Protocol for Monitoring Riparian Habitat and Associated Wetlands in the Pinnacles National Monument: Version 1.0

Denn, Marie; Ryan, Amelia

The purpose of this protocol is to establish a long-term monitoring program for riparian and wetland habitats in Pinnacles NM. Monitoring in the monument can provide an early warning of wetland and riparian habitat change due to the threats described above. This early warning will allow monument managers to respond administratively to protect resources and focus on additional studies, if necessary. This protocol seeks to track wetland abundance, riparian vegetation community structure, and channel morphology characteristics. Specifically, the monitoring objectives are: Objective 1. Determine trends in the abundance of wetlands associated with stream channels at Pinnacles National Monument. Objective 2. Determine trends in riparian vegetation communities (foliar cover for several general guilds, foliar cover of specific tree and shrub species, guild richness) at Pinnacles NM. Objective 3. Determine trends in stream channel width and substrate size at Pinnacles NM. Together these metrics will provide monument managers with information about changes in habitats and surface- and near-surface water availability that are critical to monument biota. Monument managers will benefit from understanding trends in wetland and riparian habitat extent and complexity. This understanding will allow NPS employees to make better decisions regarding management of wetland-dependent species, identify any opportunities for local or off-site mitigation, and respond to as yet unknown threats to these important habitats. The primary target for data collection is all 100-meter-long reaches within 47 kilometers of stream corridor that have an up gradient catchment basin 3 square kilometers or greater. One third of these reaches will be evaluated each year for quantitative metrics to track changes in riparian vegetation and channel morphology. Data will be collected for the entire target stream network once every third year. Data collection within the stream network occurs at three spatial scales; 1) the complete set of 100-meter long reaches of channel, bounded by the bankfull banks of the channel and the active floodprone area; 2) reaches are further subdivided 25 meter long segments; 3) transects oriented perpendicular to the center of the channel, For each 100-meter reach, observers will identify vegetation community type, cover of dominant plant species, Rosgen stream type, and presence/absence and size class of wetlands. Observers will also evaluate several stream characteristics according to methods described in the California Rapid Assessment Method for Wetlands (CRAM). One out of every three segmetns will include a transect for evaluating riparian vegetation cover and channel substrate. Fieldwork will be completed by two-person teams consisting of one technician with botanical and wetland identification skills and one technician with a basic knowledge of hydrogeomorphology. San Francisco Bay Area Network Inventory and Monitoring Program staff is responsible for hiring or contracting personnel for each field season. Monument staff will assist with arranging for local accommodations and logistics, including informing field staff of local access restrictions and in-park communication procedures.

Protocol for Monitoring Riparian Habitat and Associated Wetlands in the Pinnacles National Monument: Version 1.0

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