Properly Functioning Condition Assessment of Several Drainages Within Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. By: Joel Wagner and Michael Martin

An interdisciplinary team consisting of a soil scientist, wetland scientist, hydrologist, and terrestrial ecologist from the NPS Natural Resource Program Center (NRPC) was asked by Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (GLCA) to assess resource conditions at several sites on Navajo Point, which is at the southern end of the Kaiparowits Plateau. Focus was placed on riparian zones and associated uplands where domestic livestock grazing has been permitted. The NRPC team was accompanied by the GLCA botanist and range ecologist, and a plant ecologist, hydrologist and mycologist from the adjacent Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, which adjoins the Navajo Point area of GLCA.

Degradation of GLCA's riparian habitats is a significant management issue because of the high level of functions and values that these resources provide. Healthy riparian systems improve water quality, maintain proper stream flow, temperature, and cover for fish and other aquatic species, provide food, cover, and nesting sites for many bird species, provide migratory routes and food sources for wildlife, and provide habitat for rare, threatened, and endangered plants and animals. IN addition, both upland and riparian vegetation plan a significant role in erosion control and channel stabilization. Changes in upland vegetation affect infiltration and runoff and therefore directly affect erosion and sedimentation. Riparian vegetaiton affects channel stability by anchoring soil, transpiring alluvial groundwater, and providing velocities and decreases erosion potential. Consequently, a change in vegetation may result in channel instability.

To assess the overall health of grazed systems in this portion of GLCA, five riparian sites were evaluated using the Properly Functioning Condition assessment developed by BLM. The "proper functioning condition" of a lotic riparian area refers to the stability of the physical system, which in turn is dictated by the interaction of geology, soil, water, and vegetation. A healthy or stable riparian area is in dynamic equilibrium with its streamflow forces and channel processes. In a healthy system, the channel adjusts in slope and form to handle larger runoff events with limited perturbation of the channel characteristics and associated riparian-wetland plant communities. All sites evaluated indicated signs of stress with the exception of one where steep canyon walls restricted access. The levels of stress evaluated ranged from "functional at risk" to "non-functional." Specific management recommendations were developed to improve the condition of each site based on this fieldwork.