This Arc GIS StoryMap shows the impact rock check dams had at the Santa Rita Experimental Range (SRER) in southeastern Arizona. It can serve as a tool to help land managers decide if, when, and how to deploy check dams based on their impacts on watershed health. It can also help researchers learn about the effects of these erosion control structures and develop future research projects. The StoryMap highlights the work of researchers at the USDA-ARS Southwest Watershed Research Center that began in 2008. The Storymap begins with a project overview that introduces how check dams were deployed and the basis for their intended effects on watershed health, sediment, and vegetation. This overview is followed by an interactive photo archive show changes of check dams between 2008-2020, and links to publications that resulted from this research.
Michelle Cavanaugh (michelle.cavanaugh@usda.gov) and Mary Nichols (mary.nichols@usda.gov) Southwest Watershed Research Center