On June 28th, in anticipation of the start of monsoon season, the Riparian Resilience team toured the Rio San Miguel watershed, visiting the town of Rayon, and scoping out the location of two existing Eddy Flux towers, to determine where a third tower should be sited as part of the Riparian Resilience project. Immediately we noticed the significant increase in humidity in the Rio San Miguel basin as compared to Tucson. Similar to our field visit to the San Pedro River watershed, the impact of the dry winter and spring season on the vegetation and the water levels in the river was evident.
Rayon, founded in 1638, is one of the largest towns in the Rio San Miguel basin with a population of about 2,000 people. Agriculture and ranching are important components of the local economy. Agricultural activities and grazing take place in the floodplain of the river. We saw small dams, built to provide irrigation water for agriculture, which impact the flow of the river, especially now, during the driest part of the year.
During the trip, we had the opportunity to gather water samples from the river, collect GPS point data detailing vegetation and land cover types for use in satellite image analysis, view wells in the area used for groundwater extraction, and visit eddy flux towers and other instruments currently situated in mesquite bosque and thornscrub dominated areas for collection of climate and energy flux information. We were also treated to impromptu bird watching in the riparian corridor, a haven for a number of colorful species of birds, who enjoy the abundant insects in the shallow pools of water.
