ROMN Streams Ecological Integrity (SEI)

Schweiger B. ROMN Streams Ecological Integrity (SEI). 2007. National Park Service

The Rocky Mountain Inventory & Monitoring (I&M) Network (ROMN) includes a wide range of environments ranging from mountain peaks to deciduous forests to western grasslands. The six parks of the network include Glacier National Park (GLAC), Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site (GRKO), Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument (LIBI), Florissant Fossil Beds NM (FLFO), Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve (GRSA) (NPP), and Rocky Mountain (ROMO) NP. The Stream Ecological Integrity (SEI) protocol is used to monitor streams within four network parks (GLAC, ROMO, GRKO, and LIBI). The overall goals for long-term ecological monitoring of ROMN streams focus on documenting the status and trend in stream condition, understanding the causes of change in stream condition, and assisting in the application of these data to park management. Generalized SEI monitoring objectives include the following: 1. Determine status in a suite of response measures at the park scale (in GLAC and ROMO) and at all sentinel sites. a.) Important water and sediment chemistry parameters like temperature, nutrients and metals b.) Stream physical habitat features like sediment composition and riparian cover c.) Macroinvertebrate and diatom bioassessment metrics 2. Determine the long-term trend in the condition of select stream responses. 3. Assess status of select responses through: a.) Comparisons to existing and published assessment points, including any regulatory criteria, ecological thresholds or ecoregion assessment points that are relevant to ROMN park streams management, b.) Comparisons to ecoregion assessment points derived from distributions of reference site data from within the park and/or surrounding ecoregion(s), c.) Comparisons to baselines derived from partner or auxiliary data. 4. Relate any spatial or temporal patterns (including trend when possible) in select stream responses to important ecological and anthropogenic drivers. To meet these monitoring objectives, we designed a multi-faceted, integrated approach. We base the bulk of our field methods on protocols developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program. These methods are well established and are used by many ROMN partners. We emphasize response measures of community-level macroinvertebrate and diatom composition/structure, hydrology, geomorphology, substrates, water temperature, and qualitative or categorical indicators of condition and stress (including both anthropogenic and natural). Our assessment focuses on park-specific integrative bioassessment models with macroinvertebrate and diatoms as the response and the suite of stressor or driver covariates collected at all stream sites. The application of standardized protocols facilitates comparison of streams within an ecoregion and across ROMN and other NPS parks.

Type
Project
Authors
Schweiger, Billy
Publisher
National Park Service
Units
GLAC , GRKO , LIBI , ROMO
Keywords
benthos, channel characteristics, periphyton, ROMN, streams, water chemistry, water dynamics, water quality
Subjects
Ecological Framework: Geology and Soils | Geomorphology | Stream/River Channel Characteristics , Ecological Framework: Water | Hydrology | Surface Water Dynamics , Ecological Framework: Water | Water Quality | Water Chemistry , Ecological Framework: Water | Water Quality | Nutrient Dynamics , Ecological Framework: Water | Water Quality | Toxics , Ecological Framework: Water | Water Quality | Microorganisms , Ecological Framework: Water | Water Quality | Aquatic Macroinvertebrates and Algae , Ecological Framework: Human Use | Point-Source Human Effects | Point-Source Human Effects , Ecological Framework: Human Use | Non-point Source Human Effects | Non-point Source Human Effects

Program

Products

See also

Collections

Browse the catalog