Water Committee Report June 20, 2011

Calendar for maintaining water levels at Sandia Wetlands

·      August through October is the height of the fall migration for shorebirds in this area.

·      Some birds over-winter and nest in this area, so maintaining water in one of the ponds through the winter would be beneficial.

·      Spring migrations begin in March, and dwindle by the end of May.

·      There is a migratory bird presence throughout the year.  We can use our observations over the next year to fine-tune our water management timing.

WATER COMMITTEE MONITORING REPORT, JUNE 20, 2011, 8:30 A.M.

By:  Observers, Melanie Pace and Madge Lindsay

Water measured at  head of irrigation ditch at the site; we observed the following:

CANAL FLOW: APPROX. 60 gals. per minute

WATER LEVELS:   Unit #1 = 6″ of water (60% water coverage with soils from dried mud to moist soils to wet marsh, to a 6″ pool)

Unit #2 = 4.8″ of water in the pool (20% water coverage with mostly dried mud, moist and wet soils to a small pool with less than 5″ of water)

EVAPORATION RATES: HIGH—Estimated to be about 50%  (temperature highs the past two weeks have been over 100 degrees up to 108 degrees; W/Moderate winds

RECOMMENDATIONS BASED ON OBSERVATIONS: Top Priority—–NEEDS MORE WATER

OBSERVATIONS OF:

Vegetation: Mesquite needs control, lots coming back after water recedes

Cottonwood Tree (1) may be dying, others look healthy

Maintenance: Water Measurement gauges are good but hard to read with binoculars from the perimeter and road, Melanie checking into this.

Birds; Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (1)

Mexican Duck (1)

Killdeer (2)

Swallows (? barn or cliff) (6)

Scaled Quail (2)

Lesser Night Hawk (1)

Meadow Larks (2)

Say’s Phoebe (2)

Mourning Doves (2)

Sparrow (sp.) (5)

Butterflys Spicebush Swallowtail (1)

Dragonflys (?) Sp. (5)

measuring flow