Elephant Butte Mind Mapping

Elephant Butte Strategy : Time to get back to work
We are facing a huge challenge to make Elephant Butte better. I try to use all of the
resources at my disposal but I realized this morning that there are a lot of interested
people out there that probably have a lot better ideas than I do. I try to think like Da
Vinci because I will never have all the knowledge and facts to tell me what we
should do. So I connect the dots, get my friends and experts to fill in as many gaps
as possible and then take my best guess at what might make Elephant Butte better.
But it would be even better if we put our heads together and combined our
knowledge, experiences and ideas. We had a pretty good year in spite of getting off
to a late start in October when the permit was issued. Send me your thoughts and
I’ll work them into the plan. It is OK if you send me something that is totally off the
wall. We will experiment and not be afraid to fail as long as we can learn from the
experience. But I never want to waste a volunteer’s precious time on something we
don’t think will ever work.
Thinking like Da Vinci MindMap

So here’s the problem we am trying to solve:
The water fluctuations at Elephant Butte every year have a detrimental effect on
production and growth of fish. The damage is far greater for species that live closest
to shore. Gizzard Shad, Threadfin Shad, Blue Catfish, White Bass, Carp and Stripers
are not as affected and actually benefit when the irrigation drawdown flushes the
coves and littoral zones, pushing the young bass and bluegill fry out into open water
where they become easy prey for walleye, white bass and catfish.
So what are the possible solutions to the problem?
1. Do nothing or less --- NOT AN OPTION people! These include “solutions” like
“Pray for rain”, be patient, stock several million fish every year, put the lake off
limits during the spawn, stop tournament fishing, ……… Stocking, taking pressure off
spawning bass and better fish care will help, but they are so minor in the overall
solution that we have to just work them in as we can. I’ll come back to the stocking
and spawning topics later with some real solutions.
2. Keep the lake full and quit drawing it down every year. (Not likely in my
lifetime)
The lake was built specifically for irrigation and municipal water supply so it is best
to just accept that fact and move on. Trying to change that or complaining about the
water demands is just wasting energy, not solving the problem. However, Audubon
had a breakthrough in 2014 when they got a court to agree that habitat restoration
is an agricultural activity, opening the door for conservation-minded water rights
owners to donate their water to restoration projects downstream of Elephant Butte.
This may pave the way to a new “Nature Conservancy” model for banking water
rights (for water rights upstream of Elephant Butte) for water that could be stored
in Elephant Butte to improve habitat. Someday we might be able to create a
minimum pool. It would be a great project for someone to explore this more.
Audubon Water Rights Breakthrough
3. Stock the Lake with enough of the right kind of fish to propagate the genetics and
species that are needed for sustainable populations. A prey base study of Elephant
Butte showed that quality size black bass would be better if there were more
bluegill, yellow perch, killfish, logperch, shore minnows, crawfish, and insects
available year round. Threadfin shad and juvenile gizzard shad are only available
parts of the year and don’t do much to help the young bass fry survive. Maybe we
are stocking the wrong species. 100 spawning pairs of smallmouth and largemouth
bass have the potential to produce more fish than we (state and private) can afford
to stock during a year. Much of my enthusiasm for recycling Christmas trees is
because of their value as cover and food generators forthe prey fish, not directly for
the bass or as a fish attractor. The Rock Lake hatchery in Santa Rosa will never be
able to supply the numbers of black bass that are needed to make a dent in the Butte

fish population so maybe we should be talking to our biologist about ways to grow
prey species there instead.
So my thoughts are that hatchery stocking is not a long-term viable solution but it
won’t hurt, especially if we can enhance the genetics once we figure out which bass
grow best in the Butte. I still think a “Share a Lunker” program like they have in
Texas would make sense and would compliment the educational efforts that are
planned for the Santa Rosa (Rock Lake) hatchery.
TPWD Share a Lunker Program
4. Take advantage of lake draw downs to the maximum extent possible.
The lake levels are fairly predictable during a normal year. The big difference comes
from whether the irrigation season runs until August or September. The irrigation
season will almost always start within two weeks of June 1rst. Lake levels in
Caballo make a difference on when the dam gates are opened.
When irrigation begins, the lake will drop about 3 feet each week from about June
1rst to mid September or until it reaches about 4290 feet, whichever comes first. If
there are efforts to drop the lake below 4290, then the public needs to get involved
and raise a stink in hopes of having some influence on the Elephant Butte Irrigation
District. It may not help, but everyone will feel better and it will bring attention to
the need to do something!
During the irrigation season, you also have a rather unique opportunity to plant
vegetation in the moist soil along the shoreline. This vegetation becomes the food
and shelter for next year when the water returns. Some of the plants like the
Gooding Willow will survive rather long periods of inundation and others like the
cocklebur have seeds that will “burrow in” and survive until they are exposed the
next year. But most plants and their seeds will die when the water covers them up
but they become excellent cover and surface area for aquatic algae, micro-organisms
and small insects called periphyton. This provides the food base for next year’s fish
fry.

