Enhanced Environments through Water Development: Riparian Zones Then and Now

An historical account of hydrological conditions of the Rocky Mountain Region is used to describe streamside vegetation as observed by Lewis and dark and other early explorers. These pre-settlement conditions are compared to riparian conditions that now exist to demonstrate what agriculture and engineering has accomplished to enhance the fishery, wildlife, and recreation resources of the Western U.S. Proof will be presented to demonstrate that ranches alone have enhanced riparian wetland systems and developed off stream water in such a way that they are now a major player in the proper control of nonpoint pollution from western rangeland. Because of land ownership patterns and permitted rights to water resources, maintaining the integrity of their ranching operations is essential to insure present resources remain in place to promote fishery and wildlife habitat, food and fiber, and continue to control nonpoint pollution from entering the streams of the western United States.