Measuring Success of Riparian Buffers

Elaine Langone Center, Terrace Room

Stream sediment samples have been collected from sites across Centre, Clinton, and Montour counties for two years as part of a collaborative effort between multiple institutions headed by the Chesapeake Conservancy. A Mann-Whitney U test comparing site data from the summer of 2017 and the summer of 2018 was performed separately on forested reference sites, various farm streams with post-restoration data, and farm streams along Elk Creek with data collected before and after riparian buffers were restored and stream structures implemented. This analysis has shown that the changes in mean grain size, organic matter, carbon to nitrogen (C:N) ratio, and percent of fine particles in the sites where restoration has been completed have not only been healthier but are statistically significant as well. The C:N ratio and mean grain size are larger, the amount of organic matter has decreased, and there is less fine particles in the sediment. When comparing the post-restoration farm streams and the forested reference sites, there are not as many statistically significant changes as seen in Elk Creek and not all of the significant changes are conducive to stream health. These changes within Elk Creek and their statistical significance show that stream restoration projects improve stream quality for healthier insect and fish communities.