Pilot '24 - Wildcat Bluff

We have a lot going on and it's past time we post an update. We're continuing our landscape rehydration efforts in bioregion - this year, we're privileged to work at Wildcat Bluff Nature Center, in collaboration with our regional Science & Technology Innovation Hub - the Don Harrington Discovery Center.

The mission at Wildcat Bluff: To foster an awareness, understanding, and appreciation of nature within the Texas Panhandle and to encourage education in the natural sciences from a current and historical perspective.

The property is one section (1 square mile, 640 acres, 256 hectares) of historic grasslands along the upper Canadian River breaks, very near the N edge of the "Llano Estacado". West Amarillo Creek runs through the property, meets a significant branch at an unusual confluence not far below the "Bluff" - together draining approximately 30 square miles. The creek was known for having live water thru the 1960s. A few aerials can be found for such early times and the surface water is evident, though the creeks' geomorphology appears to be in a significantly degraded (incised) state even then.

To support this effort: https://www.paypal.com/donate?campaign_id=BREVX2ACU5L9G

Our primary work session is 2nd half of January. We've consulted a good number of interested parties already & look forward to engaging with a much larger (& oft-passionate) volunteer pool. We'll devote a weekend a month thru April, perhaps later, to clean up, document, take & plant cuttings, spread seed, build smaller one rock dams... We'll install dozens of leaky weirs up & down the two channels, with intent to reconnect stormwater flow to the historic floodplain - soak, spread & sink as much water as we can. The flash flooding which occurs now is of immense volumes & every challenge, an opportunity!? Some will span the channel & others anchored to either bank, or the center in exceptional circumstances. And some related works including infiltration earthworks on slopes and a rainwater garden - current thinking is to emulate the Zuni waffle garden & plant 3 sisters (corn/trellis, beans/legume, squash/shade & shelter).

We've a lot on our plate and need do better about reporting as we go. If you're interested, in our work or in this area of the world in particular, please reach out? We can't "fix" the high plains aquifer system on our own but perhaps together we could, all of us working locally, across the plains ...

We're drowning in data but have made some progress in cleaning it up & aim to share those in some organized fashion here. But for quick context, to get an idea as to the landscape & species we're dealing with, see Wildcat West Branch 1.

Few pics, here's Warren map-building:

and standing in channel which shows incised geometry.

Thanks!