I have a whole document on the planting strategies for Elephant Butte Lake and you
can follow that on my facebook site Desertbass
I have some thoughts on how we can make a difference not only at the Butte but if
some of these ideas work, they could really make a difference at other reservoirs
and maybe throughout the world. The Ruidoso students and I have been working
on a variety of planting techniques that I call “Walkabout” designs. They are
methods designed such that anglers and park visitors can easily participate in
planting 114,000 acres of barren shorelines and just walk away with confidence the
seeds and plants will grow. It is a daunting challenge to get these native plants to
sprout, grow and keep from being eaten or burned for firewood, but we have lots of
ideas. I’ll attach the latest strategy as an attachment or click on this link. It is a
living document so don’t expect anything pretty of finished (ever). Planting Strategy
Buffalo Balls (Gourds) are a one of the new Walkabout seed ball idea where boaters
can just throw the waxed gourd packed with compost, microbes and a variety of
native seeds at the shoreline. The water will be dropping when we give these out to
park visitors and anglers so wave action and nature will do the rest. It will float
onto the shore and eventually break open on the moist shoreline. The Ruidoso High
School science students under the direction of Kayla Scarafiotti have been working
for two years to figure out which seeds to use and how to design seed balls and
other Walkabout designs. I have applied for and received grants to do more with

these ideas. Rick White and others have helped build some equipment to make the
seed balls. I hope we can move into full production in time for the Memorial Day
weekend. I need help collecting seeds, especially honey mesquite, Buffalo Gourds,
and broom dahlia. Seeds and plants are the most expensive part of the project and
that will lead to another grand endeavor.
1 Goodding Willow http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=sago
2 Honey Mesquite http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=prgl2
3 Broom dahlia http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=PSSC6
4 New Mexico privet , stretchberry http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=fopup
5 Maximilian Sunflower http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=hema2
6 Buffalo Gourd http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=cufo
7 Prairie Sunflower http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=hepe
8 Western Soapberry, Jaboncillo http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=SASAD
9 Plains Sunflower http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=hean3
10 Narrowleaf cattail http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=TYAN
11 Golden Current http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=riau
12 Pennsylvania smartweed http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=pope2
13 Nebraska sedge http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=CANE2
14 Seepwillow http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=BASA4
15 Threeleaf sumac http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=rhtr
16 Utah Serviceberry http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=AMUT
17 Netleaf Hackberry http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=celar
18 Alkali Sacaton http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=SPAI
19 Desert Willow http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=CHLI2
20 Giant Sacaton http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=spwr2
21 Four-wing Saltbush http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=atca2
22 Fremont cottonwood http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=pofr2
23 Rubber rabbitbush var. nitida http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=ERNA10
24 Winterfat http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=krla2
25 Common three square http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=SCPUP5
5. Help the fish survive by putting in artificial habitat.
Since we can count on the lake filling every year from 4300 feet to 4340 feet at
about three inches a week from September 15 to June 1, we can use the fall to much
more easily install habitat while the land is exposed and study/maintain the habitat
structure from prior efforts. Yes, we have maintenance to do and I could use some
help moving stuff around and anchoring loose trees so they don’t float off this
spring. This fall, let’s have a plan to do more when the lake is at its lowest level.

This island float got stranded during a wind storm and needs to be moved north of
Kettletop.
Location: N 33 10.051' W 107 10.228'
These cathouses need to be moved east onto the rock pile.
Location: N 33 14.769' W 107 9.330'
Once it is possible to predict what the water level will be during the spring, it is time
to place spawning structure along the barren protected shorelines so that the bass
have a defensible spawning area. They need simple overhead protection to feel
safety from raptors like our resident Ospreys. There were studies done that showed
they needed this simple aerial cover during the spawn and then needed complex
cover nearby in deeper water where they could move the fry within about two
weeks. That is where the Christmas trees and PVC guardian cages come into play.

