An urgent need exists to uniformly assess river corridors, including floodplains, and to prioritize areas for protection across the North Atlantic landscape. In this project, we will develop a multi-layered river corridor assessment method and conservation prioritization toolkit based on ecologic integrity, geomorphic processes, flood extents in a changing climate, and existing cultural resources.

See UMass press release on this project

Funding: US Fish and Wildlife Service North Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative

Christine Hatch
Lead Investigator
Christine Hatch

RiverSmart Principal Investigator for River Science Research and Extension

Extension Assistant Professor

RiverSmart Principal Investigator for River Science Research and Extension
Extension Assistant Professor
Department of Geosciences
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Email: chatch@geo.umass.edu(link sends e-mail)
Tel: (413) 577-2245
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John Gartner
Lead Investigator
John Gartner

Research Stream Power and Effects of Restoration of River Form and Habitat

Farms, Floods, and Fluvial Geomorphology Post-doctoral Fellow

Research Stream Power and Effects of Restoration of River Form and Habitat
Farms, Floods, and Fluvial Geomorphology Post-doctoral Fellow
Department of Geosciences
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Email: johndgartner@gmail.com(link sends e-mail)
Tel: (603) 801-5424
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Project Summary

An urgent need exists to uniformly assess river corridors, including floodplains, and to prioritize areas for protection across the North Atlantic landscape. These are daunting tasks since there are no well-defined methods to delineate and assess scores of diverse river corridors in this region.

The RiverSmart research group at UMass Amherst has made meaningful strides toward a uniform assessment of North Atlantic river corridors having assembled a task force of river specialists, analyzed ecologic and geomorphic threats, scrutinized the wide-ranging approaches to assess riparian habitats, and performed initial evaluations in diverse watersheds. In this project, we will build on this base.

During the first year, we will develop a multi-layered river corridor assessment method and conservation prioritization toolkit based on ecologic integrity, geomorphic processes, flood extents in a changing climate, and existing cultural resources. This method will be tested and reviewed by our task force first in characteristic watersheds—mountainous, coastal and low-relief.

In the second year, we will expand analysis to more river corridors across the North Atlantic region. We will quantitatively assess threats at regional and local scales and prioritize protection areas. The results will be disseminated by two reports, presentations to the NALCC, and collaboration with our 30-member task force, who can further disseminate and use our findings. Overall this project will lead to a comprehensive evaluation of river corridors and floodplains in the North Atlantic region that can be updated as improved climate predictions emerge and as land use in changes.

People

Lead Investigator

  • Christine Hatch, Extension Assistant Professor, UMass Amherst Geosciences

Researchers

Student Researchers

UMass Project Support Team

Task Force

  • Amanda Babson  -  NPS
  • Carrie Banks  -  MA DER
  • A. Bowden  -  The Nature Conservancy
  • Katie Campbell-Nelson  -  UMass Vegetable Program
  • Jonathan Cote  -  USDA
  • Shane Csiki  -  NH DES
  • Heidi Davis  -  MA DEP
  • Davis Deron  -  USDA
  • Timothy Dexter  -  MA DOT
  • John Fields  -  Field Geology Services
  • John Gartner  -  UMass Geosciences
  • Brian Graber  -  American Rivers
  • Christine Hatch  -  UMass Geosciences
  • Marie-Francoise Hatte  -  UMass WRRC
  • Ruth Hazzard  -  (Ret.) UMass Vegetable Program
  • Linda Hutchins  -  MA DCR
  • Mike Kline  -  VT ANR, VT Rivers Program
  • Erik Kreusch  -  NPS
  • Beth Lambert  -  MA DER
  • Steve Mabee  -  MA Geologic Survey
  • Jim MacBroom  -  Milone & MacBroom, Inc.
  • J. Maccartney  -  Trout Unlimited
  • Dana MacDonald  -  UMass Geosciences
  • Kimberly Noake MacPhee  -  FRCOG
  • Thomas Maguire  -  MA DEP
  • Micky Marcus  -  New England Environmental
  • Jon Niedzielski  -  MA USDA/ FSA
  • Nick Nelson  -  Interfluve
  • Dave Nyman  -  Comprehensive Environmental, Inc.
  • Dana Ohman  -  MA F&W
  • Jane Peirce  -  MA DEP
  • Paula Rees  -  UMass WRRC
  • Joe Rodgers  -  Rushing Rivers Institute
  • Roy Schiff  -  Milone & MacBroom, Inc.
  • Scott Schwenk  -  NALCC, F&WS
  • Amy Singler  -  American Rivers
  • Noah Snyder  -  Boston College
  • Gerry Szal  -  MA DEP
  • Daniel Vellone  -  USDA
  • Eve Vogel  -  UMass Geosciences
  • Benjamin Warner  -  UMass Geosciences