Watershed Protection Plan - Lower Rio Grande Valley Development ...

ELEMENTS OF THE ARROYO
COLORADO WATERSHED
PROTECTION PLAN
The ACW Partnership developed the ACW
Protection Plan as an integrated set of components
based largely on the recommendations of the Work
Groups created by the Partnership to examine the
various issues associated with water quality and habitat
improvement in the Arroyo Colorado. The Work Groups
provided separate reports containing recommendations
for each of the components of the Plan. The sections
below offer condensed summaries of these reports.
More detailed information can be found in the original
Work Group reports, which are included in the list of
supporting documents for this Plan and can be viewed
and downloaded from the ACW Partnership website
.
Habitat Restoration
The plan to improve water quality in the Arroyo
Colorado through habitat restoration is a multifaceted
strategy that involves the construction of wetlands,
conservation and restoration of existing riparian and
wetland habitats, and reduction of channel and stream
bank erosion.
The ACW Partnership adopted the following Action
items for habitat restoration in the Arroyo Colorado :
Action 1 - Support ongoing efforts of federal,
state and local agencies and other organizations to
implement terrestrial habitat conservation objectives in
Llano Grande Lake
the Arroyo Colorado watershed through partnerships
and funding, including the following efforts:
• Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge
Proposed Refuge Expansion Plan, including
acquisition of land along the shores of the Arroyo
Colorado from the current refuge boundaries to
the Port of Harlingen (USFWS 1999).
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife Corridor
Project.
• Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Private
Lands Enhancement and Landowner Incentive
Program.
• The Consolidated Farm Service Agency’s
Conservation Reserve Program and Agricultural
Conservation Program, and the Natural
Resources Conservation Services’ Wetland
Reserve Program.
• The Nature Conservancy of Texas conservation
and restoration of native terrestrial vegetation
through cooperative projects and private lands.
Action 2 - Protect and restore existing riparian
areas, resacas, and freshwater wetlands (Figure 28).
• Conserve riparian areas through acquisition,
voluntary conservation easements and other
conservation actions.
• Restore riparian areas by partnering with public
and private landowners to reduce habitat clearing
or overgrazing on lands adjacent to drainages
and the Arroyo Colorado, control invasive plant
species, restore hydrology (occasional fl ooding)
and re-vegetate with native riparian plant
species.
• Protect and restore resacas and freshwater
wetlands through acquisition and restoration of
hydrology.
• Support the use of native plants in vegetated
fi lter strips (Strategy 5 in APAI 2006) employed
near riparian areas, resacas and other
freshwater wetlands.
January 2007 75 Arroyo Colorado Watershed Protection Plan