Projects repair USAFA streams, revitalize wildlife

  • Published
  • By Shannon Carabajal
  • AFCEC Public Affairs
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. --  Stream restoration efforts at the U.S. Air Force Academy over the last seven years have reversed years of erosion and damage while repairing and preserving the natural environment for area wildlife.

The Academy, on the boundary between the Southern Rockies and Great Plains ecosystems in Colorado, is in an area where habitat is rapidly being lost to development, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Consequently, the lakes and streams on the installation are becoming more and more important to the diverse wildlife communities they support.

"The area east of (the Academy) has had a boom of both commercial and residential development over the past 10 years, which has dramatically increased the storm flows in the streams running through the (installation). The increase in storm flow has severely damaged the areas surrounding the stream beds by erosion," said Bill Kivela, an engineer and project manager with the Air Force Civil Engineer Center's Colorado Springs Project Execution Office.

AFCEC has contracted with several companies to construct the projects.

Restoration work at the Academy began in 2007. The work included designs, construction, repair and maintenance helping to mitigate the adverse impacts of storm water originating off base.

Because of scarce funding, a phased approach was chosen, Kivela said. The projects included design and construction work on the Black Forest Creek from 2007 to 2009; and the Middle Tributary, Monument Branch and Elkhorn Creek from 2008 to 2009.

The most recent phase involved additional work on the Middle Tributary. The project cleared and realigned the channel to help slow flow rates and subsequent erosion, rebuilt and repaired the banks to their original stature, and equipped the banks and channels with rock cross veins creating energy dissipating falls and catch basins. The areas with extreme pressure on the banks were reinforced with natural pine logs harvested from the Academy and interwoven with fabric and rocks to prevent the stream from further erosion. Additionally, native vegetation was replaced to act as a natural energy dissipater.

In addition to reducing the number of emergency stream repairs base civil engineers must accomplish in the future, the projects greatly benefited the endangered Preble's meadow jumping mouse, which lives in the stream bank areas. Erosion was depleting its habitat and forcing it to move to less desirable areas.

"Riparian and wetland habitat has improved so significantly in some areas, especially Black Forest Creek, that the threatened Preble's meadow jumping mouse has re-occupied the habitat and other wildlife is also extensively utilizing the area," said Brian Mihlbachler, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service natural resources manager.

The USAFA is currently working with state and city officials on additional projects aimed at restoring and protecting the area's natural environment.

"The Academy is highly engaged in a regional effort to identify, prioritize and implement city and county storm water projects that will benefit the Monument Creek and Fountain Creek watersheds, and especially those projects that could help protect USAFA resources," Mihlbachler said.