Greater Rio Grande Watershed Alliance Riparian Restoration Effectiveness Monitoring Plan

This Greater Rio Grande Watershed Alliance (GRGWA) riparian restoration effectiveness monitoring plan (Monitoring Plan) presents background information and monitoring approaches for comprehensive monitoring of riparian restoration projects and natural resources management within the Middle Rio Grande (MRG) watershed. The monitoring approaches and methods will evaluate the effectiveness of riparian restoration projects conducted by GRGWA members whose projects are aimed at removing non-native vegetation and restoring a sustainable landscape that provides vital economic and ecological services to riverside communities in central and northern New Mexico. The monitoring approaches found within this plan will help the GRGWA achieve the objectives it has developed as an alliance, which are detailed below. This Monitoring Plan details the evaluation criteria and monitoring methods of the following items: riparian vegetation communities (wildlife habitat), shallow groundwater, soil health, and wildfire fuel loading. Monitoring will provide data to address how parameters representing those items respond to restoration treatments, and will show whether or not the restoration treatments are meeting goals outlined in the project proposal and by the GRGWA.