Tarantulas were in the right place for the 2015 spawn.
Location: N 33 14.790' W 107 9.274'
The lake level for 2015-16 is almost exactly repeating the prior two years but the
lake may peak out higher than last year if El Nino is kind to the Rio Grande drainage
basin. At 4315 feet elevation, we are slightly ahead of where we were last year and
the river is running higher than in the past due the early snowfalls. The Tarantulas
may be a little deep for 2016 and should be moved up until we know where we want
them. Or we have materials to build more and we will!!!!
Elephant Butte Lake % full for last three years. Lake Levels

These PVC cages have been used to provide cover and food for young-of-year bass
and other species. The cages are filled with used or virgin construction fencing.
They can be moved every year without too much difficulty if properly marked with
buoys. This will be a 2016 project for the Butte.
I’ve had discussions with the biologist about the possibility of designing spawning
coves. This is a little hard to explain. It may be possible to place some of these cages
or something like them at the entrance to areas that are dry now but will be
between 5 and ten feet deep during the first part of the spawn (March-May). They
would be anchored with weighted anchors but designed to float when the water
gets over ten feet deep. By the end of May, we would want them to float so that the
adult fish that are in the cove can swim under them to open water when irrigation
starts. The fry that hatched in the cove would be able to stay in the cages and we
would move the cages out to deeper water in June. I put the cove north of Kettletop
in the permit so that we could try this. That is where the Tarantulas and cathouses
are now. It is where I want to move the floating islands from the Jungles.

A is where the Tarantulas are and B is where we dropped the cathouses north of
Kettletop. If we could cage off the area somewhere between A and B, remove the
carp, and make sure we have some spawning pairs in there, I think we could
increase the spawning success in the cove. We may have to do some catch and
release during March to get some more adult fish into the back of the cove. Double
Canyon (the old hamburger cove) just north of this cove would also be ideal but it
isn’t on our permit. NM Game and Fish might want to tackle that cove some day if
we can prove this works. We are going to put a lot of effort into this cove in 2016. It
is a great study area with all of the features we need to do some experiments.
6. Grow fish to put in the lake.
Three-inch fish cost over $1 each. We just can’t afford to stock enough fish from
hatcheries in other states to make a sustainable difference. This idea is a real long
shot but it has been done in New Mexico with trout and in other states. At the
simplest, this would involve raising fingerlings to 3-inchers in local private and
state-owned ponds and then transferring them to the lake. New Mexico Game and
Fish would have to sample them to make sure they are disease-free before we can
move them. It sounds simple but it is hard!!! I have the supplies to take a shot at it
but I have to do some more work with the biologists to make sure we have a clear
plan. As I said, I won’t waste a volunteers time on something that has no chance of
success. I have identified what I think is the perfect location for this effort and I am
talking to the owner. If it works, it could be awesome!
The other approach is to raise largemouth bass from either eggs or fingerlings to

3-inch fish. This is the optimum size for stocking according to 6 fisheries experts
which include past and current heads of the warmwater fisheries departments in
Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. I trust they know what they are talking about. My
work with floating islands has given me some ideas how we can use floating
wetlands to accelerate the growth process and open up some other opportunities to
grow and harvest our own plants. The people at Floating Islands International that
provided the suspended spawning platform have proven they can grow fish quickly
in small ponds. They focus on yellow perch which are easier to grow, but they have
proven the concepts. This is also a lot of what I have been doing at the Roswell Zoo
to clean up the water and grow more fish. It is time to take it to the next level.
Kids are brought in every year to Fish Fry Lake in Montana to harvest as many
yellow perch as possible. By removing the fish, it keeps phosphate and other
nutrients from building up in the ponds.
7. Grow both fish and plants while learning about aquaponics.
Plants cost a LOT of money. A single deep pot willow is $5. Other plants are at least
$0.75 each. Many of the native plants just simply are not available. I can get some
plants and seeds from NRCS or through other agencies, but seeds and plants are
going to have to be bought unless we collect seeds and grow plants. We could go the
traditional route of greenhouses but that is too expensive. What I propose is that we
use the lake and the fish rearing ponds using what is called Aquaponics.

This is mimicking nature but providing a helping hand to get plants and fish
established and to keep them alive. The floating islands and the structures we put
on the Tires at the marina are an example of how we can use the lake to grow plants
and create seed colonies. There are enough nutrients in the water to grow most of
the plants of interest.
Many of the plants are desert plants that don’t need hardly any water or nutrients to
survive. So I intend to plant something on about everything we put in the lake that
floats and I have designed some floating islands that are boat friendly and cheap
enough to build and deploy without having to worry about wind damage or
vandalism.

