Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Riparian Areas
of South Dakota
What is a Riparian Area?
Riparian areas are the "green zones" of water-loving vegetation along waterways,
streams, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and springs. Riparian areas protect water
quality, maintain stream function, and provide important fish and wildlife habitat.
If managed properly, they provide many benefits to people.
Maintenance of productive riparian areas displays good stewardship of shared
resources like water, fish and wildlife. Maintaining riparian area creates
friends and allies for your operation.
Well-managed riparian areas buffer the destructive impacts of floods and
drought.
The legal and political battles waged elsewhere on riparian issues and problems
can be avoided with voluntary efforts now to include riparian management in
overall operations.
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Riparian Management Benefits
- Improved water quality and fisheries
- Controlled, less variable streamflows
- Increased productivity
- Increased forage quality
- Improved vegetation and plant diversity
- Reduced weed growth
- Higher livestock weaning weights
- Reduced erosion and land loss
- Improved habitat for fish and wildlife diversity
- Reduced livestock injury
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This resource is based on the following source:
No author. No date. Riparian Areas of South Dakota: Riparian
Management Benefits. Various Cooperators. Unpaginated.
Cooperators include:
- Conservation Districts of South Dakota
- Ducks Unlimited
- South Dakota Department of Agriculture
- South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources
- South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks
- Society for Range Management, South Dakota Section
- Soil and Water Conservation Society, South Dakota Chapter
- South Dakota Grassland Coalition
- US Environmental Protection Agency
- US Fish and Wildlife Service
- US Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency
- US Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service
This resource should be cited as:
No author. No date. Riparian Areas of South Dakota: Riparian
Management Benefits. Various Cooperators. Unpaginated.
Jamestown, ND: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Online.
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/habitat/ripsd/index.htm
(Version 02NOV99).
Table of Contents
Sponsors
Conservation Districts of South Dakota
Ducks Unlimited
South Dakota Department of Agriculture
South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources
South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks
Society for Range Management, South Dakota Section
Soil and Water Conservation Society, South Dakota Chapter
South Dakota Grassland Coalition
US Environmental Protection Agency
US Fish and Wildlife Service
US Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency
US Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service
Downloading Instructions
-- Instructions on downloading and extracting files from this site.
ripsd.zip (475K) -- Riparian Areas of South Dakota: Riparian Management Benefits
Installation: Extract all files and open
index.htm in a web browser.
U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey