Wetlands are important features in the landscape that provide numerous beneficial services or functions for people, fish, and wildlife. Wetlands are the link between land and water resources; wetland functions include protecting and improving water quality, providing fish and wildlife habitat, control and mitigation of floodwaters, groundwater recharge, and providing biological productivity. The value of wetlands is largely determined by local communities with wetlands providing cultural, historical, and educational values. Impacts to wetlands and their functions can decrease the economic and ecological values of wetlands.
The Tribe's Wetland Protection Program is continuing toward the goal of protecting and restoring wetlands for their economic, cultural, environmental, and human health benefits. With the previously approved Wetland Program Plan by the US EPA expiring in October 2021, the Wetlands Program is in the process of re-visiting the plan and updating different components to submit for approval a Wetland program Plan for 2022-2025. The Wetland Program continuously works to enhance the protection of wetland resources within the reservation boundaries, and updating the Wetland Program Plan assists in progressing this work.
Wetlands provide great benefits to all forms of wildlife, as well as improve water quality by filtering pollutants through their sponge-like characteristics. On the Reservation there is a variety of wetland types from riverine wetlands along the Truckee River, to isolated spring-fed wetlands in the surrounding ranges of Pyramid Lake. Several new wetlands and spring systems have been identified in 2020, and the Wetlands Program will continue to work on expanding this inventory and continue monitoring efforts to determine wetland health and condition on the Reservation. Through monitoring efforts, and restoration projects the Wetlands Program hopes to increase wetland acreage on the Reservation and improve the conditions of all wetland sites. The Tribe hopes to partner with other agencies and professionals to gain expertise and assistance on these various projects.
Recent Wetland Program Projects
Hydrology Monitoring
The Wetlands Program began monitoring hydrology at two different wetlands sites in 2018. The two sites were chosen to be representative of the wetlands on the Reservation. One site is located to the north of Pyramid Lake and is an isolated spring-fed wetland (Soda Springs), the second is a depressional wetland located along the Truckee River (Salt Marsh). In 2018 groundwater level loggers and precipitation gauges were deployed at each site to begin monitoring the hydrology of these wetlands. In 2021, a third hydrological monitoring system was installed at Sweetwater Spring in a canyon on the northeast side of the lake. By monitoring the hydrology at these characteristically different wetland sites, natural resource managers can begin to determine the distinct difference between the sites as well as draw conclusions about the wetland in regards to water flow, duration, and patterns.
Amphibian Management
Amphibians play an important role in a wetland ecosystem. They can be an indicator species for proper habitat condition and good water quality, they also help with the energy flow and nutrient cycling in wetlands as they fill ecological roles as both predator and prey species.
Amphibians found on the Reservation include the Pacific chorus frog, the western toad, the Great basin spadefoot toad, the invasive American bullfrog, and the Northern leopard frog, which is rare in the state of Nevada. Amphibian presence in a wetland system can be an indicator of proper functioning condition or provide evidence of a declining wetland condition if amphibians are absent one year compared to years prior.
The Northern leopard frog was once abundant throughout Nevada and the Truckee River Watershed, but now the species has seen a drastic decline since the mid-1900s. The species has been eliminated from the Truckee River Watershed, except for one location along the lower Truckee River in Wadsworth, Nevada. Since the early 2000s, the PLPT has worked to determine the extent of the species within the Reservation and taken actions to conserve this population.
Numana Wetland Restoration Project
Completed in 2017, the Numana Wetland Restoration Design is a comprehensive plan developed to improve wetland habitat and increase the value of wetland natural resources. Funded by an EPA 400(C)(B) grant award, the Natural Resources Department worked with contractor Ecology Artisans to bring this project to light. The design outlines the challenges and threats the wetland faces and details management practices that, if implemented, can work to improve the condition. The Numana Wetland is a man-made wetland that collects high nutrient wastewater from Numana Hatchery and allows it to settle and purify before it enters the Truckee River.
In 2019 the Wetlands Program applied for and was awarded EPA’s Non-point Source Competitive 319 Grant which provided funds for the various components of the Restoration Design plan mentioned above. The Numana Restoration Demonstration Project incorporated the following elements to help improve the function and habitat of this wetland: Installed floating islands with native vegetation, installed aeration equipment, constructed an emergency spillway on an erosion-damaged berm, constructed a beaver deceiver to prevent overflow, retrofitted the outlet pipe, and suppressed the growth of an invasive plant on the berm of the wetland. The photos pictured above show the work done to date on the wetland.
Throughout 2020 and 2021, the Wetlands Program staff worked to develop an Arc GIS Storymap to provide additional information to the public. This Storymap discusses the Wetlands Program, and goes into detail about various projects, cultural history, and is interactive, giving the user a unique interactive experience while learning about the program and land on the Reservation. The link to the storymap can be found below!
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/11a061e291d249b283f59f8dea559e6a
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