Arbuckle Mountain Area Chapter
Spreader Dams
aka Quail Oases

Much of what we do in habitat restoration and management is related to soil conservation.  Top soils wash away easily, and our disking and clearing efforts can lead to the loss of valuable top soil and can add to the creation of washes and gullies if we are not observant.

We have all seen these water flow channels, patterns, washes, gullies, etc. and spreader dams can be used to slow down the loss of the soil.  All they are is a small rise in elevation of nearby soil to slow down or dissipate the energy in the water flow.  As the rains intensify, they loosen soils and the heavier and quicker the accumulation, the better the chance the water has to move the soils downhill.  If it's not slowed, the soils will be carried eventually the the Gulf of Mexico, albeit in thousands of years.  Terraces are similar in their action.  Spreader dams can be nothing more than filing in a wider gulley in one spot with surrounding clays, rubble, etc. or excavating a 8-12" depression and flopping the soil to make a small earthen dam or terrace across wide washes with little elevation change.  Texas A&M has some ranchers in Texas using the method with very good results... it just makes sense. 

Spreader dams benefit in at least five ways for quail management. 

1)  Soil retention which is valuable for sustaining a manageable terrain - keeping the soil on your property. 

2)  Water temporarily ponds where it can be absorbed into the soil and replenish the local water tables and provide another spot for wildlife water (sometimes dogs too). 

3)  Plant life is enabled in the comparatively more moist areas and leads to grasses, legumes and forbs making a stand which means the potential for more seeds for quail and wildlife. 

4)  Insects reproduce and increase in abundance in the weeds and moisture created by the moist conditions, essential for chick development and a good source of adult foods as well.

5)  Cover is developed as the weeds and brush inhabit the moist areas, yielding another beneficial habitat feature as bugging cover for the chicks while they feed.