Barber Pool Conservation Area Inventory and Analysis Submitted to: The Friends of Barber Pool Conservation Area Boise, Idaho September 2002 Submitted by: Walla Walla District US Army Corps of Engineers BARBER POOL CONSERVATION AREA INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS TABLE OF CONTENTS Section 1 – Introduction 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................1 1.1.1 The Barber Pool Conservation Area................................................1 1.2 Authorization ..............................................................................................4 1.2.1 Land Ownership ..............................................................................5 1.3 Purpose......................................................................................................5 1.4 Benefits ......................................................................................................5 1.5 Management ..............................................................................................5 1.6 References.................................................................................................6 Section 2 – Inventory and Analysis 2.1 General ......................................................................................................7 2.2 Mapping .....................................................................................................7 2.3 Ecological Factors......................................................................................7 2.3.1 Topography .....................................................................................7 2.3.2 Geology ...........................................................................................9 2.3.3 Soils...............................................................................................11 2.3.4 Hydrology ......................................................................................13 2.3.5 Climate ..........................................................................................16 2.3.6 Air Quality......................................................................................20 2.3.7 Land Cover and Vegetation...........................................................21 2.3.8 Wildlife...........................................................................................29 2.3.9 Wildlife – General ..........................................................................33 2.3.10 Aquatic Resources ........................................................................39 2.3.11 Analysis of Fish and Wildlife..........................................................40 2.4 Cultural Factors/Human Environmental Factors.......................................41 2.4.1 Cultural Resources........................................................................41 2.4.2 Analysis of Cultural Resources......................................................48 2.4.3 Buildings and Other Facilities ........................................................50 ii 2.5 Aesthetic Resources ................................................................................56 2.5.1 Visual Quality Management...........................................................56 2.6 References...............................................................................................60 2.6.1 Documents/Reports.......................................................................60 2.6.2 Electronic Data ..............................................................................66 2.6.3 Photos ...........................................................................................67 2.6.4 Maps..............................................................................................67 Photos Photo 1 View to the foothills from the Barber Pool Conservation Area .........1 Photo 2 Barber Dam and Lumber Mill at the height of production ................2 Photo 3 Barber Dam powerhouse, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.................................................................................2 Photo 4 Boise Diversion Dam forms the upstream boundary of the BPCA study area.............................................................................3 Photo 5 View of the Boise River, showing 15 vertical feet of exposed sediments ........................................................................................8 Photo 6 View of BPCA as it looked in 1930. Diversion Dam and the New York Canal are in the center. Note the extent of “Barber Pond” in the background ..................................................14 Photo 7 An outlet from the New York canal contributes to wetlands within the BPCA ............................................................................15 Photo 8 Whitetop is one of the most common noxious weeds found in the BPCA...................................................................................27 Photo 9 The BPCA is known for its cottonwoods, which provide important roosting areas for wintering bald eagles ........................27 Photo 10 Red winged blackbirds utilize the wetland habitat at the BPCA.....28 Photo 11 Changes to the hydrological regime have helped establish the shrub-steppe vegetative community within the BPCA .............29 Photo 12 Coyotes are one of the many mammals living in the BPCA ..........33 Photo 13 Deer and other large ungulates move from the foothills to lower ground near the river. These deer were grazing an alfalfa field within the BPCA study area.........................................33 Photo 14 Signs warning motorists of deer crossings have been posted on Warm Springs Avenue. However, deer mortality on the road has continued to rise due to increased traffic.......................................34 Photo 15 A yellow-headed blackbird, one of the many songbirds found in the BPCA...................................................................................35 iii Photo 16 The BPCA provides important nesting habitat for waterfowl. Pictured, a Canada goose nest .....................................................35 Photo 17 A common merganser and her brood in the BPCA........................35 Photo 18 A commemorative marker at Oregon Trail Park, developed by the City of Boise........................................................................44 Photo 19 The Barber Lumber Mill operated on the site of the BPCA from 1906 to 1931 .................................................................................45 Photo 20 A house from the original town of Barber. It was relocated to 3rd Street in Boise ..........................................................................46 Photo 21 The Barber store. The town boasted a post office, school, and hotel, also ......................................................................................46 Photo 22 The Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation headquarters houses IDPR and IFPL..................................................................50 Photo 23 The Idaho Shakespeare Festival houses the amphitheater and related facilities, visitor center, restaurant, and offices ..................51 Photo 24 The Idaho Shakespeare Festival Stage. The Festival annually entertains more than 50,000 audience members ..........................52 Photo 25 A tree-wrapping campaign was instituted in 1984 to protect cottonwood trees from beavers .....................................................53 Photo 26 The Boise Greenbelt offers recreational access to the BPCA .......55 Photo 27 The BPCA is located in the Boise floodplain. The contrast of the flat topography of Treasure Valley adjacent to the Boise Mountains in the background is significant to the high visual quality of the BPCA .............................................................56 Photo 28 Viewpoint of BPCA from Surprise Valley. The viewpoint offers interpretive signs and an overlook of the BPCA. The view is enhanced by the Boise Mountains in the background ...................59 Tables Table 1 Barber Pool Conservation Area Steepness of Slope.......................8 Table 2 Barber Pool Conservation Area Aspect...........................................9 Table 3 Description of Soils at BPCA .........................................................13 Table 4 Period of Record General Climate Summary – Temperature ........17 Table 5 Period of Record General Climate Summary – Precipitation.........19 Table 6 Monthly Climate Summary ............................................................20 Table 7 Vegetation/Cover Mapping Units...................................................22 Table 8 Suggested Cultural Chronology for Southwestern Idaho...............41 Table 9 Previously Documented Cultural Resources Within the BPCA Study Area .........................................................48 iv Plates Plate 1 Base Map Plate 2 Land Ownership Plate 3 Topography Plate 4 Elevation Plate 5 Slope Plate 6 Aspect Plate 7 Geologic Formations Plate 8 Soils Plate 9 Critical Habitat Plate 10 Present Shoreline Plate 11 1867 Shoreline Plate 12 1921 Shoreline Plate 13 1939 Shoreline Plate 14 1950 Shoreline Plate 15 1972 Shoreline Plate 16 Vegetative Community Plate 17 Vegetation Cover Types Plate 18 Sensitive Species Plate 19 Nesting Areas Plate 20 Migration Routes SUPPORTING DATA Appendix A List of Wildlife Associated with Barber Pool Conservation Area Appendix B Fish Species Associated with Barber Pool Conservation Area Appendix C Cultural Resources Associated with Barber Pool Conservation Area v BARBER POOL