Creek Monitoring
Through Partnership
Creek Monitoring for Restoration
Vesper Meadow is home to upper Dead Indian Creek, headwaters to the mighty Rogue River of southwest Oregon. Legacy of water diversion projects from the 1960’s and over a century of heavy grazing has had severe impacts on the creek health. Continual erosion of the banks makes the meadow vulnerable to invasive species and drought. With the help of the Rogue River Watershed Council, Cascade Stream Solutions, Trout Unlimited, and other partners, we are tracking the health of the creek by monitoring water flow and temperature, and indicator species that live in the creek.
With Student Research
Creek and water quality surveying with the public
To study the biodiversity of the creek, and understand the health of the water, initial surveys were made in 2018 prior to any restoration efforts. Baseline information was collected on three biotic components of the meadow prior to restoration 1.) stream morphology 2.) macroinvertebrate community structure as an indication of stream habitat integrity 3.) and water quality. Read about Crystal Nichols’s research on our blog!