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The area on the edge of rivers and streans 1b called the riparian 

 zone or riparian habitat. The riparian zone extends froM the 

 high water mark of the stream channel to upland terrestrial areas 

 that are influenced by the stream. Research suggests that 

 riparian zones nay be the key landscape feature that controls 

 ecological functions in stream corridors. Some of the functions 

 of the riparian zone that are important to salmon include: 

 maintaining the proper light and temperature regime; providing 

 nourishment to prey species that salmon feed upon; acting as a 

 source of large woody debris which provides refuge from 

 predators. Riparian zones also influence the flow of water and 

 pollutants from upland areas and provides habitat for many 

 wildlife species. The decline in the health in riparian habitat, 

 as indicated by the American Fisheries Society, estimate that at 

 least 132 animals associated with riparian habitat are at risk of 

 extinction. It will be impossible to maintain current salmon 

 populations or have any hope of restoring populations to historic 

 levels without protection and restoration of stream and riparian 

 habitat. 



Riverine habitat degradation is a problem across the nation. 

 According to Dr. Janes Karr of the University of Washington, of 

 the 5.2 million kilometers of rivers in the U.S., only two 

 percent are healthy enough to be considered high quality. The 

 biological consequences of human activities have been equally 

 severe. Between 20-73 percent of riverine populations of fishes, 

 mollusks, and crayfishes studied can be classified as rare to 

 extinct. This compares with only 11-14 percent of terrestrial 

 species being so classified. This degradation of riverine 

 ecosystems has occurred despite legislation meant to protect 

 rivers (e.g. the Clean Water Act). It has been suggested that 

 part of the problem with the present regime is that it does not 

 take into account the whole river ecosystem. Furthermore, there 

 appears to be a growing consensus that we need to change the way 

 in which we view rivers in order to more effectively protect 

 them. 



Most people, when they think of a river, think only of the water 

 flowing through a channel. This viewpoint is epitomized in the 

 federal Clean Water Act. The implementation of the Clean Water 

 Act assumed that if one protects the chemical properties of 

 water, then one protects the rivers. This viewpoint fails to 

 recognize the complexity of a complete riverine ecosystem and 

 perhaps has contributed to the decline in our rivers. It has 

 been suggested that we change the way m which we look at rivers 

 to an ecosystem or "watershed" basis. While there is no 

 scientific consensus of the definition of a watershed, it can 

 generally be described as the entire physical area or catchment 

 basin drained by a distinct stream or river system physically 

 separated from other watersheds by ridgetop boundaries. 



