From the Glenwood Springs Post Independent (Julie Sutor):
Through a program called Respect the River, the Dillon Ranger District of the White River National Forest is restoring disturbed riparian zones (areas flanking rivers and streams) and teaching campers, hikers and riders to protect these invaluable lifelines…
When people camp, park or drive alongside streams, the soil becomes compacted and vegetation is disturbed, turning once-rich ground into hard, dry dirt. And plant root systems that once held stream banks in place wither, leaving streamsides ripe for erosion. Without vegetative cover, a thunderstorm can rip right through an area, sending thousands of pounds of sediment into the river over the course of a summer. “The biggest problem is increased sediment in the water and increased turbidity. If there’s too much dirt in the creek, it can cause damage to gills, fish can’t forage as well, and they leave the area. That’s a stress on them,” Lewellen said. Furthermore, when sediment covers clean, gravely stream bottoms, it interferes with fish reproduction. Local fish, including the threatened greenback cutthroat trout and the sensitive Colorado River cutthroat trout, deposit their eggs in gravel. But fish won’t do so if the gravel is coated in sediment. When sediment covers eggs that have already been deposited, they lose their oxygen supply and die…
The Forest Service is beginning a two-pronged plan to combat recreation’s impact on riparian habitat.
First, crews are conducting restoration work in the areas that have seen the worst damage. They bring in dozers to rake compacted soil, loosening and aerating it, and then scatter native grass seed for revegetation. Some riverside campsites and roads are fenced off. In other places, crews construct water bars to reroute runoff away from disturbed soil, thereby preventing sediment from ending up in the stream. And White River National Forest officials are taking a fresh look at dispersed camping to consider what changes may be in order for existing regulations.
Second, Lewellen and others in the Dillon Ranger District are launching a public education campaign to make outdoor enthusiasts aware of potential impacts to rivers and streams. Signs are going up in popular spots, urging people to camp, drive and park no closer than 100 feet from the edges of streams and rivers.
More restoration coverage here.