The Upper Gunnison Basin Wet Meadows Program (Program) was established in 2012 by the Gunnison Climate Working Group, a public-private partnership formed to help the Upper Gunnison River Basin adapt to an uncertain future. The Program implements collaborative, watershed-scale restoration of wet meadows and riparian areas with the goal of improving habitat for wildlife, sustaining land-based livelihoods and ecosystem services, and building watershed resilience to drought and other climatic challenges.

In our basin, wet meadows and riparian areas are a rare and critical resource that provide high-quality habitat and forage for many species, including the federally threatened Gunnison Sage-grouse. The soils in these areas function as “sponges,” absorbing spring runoff and slowly releasing water to maintain higher water tables throughout the summer. Although wet meadows are important for a variety of species and livelihoods, many of them suffer from unnatural erosion, which causes channel incision, lowered water tables, and vegetation loss; in these cases, the soil “sponge” loses that ability to absorb and release water.

To address these challenges, the Program uses Zeedyk-style restoration structures, which are modestly built by hand using rock and/or wood. These structures restore wet meadows by reducing unnatural erosion, capturing soil, slowing runoff, and raising the water table. The result is a more productive and diverse vegetation community, which increases the habitat’s resiliency during drought and provides ecosystem services that people and wildlife depend on.