We planted a couple boat friendly islands and tested them out at Tingley Beach with
the help of a new Eagle Scout and his parents. The ducks ate a lot of the plants so we
will have to use poultry wire cages like we did in Roswell to give the plants a chance.
If we can get the rearing ponds on the private land or somehow make use of the old
hatchery ponds below the dam, we can use these same islands to grow plants and
food for the bass fry. In some cases we may work with Game and Fish to see if we
can’t grow some bluegill and yellow perch since they are much easier to grow.
One of our high school members is very interested in aquaponics and I am working
with her to set her up to learn aquaponics and to experiment with raising the fish
and plants at her home and in the classroom at her school. What she learns will be
directly applicable to the rearing ponds. Also, I have a pond liner and floating island
materials for the rearing ponds where we don’t have to worry about vandalism or
boats. Last month I visited Beemats in Florida where they have a business that
focuses on growing aquatic plants on inexpensive floating mats. I’ve modified their
design for our use and I am ready to get started on building islands.
As for the classroom there is a program called “Bass in the Class” where the students
raise bass from eggs or fry to releasable size. If we can’t get the Game and Fish to let
us release them to the lake, we will put them in private ponds or maybe the

University “Aggie” pond. They won’t go to waste.
I intend to expand the curricula to a full aquaponics course with the help of our high
school student. I have used some of the Albuquerque Hawg Hunter and personal
grants that I have received to purchase an aquarium, hydroponic planters, grow
lights and wire racks so they can begin after the holidays.
8. Leverage Endangered Species to restore fish habitat.
Don’t panic! What was that negative feeling you just had? Suppose that little bird
that you have heard about could be the key to restoring Elephant Butte Lake? For
any of you that have seen what has been done at Lake Havasu, you might be
surprised that none of it would have happened without threatened or endangered
fish (razorback sucker, flannelmouth sucker, roundtail chub). That is how they
justified the funding for the massive habitat improvement project. To be
sustainable, it would be good if the Bureau of Reclamation was funded to continue
our restoration work. Right now, they can’t get hardly any funding for vegetation
maintenance and have pretty well given up.
The north end of the lake is now part of the critical habitat area for the Western
Willow Flycatcher. If anyone has been up into and past the narrows, it is a whole
different world with huge stands of Gooding Willows and other tall, thick vegetation.

Even the coves across from Monticello point have new thick stands of Goodding
willows, a favorite nesting tree.
Thick vegetation is critical for these birds but it is also the key ingredient in creating
what we call the “new lake affect” that will happen if we can ever get the lake to stay
above 4350 feet for a couple of years. While there is almost no support to spend
Federal dollars on getting more water for the Butte, there may be a lot of support if
we can show that the shoreline and fish habitat work we do will also benefit this
bird or other species that are on the threatened or endangered list. There are mice
and pollinators that are in probably much more need than the flycatcher. If we can
restore connection between the land and the water by filling in the shoreline
between 4290 and 4350 feet elevation, it will make a tremendous improvement in
the wildlife value of the lake. It may also be a way to get water rights owners to
donate their water to raise the lake level permanently and maybe get some of our
tax dollars spent on retiring some water rights for the birds and a minimum pool.

Western Willow Flycatcher
9. Encourage Community Involvement
There is a new Mega Community concept that is actually an old concept that we
forgot somewhere over the years. Not that long ago, our ancestors settled this state
and they didn’t rely as much on government agencies and public servants to make
New Mexico what it is. People need to quit relying solely on government agencies to
take care of our public lands and our communities. Our financial and economic
conditions in a global market are not going to get better quickly and if we want to
make Elephant Butte better, we are going to have to do much of it ourselves. We
need to keep working with the agencies but not waiting for them to get the
resources to do it for us. It isn’t going to happen. I will continue to try to get private
and federal grants for key parts of the project, but it is the community volunteers
that really matter. Without the supplies and labor that were donated last year we
couldn’t have even got the project off the ground. Over one hundred volunteers
participated last year and Ron Gilworth was able to raise over $20,000 for the fish-
stocking fund. People donated supplies and a fellow bass fisherman provided the
semi-trailer and driver that moved Christmas trees to the Butte. We had public
meetings and attended Game and Fish Commission meetings. We have letters of
support from New Mexico State Parks, New Mexico Game and Fish, USDA/NRCS
Plant Material Center and a permit from the Bureau of Reclamation. Let’s keep up
the good work and build the community partnerships to continue the effort.

