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4
<br />Husbanding Riparia
<br />By promoting ideal riparia, we have the
<br />power to ultimately determine the quality ofour
<br />River. What can we do to promote the Ca-
<br />capon's riparia?
<br />First, stabilize failing and rapidly eroding
<br />streambanks. Depending on the nature of the
<br />problem, the solution may be simple (= inex-
<br />pensive). or complex (= expensive) (Jones and
<br />Battaglia 1986, Keown 1983). Available meth-
<br />ods include vegetation plantings, bank shap -;
<br />ing, mats of used tires, stone riprap, gabions
<br />(wire baskets filled with ''rocks), and combina- ,
<br />tions of these and other techniques. Consult ex-
<br />perts at the U.S. Soil Conservation Service, WV ,
<br />University Extension Service, WV Div.
<br />Forestry, or WV Div. Wildlife Resources.
<br />For erosion problems that are correctable
<br />with tree plantings, Lorenz et al. (1989) suggest
<br />three varieties appropriate for the Cacapon
<br />River area: 'streamco' purpleosier willow
<br />(Salix purpurea), 'Bankers' dwarf. willow
<br />(Salix cottei), and 'ruby' redosier dogwood
<br />(Cornus stolonifera). -
<br />Second, avoid disturbing the soil and
<br />plants within the riparium. Keep vehicles, soil
<br />fill, dumps, and buildings out of the floodplain.
<br />Roads and buildings should be separated from
<br />the River by a riparium.
<br />And third, the most important step we can
<br />take toward improving riparia, indeed towards
<br />aiding the overall health of today's Cacapon
<br />River, is to exclude cattle herds from
<br />riverbanks. Cows trample plants, loosen bank
<br />soil, and wallow in the stream. Further, cattle
<br />add sewage pollution: on average, a single cow
<br />produces as much sewage as ten humans
<br />(Turner and Sepas 1988). Thus, the effect of a
<br />100 -head herd is equivalent to 4 -5 Capon
<br />Bridges discharging sewage directly into the
<br />River.
<br />I am not suggesting that we stay completely
<br />out of the Cacapon's riparia. For example, cat-
<br />tle may access the River in small areas stabi-
<br />lized by stone or bedrock. The corridor may be
<br />selectively cut (Wehnes 1989), but trees whose
<br />roots hold the bank together must be spared.
<br />The Effects of Dams on Riparia
<br />A flood - control dam, such as the one pro-
<br />posed by the U.S. Soil Conservation Service for
<br />Kimsey Run in the Lost River valley (See Ca-
<br />capon vol: 1, no. 4.) is designed to dampen
<br />floods. It will also trap silt.
<br />However, healthy riparia are products of
<br />water and silt supplied in pulses that ap-
<br />proximate the rhythms of natural streams
<br />(Hunt 1988). Both the timing and amount of
<br />flow are crucial. As floods are controlled, the
<br />riparian plant community changes from a
<br />system influenced by seasonal flooding to a
<br />primarily terrestrial forest (Neiman et al.
<br />1989). For example, riparian trees that depend
<br />on a springtime' deposit of silt for seedling es-
<br />tablishment will not regenerate (Hunt 1988).
<br />If the Cacapon's flow were to become more
<br />even through the year, the riparian plant com-
<br />munity would change from a pioneer forest
<br />determined by changing flood regimes, to
<br />more of an oak hardwood forest, typical of pure
<br />terrestrial habitats. Such a change in plant
<br />species would lessen 'a riparium's capacity to
<br />filter run -off from uplands to the River.
<br />In order to preserve the Cacapon's riparian
<br />ecosystem, that unique natural association of
<br />soil, flora, and fauna that depends on periodic
<br />flooding, and that contributes so much to the
<br />health of the River, the Cacapon must have
<br />guaranteed in- stream flows. This is one of
<br />several reasons why Nancy and I are plain-
<br />tiffs in the Lost River Committee's legal suit to
<br />stop the construction of the Kimsey Run dam.
<br />Conclusion
<br />Although the entire Cacapon River basin is
<br />the ultimate unit of ecological preservation, we
<br />can begin the task by focusing on riparia as the
<br />most crucial immediate priority. This is why I
<br />041
<br />am supportive of the Cacapon/Lost Rivers Land
<br />Trust, an embryonic organization dedicated to
<br />preserving the Cacapon's riparia.
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