GEOMORPHOLOGICAL AND VEGETATION CHANGES AROUND BEAVER DAM ANALOGUES, RED CANYON CREEK, WY

Beaver Dam Analogues (BDAs) are an inexpensive, biodegradable form of stream restoration that function similarly to natural beaver dams. BDAs are expected to help redistribute water spatially into the floodplain to return the stream and surrounding floodplain to a more natural state. Geomorphic changes are expected with the implementation of BDAs, including increased sediment retention, aggradation, increased sinuosity, and reduced slope. Coupled with this, vegetation changes are also anticipated. However, evaluations of morphological and vegetation changes associated with BDA restoration sites are limited. Here we show geomorphic changes in the streambed and vegetation changes in the surrounding floodplain around 45 BDAs in Red Canyon Creek, Lander, WY. Our analysis builds on multiple years of observations, as well as recent data acquisition in summer 2023. Vegetation changes are observed in terms of NDVI around the BDAs, with imagery collected via drone in late July of 2017, 2019, and 2022. Geomorphic changes build on observations from 2022 and 2023. This work offers an understanding of what changes may occur when BDAs are implemented as a restoration technique.