Headwater Stream Inventory at Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Anderson PW, Baghat Y, Bartelme B, Stolic N, Vaccarino M. Headwater Stream Inventory at Cuyahoga Valley National Park. 2022. National Park Service

EnviroScience, Inc. (EnviroScience) was contracted by the National Park Service (NPS) to design and implement a study plan to inventory the headwater stream resources within the Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CUVA) to collect and analyze data to guide decision-making in the development of management plans to protect these resources within CUVA. The headwater stream inventory was comprised of three components to evaluate the resources as follows: 1. habitat and biological assessments to classify the streams in the context of the Ohio EPA Primary Headwater (PHW) stream classification system (Ohio EPA, 2020) and the beneficial aquatic life uses promulgated the Ohio Administrative Code (OAC), where applicable; 2. fluvial geomorphological assessments to determine stream channel types and to evaluate the potential and degree of streambank erosion associated with the assessment sites; and 3. development and testing of a visitor use impact assessment (VUIA) protocol for potential park-wide application to manage and protect stream resources in the context of public access. A total of 125 headwater stream sites were assessed to complete the inventory. The SOW identified eighty-three (83) of the sites designated as Primary sites by NPS. These sites were selected to document the condition of headwater streams with watershed areas of approximately 1.0 mi2. Forty-two (42) sites were proposed for assessment as Secondary sites following the assessment of Primary sites. The identified locations were used to characterize the biological communities within the streams and to identify factors affecting the ecological integrity and water quality of the headwater streams within CUVA.

Type
Project
Authors
Anderson, Paul; Baghat, Yakuta; Bartelme, Brad; Stolic, Nicole; Vaccarino, Melissa
Publisher
National Park Service
Units
CUVA
Keywords
amphibian, classification, fish, headwater, IMD, inventory, inventory and monitoring, macroinvertebrate, National Park Service, NPS, NPS Inventory and Monitoring Division, NPS Species Inventory Program, primary headwater, stream, visitor use
Subjects
Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Freshwater Communities

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