Scott Shahverdian

Utah State University | USU · Department of Watershed Sciences

Spatial and temporal heterogeneity, or messiness, is a broadly desirable characteristic of river corridors and an indicator of many of the geomorphic processes that sustain fluvial ecosystems. However, quantifying geomorphic heterogeneity is complicated by a lack of consistent metrics, classification schemas for dividing the river corridor into the...

Spatial and temporal heterogeneity, or messiness, is a broadly desirable characteristic of river corridors and an indicator of many of the geomorphic processes that sustain fluvial ecosystems. However, quantifying geomorphic heterogeneity is complicated by a lack of consistent metrics, classification schemas for dividing the river corridor into the...

Heterogeneity, or messiness, is a broadly desirable characteristic of river corridors and an indicator of many of the geomorphic processes that sustain fluvial ecosystems. However, quantifying geomorphic heterogeneity is complicated by a lack of consistent metrics, methods of dividing up the river corridor into the patches that form the basis for t...

In this report we present a conservation, restoration and monitoring plan for the streams and riparian areas of Dugout Ranch, Utah, owned and operated by The Nature Conservancy (TNC). The plan is intended to help guide conservation, restoration and management of the Dugout Ranch’s riverscapes (streams and riparian areas) over the next several decad...

Following the Sharps Fire in summer 2018 140 low-tech restoration structures were constructed along Sheep Creek, Hailey Creek and Baugh Creek, in the lower Baugh Creek watershed (Shahverdian and Wheaton, 2018). That effort, referred to as phase I, took place on private lands and benefitted from a diverse group of partners including, the Idaho Gover...

In November 2018, Anabranch Solutions, LLC (AS) worked with partners at the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG), the Idaho Governor’s Office of Species Conservation (OSC), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Trout Unlimited (TU), Idaho Soil & Water Conservation Commission, and two private landowners to implement...

The Low-Tech Process Based Restoration of Riverscapes Pocket Guide is an illustrated and condensed version of the Design Manual (http://lowtechpbr.restoration.usu.edu). The pocket guide is designed to fit in your pocket (4 x 6") to use as a reference in the field.

- Riverscapes are composed of connected floodplain and channel habitats that together make up the valley bottom. - The scope of degradation of riverscapes is massive. Tens of thousands of miles of riverscapes are in poor or fair condition. - Structural-starvation is both a direct cause of degradation, as well as a consequence of land use changes...

The purpose of this design manual is to provide restoration practitioners with guidelines for implementing a subset of low-tech tools —namely beaver dam analogues (BDAs) and post-assisted log structures (PALS)—for initiating process-based restoration in structurally-starved riverscapes. While the concept of process-based restoration in riverscapes...

Chapter 3 of of Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration of Riverscapes: Design Manual (http://lowtechpbr.restoration.usu.edu) Planning for low-tech process-based restoration is similar to planning for other forms of restoration. •We adapt the Conservation Planning Process to show what aspects of the process are distinctive to low-tech process-based re...

Chapter Two of Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration of Riverscapes: Design Manual (http://lowtechpbr.restoration.usu.edu) Low-tech process-based restoration principles are critical to understand as both the basis for effectively applying low-tech restoration treatments and managing expectations about timing and magnitude of outcomes. We propose an...

Chapter 6 of Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration of Riverscapes: Design Manual (http://lowtechpbr.restoration.usu.edu) •Key phases of restoration project implementation include obtaining regulatory consultations and permits, construction, monitoring and adaptive management. •Application of beaver dam analogues (BDAs) and post-assisted log structure...

Chapter 7 of the Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration of Riverscapes - Design Manual (http://lowtechpbr.restoration.usu.edu)

Chapter Four of Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration of Riverscapes: Design Manual (http://lowtechpbr.restoration.usu.edu Post-assisted log structures (PALS) and beaver dam analogues (BDAs) are hand-built structures. PALS mimicand promote the processes of wood accumulation; whereas BDAs mimic and promote beaver dam activity. •PALS and BDAs are perme...

Chapter 5 of Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration of Riverscapes: Design Manual (http://lowtechpbr.restoration.usu.edu) • A complex is a group of structures designed to work together to mimic and/or promote specific processes to achieve one or more project objectives. Complexes are the building blocks of a low-tech restoration design. • The low-tec...

This report presents an application of the Beaver Restoration Assessment Tool 2.0.0 (BRAT; http://brat.riverscapes.xyz/), a tool for building realistic expectations for partnering with beaver in conservation and restoration (Macfarlane et al. 2017). In this application, we analyzed all the perennial rivers and streams within the Yakama Nation Reser...

In summer 2018, the Sharps Fire burned major portions of the Baugh Creek Watershed in central Idaho. Prior to the Sharps Fire a stream restoration project was planned for lower Baugh Creek. Following the fire, the project was expanded to include two additional streams in the lower watershed and to address the risks posed post-fire, as well as ident...

Improving Instream Habitat and Riparian Areas to Benefit Bonneville Cutthroat Trout and Sage Grouse

The purpose of this report is to describe the geomorphic response to two, small-scale pilot installations of beaver dam analogue (BDA) restoration treatments on the lower San Rafael River that took place between April 2016 and October 2017. The geomorphic response was captured from repeat topographic surveys of both treatment reaches and control re...

This report describes the design and implementation of a stream restoration project (bid AS 18027) along Birch Creek, near Beaver, Utah. Birch Creek is a demonstration project designed to highlight a range of low cost, simple restoration structures, including Beaver Dam Analogs (BDAs), Post-Assisted Log Structures (PALS) as well as other woody stru...

This report, prepared for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, as outlined in bid AS17157, Restoration Project and Beaver Translocation (Purchase order no. 560 170000000000222) documents the restoration design and implementation of beaver dam analogs (BDAs) within the upper Grouse Creek watershed. The design and implementation of beaver dam ana...

This report, contracted by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) describes an Adaptive Management Plan for the translocation of beaver as part of stream restoration efforts in the Grouse Creek Watershed (bid AS17157; purchase order no. 560 170000000000222) in northwest Box Elder County, UT. The purpose of this report is to present an adapt...

Sediment recovery following disturbances is a measure of the time required to attain pre-disturbance sediment fluxes. Insight into the controls on recovery processes and pathways builds understanding of geomorphic resilience. We assess post-disturbance sediment recovery in three small (1.5-100km²), largely unaltered watersheds within the northern C...

This report, prepared for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources as part of the Watershed Restoration Initiative (Project ID 3417), outlines a restoration plan for the upper Grouse Creek Watershed in northwest Box Elder County, Utah. The project area is on privately-owned, actively managed grazing lands. The overarching goal of this restoration pr...

This memorandum, prepared at the request of Muller Engineering Co., Inc., evaluates the capacity for a portion of Westerly Creek, Denver, CO to support beaver dam-building activity and identifies the threats and opportunities such activity may pose. This portion of Westerly Creek is a popular greenbelt and recreation corridor, and has been the focu...

This map was created to show the proximity of public water supplies in Maine to wetlands, which are known to be water filtration areas. The map shows that a significant number of public water supplies in Maine are within 4km of wetlands.