Natural Resource Condition Assessment for Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area

Bell, Jack; Hinson, Dustin

This Natural Resource Condition Assessment (NRCA) report and accompanying geodatabase is designed to give the resource managers of Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area (LARO) a better understanding of the condition of natural resources within and adjacent to their park. Assessment of the natural resources was accomplished by conducting a thorough literature review, evaluating existing data, and also collecting new data on areas of the park where sufficient, reliable data for an assessment was not available. Aquatic and upland habitats were evaluated at pre-identified locations. Selected threats and stressors to LARO’s natural resources were evaluated for the entire park. Information gained from this report will form the basis for development of actions to reduce and prevent impairment of LARO’s natural resources and assist in the development of desired future conditions through park planning processes. The upland sites selected for site-specific condition status assessments included six grazing allotments and one historic site. All of the upland sites were evaluated using a rapid, qualitative tool developed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for assessing a moment-in-time status of rangeland health. Evaluators rated 17 indicators to assess 3 ecosystem attributes (soil and site stability, hydrologic function, and biotic integrity) for a given location (Pyke et. al. 2002). Overall, the soil stability and hydrologic function attributes were in good condition, rated none-slight or slight-none departure from reference conditions. The biotic integrity attribute in many sites was in poor condition, rated moderate or in one case moderate-extreme departure. The poor condition was attributed to past grazing practices and conversion of forests to pasture lands. The shoreline riparian areas selected for site-specific condition status assessments included 21 sites in four park-defined management zones. Sites selected for evaluation were assessed using the “proper functioning condition” (PFC) riparian assessment methodology developed by the Bureau of Land Management for lotic, flowing water, (Prichard et al. 1998) or lentic, standing water, (Prichard et al. 2003). All the aquatic sites sampled were rated “Functional-At-Risk” or “Nonfunctional,” 9 and 12 sites, respectively. The poor condition of most sites was attributed to one or more of the following threats; water level fluctuations, invasive riparian species, recreational use, or fine sediment accumulation. For the aquatic resources 5 threats and stressors were believed to pose serious problems; water level fluctuations, invasive riparian species, recreational use, water pollution, and fine sediments. Of these only invasive riparian species and recreational use can be directly managed by the park to improve the condition of aquatic resources. The difficulty for park staff in managing for the other 3 threats and stressors is the source of the problems lie outside the park and their management authority. Reducing the impact from these threats and stressors will require active cooperation with local, state, federal, and tribal agencies.

Natural Resource Condition Assessment for Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area

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