax traillii extimus, since early 2000s. UDWR monitoring efforts include population surveys, nest monitoring, cowbird control, and nest microhabitat/vegetation sampling. In addition to flycatcher habitat enhancement (e.g. selective tamarisk removal), general Virgin River floodplain restoration efforts have been conducted throughout the Virgin River Basin and include floodplain protection, riparian habitat maintenance, non-native removal (e.g. tamarisk, Russian Olive), and native revegetation.