Thanks for all of your support and I hope that you can enlist more volunteers,
sponsors and community leaders to support and grow the effort. Send me your
thoughts and suggestions and get ready do some fun projects.
Happy Holidays,
Earl Conway, Conservation Director, New Mexico BASS Nation

Attachment A: Elephant Butte Planting Strategy, March, 2015
(this is a living document that will evolve with the project)
The innovative component of the Southwest Adapt-a-Cove project is to attempt to
mimic natural reservoir habitat conditions that are known to increase fish and
wildlife populations and diversity. When a lake inundates shoreline vegetation,
nutrients provided by decaying plants help fuel growth at the base of the food chain,
a boost that biologists refer to as the “new lake effect.” (Ross) This project attempts
to mimic natural phenomena by taking advantage of the planned annual operational
drawdown of the lake to introduce vegetation that will be inundated after the water
gates are closed in August.
The availability of water in the system is the limiting factor for vegetation. While
many of the perennial native plants are adapted to the environment, their ability to
germinate and establish deep root structures depends on almost ideal conditions for
the particular species. The underlying strategy is to utilize the saturated soil of the
receding shoreline during the irrigation season as an opportunity to establish
vegetation that will survive at least the remainder of that year’s growing season. In
some years, the surviving plants will remain above the water line and have an
opportunity to grow another season. In the case of a prolonged low lake level, some
of the plants may have several years to grow before being inundated by the lake. A
probabilistic approach is used for planning purposes based on historical water data,
soil assessments and water management practices. In the case of Elephant Butte
Reservoir, water availability for vegetation is dominated by irrigation demands.
Secondary strategies include innovative seed preparation and dispersal techniques,
incorporation of wild animals and possibly cattle into the “volunteer” labor force,
and the use of floating wetlands as seed colonies. Other volunteers will include
students, anglers and other park visitors. It is hoped that the Bureau of Reclamation
will also consider augmenting the project through their revised vegetation
management plan.
Assumptions:
The design basis for this project is based on lake levels above 4300 feet and below
4340 feet elevation. Exceeding these limits invalidates this plan. Water
management practices will be changed in either case, requiring reassessment of
needs and options. The high water mark at the beginning of irrigation season is a
critical annual planning point. For 2015, the current estimate is 4335 feet based on
proposed irrigation schedules, lake levels, late snowfalls and NRCS snowpack
estimates. The Elephant Butte Irrigation District (EBID) sets their irrigation
schedule during March. The decision whether to irrigate for one, two, or three crops
is also critical. It is assumed that they will only attempt two crops when lake levels
are below 4350 feet.
Water releases for irrigation will begin by June 1 and end by August 1. During that
90 day period, the lake will drop approximately 4 inches per day.

The lake will begin recharging after August 1 at a lake elevation increase of roughly
1.3 inches per day until October. Elevation change rates vary depending on power
generation and water transfers to Caballo Reservoir for municipal use by the City of
El Paso and other Compact obligations. Rainfall may also dramatically increase the
lake level. Rain events are sporadic but are worth taking advantage of whenever
possible using water catchments and stream bed seed dispersal. (seed pipes)
The lake elevation continues to increase between October and the end of May with a
tapering off beginning in February. Elevation changes from March through May are
highly dependent on snowpack, precipitation and regional air temperature in the
higher elevations (runoff).
Lake Elevation % dry # days dry
<4290 <10/0 30/0 Lakebed
4300 27/0 100/0 Toe Zone
4310 41/30 150/110 Toe Zone
4320 100*/52 365/190 Overbank Zone
4330 100* /80 365/290 Transitional Zone
4340 100 365/365 Transitional Zone
>4350 100 365/365 Upland Zone
Table 1. Inundation Data based on 2013/2014 Pre-irrigation level in 2013 was
4315.
For the purposes of this document, the term Upland will be reserved for areas above
4350 feet elevation and are only used in reference to the existing vegetation above
the permitted project boundary of 4350 feet. The plants are usually adapted to
desert environments with no groundwater affect from lake elevations.

The Transitional zone includes all “heavily” vegetated areas currently within the
conservation pool above 4330 feet elevation. Most of these areas are desert mesa
dominated by creosote and mesquite, or arroyos with grasses, tamarisk and four-
winged saltbush. These areas can be seen as red areas in Figure 2. This area has the
best potential for multi-year growth by plants that can tolerate occasional flooding.
Groundwater is expected to be available for the plants at least three months of the
year.
The Overbank zone and the Bank zone will be the major focus of the vegetation
efforts at Elephant Butte. The Overbank zone consists of flat or lightly sloped areas
between 4310 and 4330 feet elevation and is almost void of vegetation with the
exception of tamarisk and cocklebur. In some sandy areas, there is a low density,
but large diversity of plants that are well suited to sandy soils. These plants include
a variety of native thistles, grasses, wildflowers, broom dalea and buffalo gourds.
Areas north of the project boundary that have similar characteristics have
established dense growth of salt cedar (Tamarisk) and Russian Olive when left to
natural processes. While these plants provide significant surface area, electro-
shocking in submerged tamarisk has failed to show much use by sportfish as
compared to native Gooding willow stands (Gardner and Denny).

