Big Meadows Improvement Project
Printable VersionThe Big Meadows Improvement Project is within the Giant Sequoia National Monument (GSNM) and lies outside of giant sequoia groves. Watersheds are a high priority to protect and restore under the 2001 Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment Record of Decision (2001 SNFPA ROD), and recognized as an important ecological component in the 2000 Presidential Proclamation establishing the Giant Sequoia National Monument.
The Big Meadows Improvement Project is designed restore 6,100 feet of degraded stream within the meadow to enhance aquatic species habitat while maintaining existing land uses including recreation and grazing. The project will use a restoration technology called pond and plug, which eliminates the existing down cut channel and redirects stream flow back into stable, historic remnant channels on the meadow surface (see attached map). This reconnects the channel to its naturally-evolved floodplain. The project will provide the following ecosystem benefits: 1) establish a single-thread, low flow channel, 2) reduce flow peaks and increase/extend summer base flows, 3) increase in-stream cover and shading, 4) enhance aquatic and terrestrial habitat, 5) improve water quality, and 6) raise the local groundwater level within the meadow.
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Project Documents
- Cover Letter (38.1 kb)
- Decision Memo (428.2 kb)
- Project Area Map
