An Afternoon with Van Clothier

As a hydrologist for the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, I've had to pleasure of working with Van Clothier (Stream Dynamics) on watershed restoration activities in Southern Arizona.

In 2018, Van was hired to help in restoring a wetland on The Nature Conservancy's Canelo Hills Preserve south of Tucson. Over the years, respective water harvesting features have been revisited and improved in response to extreme weather events. Overall, the strategies are working as summarized at minute 16:00 of this video: https://youtu.be/dKXuB1V2Y2s

In December 2023, I was invited to accompany Van and other volunteers to help with headcut stabilization upstream of the Canelo Hills wetland. Van agreed to let me record installation of the resulting log vane. I'm sharing the same here for those interested in these strategies.

How to build a One Rock Dam to regenerate an erosion area (with videos)

How to build a One Rock Dam to regenerate an erosion areaIn today’s episode I spoke with Van Clothier about an innovative and subtle water erosion mitigation technique, and how to build a one rock dam.

I know this might seem oddly specific, but after an interview with Brad Lancaster last season, he talked about how he’s been learning from people like Van and his mentor Bill Zeedyk about smaller, less intrusive interventions that can have profound effects on the health of a watershed.

See full post here.

A Good Road Lies Easy on the Land - Water Harvesting on Rural Roads

Rural roadwayA Joint Publication of the Quivira Coalition, Zeedyk Ecological Consulting, LLC, The Rio Puerco Management Committee – Watershed Initiative, and the New Mexico Environment Department – Surface Water Quality Bureau.

“A road lies easily on the land if it is located on a landform where it can be readily and effectively drained (neither too steep nor too flat); is functional when used as intended (class of vehicle, season and suitable weather conditions); has appropriate drainage features (closely spaced, properly situated and adequately maintained); preserves the natural drainage pattern of the landform; conserves water; does not cause or contribute to accelerated soil loss, lost productivity or water pollution; does not encroach on wetland or riparian areas; and is scenically pleasing. A road is not easy on the land if it collects, concentrates or accelerates surface or subsurface runoff; causes or contributes to soil erosion; impairs or reduces the productivity of adjacent lands or waters; wastes water; unnecessarily intrudes upon key habitats, stream channels, floodplains, wetlands, wet meadows or other sensitive soils; and is aesthetically offensive.” —Bill Zeedyk