Figure 2. Vegetation Patterns. Red areas represent high tamarisk growth in arroyos
and low lying areas on Long Point. Note the barren area (light blue) within State
Park boundaries where freestyle vehicle access is allowed.
Source. http://engr.nmsu.edu/pdfs/13_Bromillow_Bawazir.pdf
The current lake level (January, 2015 corresponds closely to 2005) The growth (red
areas) in Monticello Bay, “Jet Boat Cove”, the Narrows and the sediment delta have
been impressive and will someday provide a new lake effect if water levels are
sustained over 4350 feet for at least one calendar year. While Monticello Bay is
dominated by salt cedar, the areas in the Narrows and east side of the sediment
delta contain large stands of Gooding willows, which need to be studied.

The Bank Zone is heavily eroded and supports almost no vegetation. For the
purpose of this paper, steep arroyo banks in the back of coves are included in this
section.
A Toe zone exists in the reaches of some coves, mainly in the form of mud flats
vegetated with cockleburs and arroyo gravel sediments with willow and tamarisk
mixtures. For the purpose of this paper, the Toe zone also includes wetland plants
used on floating wetlands including pollinator collections (species lists to be
provided by the NRCS)
The “suspended” littoral zone will be included to account for all submerged and
emergent aquatic plants that are grown on aquatic planters suspended beneath
buoys or other floating structures.
Figure 2. Pump house cove contains all zones including a major arroyo “wash”
(lower right) and a Toe zone in the upper left.

Upland Zone (greater than 4350 feet elevation)
The areas above 4500 feet are primarily managed by the Bureau of Land
Management or are private lands. The BLM areas are natural seed banks for the
reservoir and are potential seed collection areas. The areas also provide some
indication of what vegetation may have existed when the lake was established, but
over-grazing and subsequent erosion have highly altered these areas starting as
early as the late 1700s.
Transitional Zone (4350 to 4500 feet elevation)
These areas within the Bureau of Reclamation project area include the developed
lands of the State Parks, Cabins Area and areas adjacent to the recent average
annual high water shorelines. The vegetation in these areas represent probably the
best case of what vegetation types and plant density might be established in the
4330 to 4350 elevations based on the assumption that lake levels will stay below
4340 for several more years.
Overbank Zone (4300 to 4350 feet elevation)
This is the focus area for all seeding and seedling transplant efforts. Within this
area, the Zone can best be broken down by three criteria:
1) Elevation expressed as the percentile non-exceedance probability. This relates
indirectly to the time of growth that a plant may experience under average
conditions. It is convenient to note that the 50% probability coincides with what
appears to be the new normal high water level. The areas below 4300 feet elevation
will be inundated over 90% of the time and are not being considered for seeding or
planting opportunities. Data from 2000-2013 substantially changes these numbers
and is useful for considering what might be the new normal. The 95th percentile
would be approximately 4350 feet while 4290 hopefully represents 0%, the lowest
lake level we may experience.

Non-Exceedance Curve of Daily Reservoir Elevation in Elephant Butte Reservoir, 1916 -
2012
Another refinement to this data is the mean annual “dry” time averaged over the last
ten years. This chart has not been developed yet but will determine the percentage
of investment allocated to the area to establish woody and slower growing species.
2) Topography gradients such as flats, steep banks, and rocky outbreaks. This
will also loosely correlate to soils types based on initial field observations.
3) Watershed features such as arroyos, “beaches”, erosion areas
4) Plant community either based on existing plants or proposed additions. For
instance some of the flats in the jungles could be termed cocklebur/tumbleweed
flats. Some of the sandy washes and knolls on the west side are desert
willow/tamarisk stands.
For the purpose of this project, elevation will drive most decisions on what plants
and planting strategies are going to be attempted. Within these elevation gradients,
plant selection is further refined to match the potential growing season (dry
period), soil types and habitat potential (food, shelter, soil conditioning, etc)

Each year‘s strategy and planting plans will be different based upon the high water
level typically seen in mid to late May, the anticipated release schedule, and the
predicted low level based on demand and runoff projections by the Bureau of
Reclamation. However, the types of plants will remain fairly consistent based on
elevation and soil types.
A rough categorization scheme is proposed but expected to go through significant
refinement as soils and plant studies mature.
Elevation Sandy (beach) Rock/sand
(arroyo)
Silt/sand (cove
shores)
Silt/clay (mud
flats)
Above 4330 A, B, A, B B B
4320-4330
(20/30)
A, B, C A, B B, C C, D, E
10/20 C, D C, D, E
0/10 D D ,E D D, E
Plant Groups
Trees Shrubs Forbes Grasses
A (Transition Zone
plants)
Long-growing nurse
plants and resource
islands)
desert
willow,
mesquite,
western
soapberry,
…NM
privet,
netleaf
hackberry,
small
leaved
sumac
four-wing
saltbush,
chamisa
(rabbitbrush),
broom dahlea,
sand sage,
apache plume
prairie
clover, NM
sunflower,
black-eyed
Susan,
perkey sue,
spike
verbena
giant sacaton,
alkali
sacaton,
B (Slope forbes &
grasses) typical of
what might be found in
bottom of steep
arroyos
winterfat,
desert holly,
creosotebush,
antelope
bitterbrush
indian
ricegrass,
vine
mesquite,
C (Arroyo flats) Gooding ? annual and alkali muhly

