The proposed project is designed to provide BLM with decision-support tools to evaluate conservationand restoration activities related to aquatic and riparian habitat conditions within the lower…

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) awarded a $250,000 Cooperative Agreement under the Aquatic Resources Management program (CFDA 15.244) to the Regents of the University of Idaho. The project will develop decision-support tools to assist BLM in evaluating conservation and restoration activities related to aquatic and riparian habitat conditions within the Lower Henrys Fork Snake River corridor in Idaho. Key products include physically-based models to quantify aquatic habitat for the Yellowstone cutthroat trout, regeneration of dynamic floodplain habitat for native cottonwood and willow forest species, and critical riparian habitat potential for the threatened Western yellow-billed cuckoo. The models will leverage advanced remote sensing techniques to spatially map and quantify forest structure and habitat conditions across the Henrys Fork floodplain. The award period is from September 15, 2024 to September 14, 2029.

The proposed project is designed to provide BLM with decision-support tools to evaluate conservationand restoration activities related to aquatic and riparian habitat conditions within the lower henrys forksnake river corridor in idaho. We will develop physically based models to identify and quantify 1)aquatic habitat for the yellowstone cutthroat trout, 2) the regeneration of dynamic floodplain habitat fornative cottonwood and willow forest species, and 3) critical riparian habitat potential for the threatenedwestern yellow-billed cuckoo. Aquatic habitat models will indicate how streamflow drives spatialchanges to the distribution of habitat in the river channel. BLM can evaluate if flow releases intended tofacilitate riparian forest regeneration will be detrimental or beneficial to the yellowstone cutthroat troutor other species of interest. Riparian recruitment models can predict and map successful seedlingregeneration and restoration tree planting on the floodplain, as well as identify the failure mechanisms toinform and optimize potential conservation and restoration strategies. Further, a vegetation successionmodel will capture the changes in floodplain vegetation dynamics over time relative to the flow regime, allowing US to 1) quantify the hydrograph magnitude, frequency, and total flow volume needed tomaintain dynamic riparian habitat conditions in the lower basin, 2) predict vegetation dynamics on blmproperties targeted for restoration, and 3) spatially identify the dynamic areas of early successionalvegetation mosaics within the henrys fork floodplain that constitute critical YBC habitat. The latestremote sensing analyses will resolve the physical riparian forest structure at the scale of individual trees toinventory habitat conditions and growth metrics on the floodplain. These advanced lidar techniqueswill move beyond the plot or transect scale to spatially quantify and map the forest structure across theentire henrys fork floodplain. Data derived from this new technique will inform the riparian successionmodel, generate spatially discrete forest structure information to evaluate critical YBC habitat potential, and provide BLM with a new tool to inventory vegetation over large spatial scales. Fieldwork will beperformed to calibrate and validate all models and tools. This project will generate unrivaled aquaticripariandatasets that can assist current and future BLM management and restoration activities in thehenrys fork basin. Collectively, the decision-support tools can help BLM evaluate different speciesrequirements in complex river ecosystems, prioritize conservation and restoration actions, and generatethe ability to quantify and justify management outcomes on public lands.