Zona Rosa and Rush Creek Conservation Area — Applied Ecology in a Mixed-Use Development

In 2001, Applied Ecological Services, Inc. (AES) was asked to assist in the design and installation of restored native ecosystems and a restored stream and riparian corridor on the 200-acre property proposed as the Zona Rosa mixed-use development, located in Kansas City, Missouri. Following our analysis of over 1,950 linear feet of Rush Creek, a degraded stream within the property, AES designed restoration and bioengineering strategies for a variety of ecological zones, requiring various treatments. Design strategies were based on extensive hydrologic modeling and environmental engineering. Ecological restoration treatments along the Rush Creek Conservation Area (RCCA) included: native riparian buffer plantings, restoration of upland prairie, savanna and forest buffers, created in-stream pools and riffles, and a variety of bank stabilization strategies using bioengineering techniques. These included brush layering, installation of live stakes and willow posts, and toe protection using biologs. Parking lot BMPs were selected to reduce runoff into the stream, and stormwater management treatments necessary to success of the project were also designed and constructed upstream of the site. Five-year monitoring programs were developed to document water quality, vegetation success, erosion control, and stability of the stream system.