Competing plants for
tamarisk areas
willow, biannual
pollinator
plants
(NRCS list)
D (Cove flats)
Competing plants for
tumbleweed/cocklebur
flats (very fast
growing)
Coyote
willow
(limited
use in wet
areas)
annual
sunflower,
pollinator
plants
Deergrass,
sand
dropseed,
bluestem
E (Food plots) quick
growing, high surface
area annuals
(work with BOR and
NM G&F)
Clovers,
sunflowers,
pollinator
plants
“agricultural”
plants with
permission,
(under construction – rough rough draft table)
Appendix B: Interaction with wildlife species
Seed conditioning and dispersion by animals is considered to be both a primary and
secondary area of interest for this project. Deer, birds, rabbits and rodents all factor
heavily into the vegetation plan. Some effects are positive and some are negative.
While many plants and seeds will be eaten, the animals also may serve a critical role
in seed “preparation” and dispersal. Many studies have been done on the viability
and germination rates of seeds that have passed through the digestive system of
animals including cattle and goats. Many seeds have adaptive features to attach to
the animals. This can be seen easily in cockleburs and the unicorn plant (“cow
catchers”) but it is also a feature of many of the reservoir’s native plants. Several of
the shrubs and trees rely on using fruit attraction to help condition and disperse
their seeds. This presents a major challenge as many of the native plant seeds
require either animal digestion or substantial customized seed preparation to break
down protective coatings and break dormancy.
http://www.nku.edu/~whitsonma/Bio120LSite/Bio120LReviews/Bio120LPlantRev.ht
ml
Wildlife can also be a major factor in dispersion of non-native species and should be
considered as a potential source of undesirable plants that may appear in study areas.
Pollinator populations and activity in the denuded areas around the shoreline may
be a major detriment to further propagation of plants. One element of this project is
to improve the pollinator populations. Floating wetlands are to be used to create
seed colonies and will need the help of pollinators. Therefore plant selection for

these features will include selection and study of plants that will benefit and attract
pollinators.
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_PLANTMATERIALS/publications/nmpmct
n11803.pdf
Southwestern Willow Flycatcher habitat was considered. The project area is
restricted to areas south of River Mile 37 and should not encounter flycatcher
nesting habitat. The vegetation strategy will do no harm to the flycatchers and will
likely provide additional non-nesting habitat. Water operations preclude the chance
of successful nesting below 4340 feet as the nest would have a 50% chance of being
inundated at the beginning of the nesting season. Although exotic species like
Tamrix and Russian Olive will not be planted, it is important to note the current
distribution of these plants in the project area and to monitor whether there is any
change in the distribution that may be related to this project.
Based on the diversity of plant species composition and complexity of habitat
structure, four basic 16 habitat types can be described for the flycatcher: monotypic
willow, monotypic exotic, native broadleaf dominated, and mixed native/exotic
(Sogge et al. 1997). (See Bartlett link)
The flycatcher breeds in dense riparian habitats from sea level in California to
approximately 8,500 feet in Arizona and southwestern Colorado. Historical egg/nest
collections and species' descriptions throughout its range describe the flycatcher's
widespread use of willow (Salix spp.) for nesting (Phillips 1948, Phillips et al. 1964,
Hubbard 1987, Unitt 1987, San Diego Natural History Museum 1995). Currently,
flycatchers primarily use Geyer willow (S. geyeriana , coyote willow (S. exigua),
Goodding’s willow (S. gooddingii), box elder (Acer negundo), saltcedar (Tamarix
sp.), Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolio), and live oak (Quercus agrifolia) for
nesting. Other plant species less commonly used for nesting include: buttonbush
(Cephalanthussp.), black twinberry (Lonicera involucrata), cottonwood (Populus
spp.), whitealder (Alnus rhombifolia), blackberry (Rubus ursinus), and stinging
nettle (Urtica spp.).
Tamarisk is an important component of the fly catcher’s nesting and foraging
habitat in Arizona and other parts of the species ’ range. In 2001 in Arizona, 323 of
the 404 (80 percent) known flycatcher nests (in 346 territories ) were built in a
tamarisk tree (Smith et al. 2002). Tamarisk had been believed by some to be a
habitat type of lesser quality for the flycatcher, however comparisons of
reproductive performance (USFWS 2002a), prey populations (Durst 2004), and
physiological conditions (Owen and Sogge 2002) of flycatchers breeding in native
and exotic vegetation have revealed no difference (Sogge et al. 2005).
Flycatchers feed on a variety of insect prey populations found within or adjacent to
riparian floodplains or moist environments, including: flying ants, wasps, and bees;
dragonflies; flies; true bugs; beetles; butterflies/moths and caterpillars; and spittlebugs.
Floating wetlands and inundated vegetation should locally increase these populations
especially if an emphasis is placed on pollinator plant species and pollinator islands

