{"id":{"repo_id":"lethbridge","oai_identifier":"oai:opus.uleth.ca:10133/3694"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/lethbridge/oai:opus.uleth.ca:10133/3694","repository":{"repo_id":"lethbridge","name":"University of Lethbridge","base_url":"https://opus.uleth.ca/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Evaluation of instream flow management for riparian restoration along the St. Mary River, Alberta","abstract":"River damming and offstream water diversion have led to the severe collapse of riparian cottonwoods along the St. Mary River. To promote cottonwood recovery, a systemic restoration approach was applied by improving critical components of the flow regime, and initial assessments showed successful seedling recruitment. This research provides a longer-term assessment by comparing sapling distribution and growth among six regulated and free-flowing river reaches. Sapling patches along the lower St. Mary were very sparse (14% of reach) compared to those along the similarly-regulated Waterton River (82%). This disparity highlighted different conceptual models of degradation and restoration trajectories. Reach mean sapling diameters were strongly positively related to average spring river levels (R2 = 0.987), indicating that growth along the lower St. Mary may be hindered by low flows. However, more variation in sapling size occurred at smaller spatial scales indicating that site-level factors like density are also important determinants of growth.","abstract_html":"River damming and offstream water diversion have led to the severe collapse of riparian cottonwoods along the St. Mary River. To promote cottonwood recovery, a systemic restoration approach was applied by improving critical components of the flow regime, and initial assessments showed successful seedling recruitment. This research provides a longer-term assessment by comparing sapling distribution and growth among six regulated and free-flowing river reaches. Sapling patches along the lower St. Mary were very sparse (14% of reach) compared to those along the similarly-regulated Waterton River (82%). This disparity highlighted different conceptual models of degradation and restoration trajectories. Reach mean sapling diameters were strongly positively related to average spring river levels (R2 = 0.987), indicating that growth along the lower St. Mary may be hindered by low flows. However, more variation in sapling size occurred at smaller spatial scales indicating that site-level factors like density are also important determinants of growth.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Gill, Karen M.","University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science"],"institution":null,"degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2007,"date_issued":"2007","date_published":"2007","updated_at":"2026-07-27T20:02:32Z","subjects":["Cottonwood -- Ecology -- Alberta -- St. Mary River","Riparian restoration -- Alberta -- St. Mary River","Riparian ecology -- Alberta -- St. Mary River","St. Mary River (Alta.)","Streamflow -- Alberta -- St. Mary River","Riparian areas -- Alberta -- St. Mary River"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["hdl:10133/3694"],"render_values":[{"text":"hdl:10133/3694","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":null,"outbound_label":null,"outbound_source":null},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2007"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Cottonwood -- Ecology -- Alberta -- St. Mary River","Riparian restoration -- Alberta -- St. Mary River","Riparian ecology -- Alberta -- St. Mary River","St. Mary River (Alta.)","Streamflow -- Alberta -- St. Mary River","Riparian areas -- Alberta -- St. Mary River"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["hdl:10133/3694"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.other","label":"Dc Description Other","values":["River damming and offstream water diversion have led to the severe collapse of riparian cottonwoods along the St. Mary River. To promote cottonwood recovery, a systemic restoration approach was applied by improving critical components of the flow regime, and initial assessments showed successful seedling recruitment. This research provides a longer-term assessment by comparing sapling distribution and growth among six regulated and free-flowing river reaches. Sapling patches along the lower St. Mary were very sparse (14% of reach) compared to those along the similarly-regulated Waterton River (82%). This disparity highlighted different conceptual models of degradation and restoration trajectories. Reach mean sapling diameters were strongly positively related to average spring river levels (R2 = 0.987), indicating that growth along the lower St. Mary may be hindered by low flows. However, more variation in sapling size occurred at smaller spatial scales indicating that site-level factors like density are also important determinants of growth."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Evaluation of instream flow management for riparian restoration along the St. Mary River, Alberta"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:date.issued":["2007"],"dc:description.other":["River damming and offstream water diversion have led to the severe collapse of riparian cottonwoods along the St. Mary River. To promote cottonwood recovery, a systemic restoration approach was applied by improving critical components of the flow regime, and initial assessments showed successful seedling recruitment. This research provides a longer-term assessment by comparing sapling distribution and growth among six regulated and free-flowing river reaches. Sapling patches along the lower St. Mary were very sparse (14% of reach) compared to those along the similarly-regulated Waterton River (82%). This disparity highlighted different conceptual models of degradation and restoration trajectories. Reach mean sapling diameters were strongly positively related to average spring river levels (R2 = 0.987), indicating that growth along the lower St. Mary may be hindered by low flows. However, more variation in sapling size occurred at smaller spatial scales indicating that site-level factors like density are also important determinants of growth."],"dc:identifier":["hdl:10133/3694"],"dc:subject":["Cottonwood -- Ecology -- Alberta -- St. Mary River","Riparian restoration -- Alberta -- St. Mary River","Riparian ecology -- Alberta -- St. Mary River","St. Mary River (Alta.)","Streamflow -- Alberta -- St. Mary River","Riparian areas -- Alberta -- St. Mary River"],"dc:title":["Evaluation of instream flow management for riparian restoration along the St. Mary River, Alberta"],"dc:type":["Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T20:02:32Z"}