Reversing Erosion on Semi-Arid Grassland Ranches: A 10-Year Analysis

A rancher-led conservation organization in southeastern Arizona is aiming to halt excessive erosion in the Altar Wash. In 2012, they initiated the Elkhorn/Las Delicias Watershed Restoration Demonstration Project (Elk/LD Demo Project), a 13,000-acre project using road rehabilitation, upland restoration, and natural channel design to recreate conditions where natural erosion and deposition processes could resume. The road rehabilitation treatments intended to stabilize the road surface, reduce the frequency and cost of maintenance, and increase the density and diversity of vegetation alongside the roads and in ephemeral streams. After 10 years, the project successfully reduced erosion from the road and increased deposition of sediment up to 200 feet downstream.