Open-File Report 2011–1290
Executive Summary—Ecosystem Services Derived from Wetlands Reserve Program Conservation Practices in California’s Central Valley and Oregon’s Upper Klamath River BasinThe Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) is one of several programs implemented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Since the WRP’s inception in 1990, it has resulted in the restoration of approximately 29,000 hectares in California’s Central Valley (CCV) and roughly 12,300 hectares in Oregon’s Upper Klamath River Basin (UKRB). Both the CCV and UKRB are agricultural dominated landscapes that have experienced extensive wetland losses and hydrological alteration. Restored habitats in the CCV and UKRB are thought to provide a variety of ecosystem services, but little is known about the actual benefits afforded. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) California Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Unit in collaboration with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service surveyed 70 WRP sites and 12 National Wildlife Refuge sites in the CCV, and 11 sites in the UKRB to estimate ecosystem services provided. In the CCV, sites were selected along three primary gradients; (1) restoration age, (2) management intensity, and (3) latitude (climate). Sites in the UKRB were assessed along restoration age and management intensity gradients where possible. The management intensity gradient included information about the type and frequency of conservation practices applied at each site, which was then ranked into three categories that differentiated sites primarily along a hydrological gradient. Information collected was used to estimate the following ecosystem services: Soil and vegetation nutrient content, soil loss reduction, floodwater storage as well as avian, amphibian, fish, and pollinator use and habitat availability. Prior to this study, very little was known about WRP habitat morphology in the CCV and UKRB. Therefore in this study, we described these habitats and related them to ecosystem services provided. Our results indicate that although WRP in the CCV and UKRB provide a number of benefits, there may be management mediated trade-offs among ecosystem services. In this report, we considered ecosystem services at the site-specific scale; however, future work will extend to include effects of WRP relative to surrounding cropland. |
First posted November 1, 2011 For additional information contact: California Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Part or all of this report is presented in Portable Document Format (PDF); the latest version of Adobe Reader or similar software is required to view it. Download the latest version of Adobe Reader, free of charge. |
Duffy, W.G., Kahara, S.N., and Records, R.M., eds., 2011, Conservation Effects Assessment Project—Wetlands assessment in California’s Central Valley and Upper Klamath River Basin: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2011-1290, 128 p.
Acknowledgments
Executive Summary—Ecosystem Services Derived from Wetlands Reserve Program Conservation Practices in California’s Central Valley and Oregon’s Upper Klamath River Basin
Principal Findings
Introduction
Chapter A: Habitat Assessment of Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) in the California’s Central Valley (CCV). By Sharon N. Kahara, Rosemary M. Records, and Walter G. Duffy
Chapter B: Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) Vegetation Biomass and Nutrient Content in the California’s Central Valley (CCV). By Sharon N. Kahara and Shannon J. Chapin
Chapter C: Wetlands Reserve Porgram (WRP) Soil Development in the California’s Central Valley (CCV). By Judith Z. Drexler, Sharon N. Kahara, and Rosemary M. Records
Chapter D: Soil Loss Reduction by Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) in California’s Central Valley (CCV). By Sharon N. Kahara and Rosemary M. Records
Chapter E: Floodwater Storage Capacity of Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) in the California’s Central Valley (CCV). By Sharon N. Kahara, Rosemary M. Records, and Shannon J.Chapin
Chapter F: Bird Use of Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) in the California’s Central Valley (CCV). By Sharon N. Kahara and Ryan DiGaudio
Chapter G: Amphibians in the California’s Central Valley (CCV). By Luke Groff and Shannon J. Chapin
Chapter H: Pollinators in Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) Habitats in the California’s Central Valley (CCV). By Kim McFarland and Sharon N. Kahara
Chapter I: Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) Habitat Assessment in the Upper Klamath River Basin (UKRB). By Walter G. Duffy
Chapter J: Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) Soil Properties in the Upper Klamath River Basin (UKRB). By Rosemary M. Records and Walter G. Duffy
Chapter K: Sediment and Nutrient Yields in the Upper Klamath River Basin (UKRB). By Rosemary M. Records, Sharon N. Kahara, and Walter G. Duffy
Chapter L: Amphibian Use of Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) in the Upper Klamath River Basin. By Walter G. Duffy and Luke Groff
Chapter M: Bird use of Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) in the Upper Klamath River Basin (UKRB). By Walter G. Duffy
Chapter N: Fish Use of Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) in the Upper Klamath River Basin (UKRB). By Walter G. Duffy and Stephen Zipper
References Cited
Appendix I: Study Sites
Appendix II: Soils in the California’s Central Valley (CCV)
Appendix III: Bird use in the California’s Central Valley (CCV)
Appendix IV: Reduction of Soil Loss in the California’s Central Valley (CCV)
Appendix V: Adjacent Land Use