designed to provide a long-term seed bank for pollinator species. (see pollinator plant
link)
Carp are expected to benefit from this project as an undesirable consequence. They are
also a significant contributor to the current denuded conditions of the lake. Adults are
omnivorous and eat insect larvae, crustaceans, annelids, mollusks, weed and tree seeds,
wild rice, aquatic plants, and algae mainly by grubbing in sediments (Moyle 1976). Carp
usually live between 9 and 15 years. Adults may uproot and destroy submerged aquatic
vegetation and therefore may be detrimental to duck and native fish populations by
increasing sedimentation and embeddedness of substrates (LaRivers 1994). The net
benefit of the project is expected to outweigh any increase in carp populations. (see Carp
link)
References:
Bartlett Dam Operations,
http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/arizona/Documents/Biol_Opin/030430_Horse
hoeBartlett.pdf
Carp,
https://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/arizona/Documents/HCPs/Horseshoe/FishW
atershedReport.pdf
Pollinator Plants,
n11803.pdf (revised )
n10939.pdf
Ross, http://www.lakecumberland.com/lake-news-good-new-anglers/
NRCS Plant Selection Guide,
n9432.pdf

Winston Seed Mix for St. Cloud mine restoration:
http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/MMD/MARP/documents/plan.pdf
Appendix C: Soil and AIM Strategies
No know model exist for attempting to establish vegetation on a temporary basis on
irrigation reservoirs or similar reservoirs that have high annual water fluctuations.
The vegetation plan will be modeled after best practices for similar environments.
One model is the Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) strategy is use by
the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). It lacks the complexity and dynamics of
radically fluctuating lake water levels, but provides a good basis for data collection
and monitoring.
http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/more/Landscape_Approach/Monitoring_for_
Adaptive_Management.html#Strategy
The soil conditions are fundamentally different than the surrounding areas because
of the high levels of erosion and leaching. Highly soluble nutrients such as sulfur
must be replaced in many cases to re-establish some species.

Appendix C: Microenvironments
Zeolite water wicking is an intensive method of establishing key nursery plants by
supplying the initial local water supply. The method was studied and proposed for
field implementation by Tanzy in the region using zeolite from a local mine in
Winston, NM.
https://www.usbr.gov/uc/albuq/rm/CBPvegMgmt/saltcedar/pdfs/Zeolite-
WhitePaper121906.pdf
This method will require additional labor and material resources to be implemented
and will require approval through site surveys to preclude damage to cultural
resources. However, a small scale pilot trial would be desirable for establishing

resource islands, nursery plants or “silver bullet” plants that would provide long-
term spawning structures.

Plant identification guide:
http://www.redorbit.com/media/uploads/2012/06/pssc6_001_php.jpg
The broom dalea is a mounding plant that may establish runoff collection sites for
future plants. It is relatively quick growing and provides a very high surface
area/volume ratio. Seed ball planting may be very successful for this species.
Four wing saltbush
http://stevensonintermountainseed.com/devsiseed/wp-
content/uploads/2012/07/Fourwing-Saltbrush-Pic.jpg
http://stevensonintermountainseed.com/devsiseed/?product=atriplex-canescens
Honey Mesquite: There is an interesting blog about this species including feeding
the see d to cows to improve germination. In general, the sees are easy to collect
and have a high germination rate if scarified or clipped before soaking.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/swest/msg030323281420.html?28
This plant provides some of the best physical spawning structure in the southwest.
It develops very deep roots and is a very hard wood that lasts for decades even after
inundation. The plant is not always desirable, especially where rangeland grasses
would better support habitat, but a few strategically placed plant in key spawning
areas would be valuable. The low horizontal limbs are preferable and may be
enhanced by occasional trimming of vertical limbs.
http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/more/veg_eis/New_Mexico_mesquite.html

Elephant Butte Mind Mapping

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (15)

Similar to Elephant Butte Mind Mapping

Similar to Elephant Butte Mind Mapping (13)

Elephant Butte Mind Mapping