Wadeable streams monitoring: 2015 results from Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve, Redwood National and State Parks, and Crater Lake National Park
Dinger EC. 2018. Wadeable streams monitoring: 2015 results from Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve, Redwood National and State Parks, and Crater Lake National Park. Natural Resource Report. NPS/KLMN/NRR—2018/1684. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
The Klamath Inventory and Monitoring Network established Wadeable Stream Vital Signs monitoring in 2011, with the peer reviewed protocol finalized in 2012. The protocol measures the ecological condition at a probabilistic sample (random-based) of wadeable stream across the park landscape that are: perennial, accessible, and can be safely sampled. Sampling consists of physical habitat measurements, water quality, water chemistry, riparian measures, and both invertebrate and vertebrate stream communities. Sampling is generally accomplished with a crew of four individuals, working in the summer months. Sampling was undertaken to determine the ecological condition status of streams in Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve (ORCA), Redwood National and State Parks (REDW), and Crater Lake National Park (CRLA). Sampling previously occurred in 2012 and 2015 marks the second sampling event for these park units. Ecological condition, “the state of the physical, chemical and biological characteristics, and the processes and interactions that connect them,” was assessed by measuring an array of stream biota, in-stream characteristics, water quality, and stream bank variables and metrics. These measures were then either used singularly or integrated, to assign sites to condition categories of “Least disturbed, Intermediate, and Most disturbed.” These condition categories are based on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) thresholds, which offer broad regional perspectives on condition, and the latter two categories do not necessarily reflect impairment for park streams. Rather, prevalence of “Intermediate” or “Most disturbed” categories should be seen as an indicator for targeted investigations. A more complete description of indices is provided in the methods, but a short description is provided here, in three categories (chemical, physical, and biological): Chemistry: (1) Total phosphorous, (2) Total nitrogen – these are both nutrients indicative of pollution, (3) Salinity – an indicator of water withdrawal, and (4) Acid Neutralizing Capacity – indicative of acid deposition, either through rain or acid mine drainages. Physical: (1) Relative Bed Stability (RBS) – a measure of sediment supply and transport, (2) In-stream Habitat Cover – a measure of habitat complexity, (3) Riparian Cover – a measure of how complex and multi-layered the streamside vegetation is, and (4) Riparian Disturbance – a measure of observed, potential anthropogenic disturbances streamside. Biological: (1) EPA Regional Vertebrate Multi-Metric Index – a composite measure of the fish and amphibian ecological integrity, (2) EPA Regional Invertebrate Multi-Metric Index – a similar measure using invertebrates for assessing ecological integrity, (3) Observed/Expected ratio – a measure of the amount of observed biodiversity to the expected biodiversity, and (4) a regional, state based Invertebrate Multi-Metric Index
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Dinger, Eric
- Date of Issue
- 2018-07
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- CRLA , KLMN , NRSS , ORCA , REDW
- Keywords
- Amphibians, Aquatic Communities, Crater Lake National Park, EMAP, Fish, IBI, Macroinvertebrates, Monitoring, Oregon Caves National Monument, Redwood National and State Parks, Streams, streams monitoring, Water Quality, Water Quality Monitoring
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Geology and Soils | Geomorphology | Stream/River Channel Characteristics , Ecological Framework: Water | Water Quality | Water Chemistry , Ecological Framework: Water | Water Quality | Aquatic Macroinvertebrates and Algae , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Freshwater Communities