Protocol narrative: Monitoring freshwater mussels in Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area and Obed Wild and Scenic River

Emmott, Robert; Cheng, Ellen; Witcher, Brian

This protocol describes the rationale, sampling design, methods and operational requirements for monitoring freshwater mussels at two Appalachian Highlands Inventory and Monitoring Network (APHN) parks: Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area (BISO) and Obed Wild and Scenic River (OBRI). The main goals of this document are: (1) to outline an overall strategy for monitoring freshwater mussels that is credible and scientifically rigorous, and (2) to provide a specific set of instructions in the form of standard operating procedures (SOPs) that are sufficiently detailed to ensure consistent and comparable data collection for current and future practitioners. The structure of this protocol follows the recommended framework and suggestions of Oakley et al (2003). This document also highlights the importance of the parks’ mussel fauna in a regional context at a time when habitats suitable for supporting diverse freshwater mussel communities are becoming increasingly scarce. A brief history of freshwater mussel surveys within the affected parks is presented, and the relevancy of this monitoring effort is emphasized by highlighting the aquatic resource management challenges in the parks. The objective of this long-term monitoring project is to determine long-term trends in species richness and population size at selected locations in the major rivers and tributaries of Big South Fork NRRA and Obed WSR. At these index sites, monitoring data will be collected using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Where mussel augmentation or reintroduction efforts coincide with sites targeted for monitoring, it is expected that data produced by this project will be useful in assessing the sustainability of introduced populations. A primary emphasis of the National Park Service (NPS) Inventory and Monitoring Division is to ensure that results and knowledge obtained from monitoring are communicated in a timely manner in order to best meet park needs. With appropriate consideration for the sensitivity of rare species information, monitoring results will be shared as broadly as possible with park partners, NPS staff, and the public. The status of monitored populations will be summarized in resource briefs at the end of each calendar year. Long-term trend or synthesis reports will be written every three to seven years, depending on the needs of the parks. Synthesis reports will include information from other monitoring projects in the parks and, where appropriate, will place monitoring results in the context of landscape-scale trends. Dr. Monte McGregor, Director of the Kentucky Center for Mollusk Conservation (Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources [KDFWR]), provided invaluable guidance during the development of this monitoring plan and the site-specific sampling design largely follows that used by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.

Protocol narrative: Monitoring freshwater mussels in Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area and Obed Wild and Scenic River

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