Bio-monitoring of Water Quality Using Aquatic Invertebrates and In-stream Habitat and Riparian Condition Assessment: Status Report for Pipestone Creek, Pipestone National Monument, Minnesota 1989-2004
Peitz DG and Cribbs JT. 2005. Bio-monitoring of Water Quality Using Aquatic Invertebrates and In-stream Habitat and Riparian Condition Assessment: Status Report for Pipestone Creek, Pipestone National Monument, Minnesota 1989-2004. National Park Service. Republic, MO
The purpose of this report is to summarize aquatic invertebrate monitoring data collected in 1996 through 2004 and to assess changes in community structure through time, especially since the 1989 baseline year. In-stream habitat and riparian assessment results are reported as well. Benthic invertebrates are the most common group of organisms used to assess water quality (Rosenberg and Resh 1993). They are attractive as indicators because they represent a diverse group of long-lived, sedentary species that react strongly and often predictably to human influences on aquatic systems (Cairns and Pratt 1993). The objectives of this bio-monitoring program are to determine the annual status of stream invertebrate communities in order to assess the water quality of Pipestone Creek and to detect changes through time in aquatic invertebrate communities. The in-stream habitat and riparian condition assessments will give us a better understanding of the environment in which the aquatic communities have evolved.