You are here:
REGIONAL METHODS INITIATIVE: DEVELOPMENT OF BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS, METHODS AND ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES IN FIRST ORDER AND INTERMITTENT STREAMS: HEADWATER INTERMITTENT STREAMS STUDY
Citation:
FRITZ, K. M., B. R. JOHNSON, J. GREENWOOD, AND DAVID M. WALTERS. REGIONAL METHODS INITIATIVE: DEVELOPMENT OF BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS, METHODS AND ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES IN FIRST ORDER AND INTERMITTENT STREAMS: HEADWATER INTERMITTENT STREAMS STUDY. Presented at SWIMS Conference, Chicago, IL, February 01 - 03, 2005.
Impact/Purpose:
The goal of this research is to develop methods and indicators that are useful for evaluating the condition of aquatic communities, for assessing the restoration of aquatic communities in response to mitigation and best management practices, and for determining the exposure of aquatic communities to different classes of stressors (i.e., pesticides, sedimentation, habitat alteration).
Description:
Headwater streams represent the majority of streams and stream miles within many stream networks. Because headwater streams represent the interface between surrounding land use and downstream waterbodies, there has been a growing interest in monitoring the condition of headwater streams. However, because of their position in the landscape, many headwater streams are prone to natural drying and, therefore, confound traditional assessment tools. Our primary objectives are to 1) develop assessment methods specifically designed for headwater streams, and 2) identify physical and biological characteristics of headwater reaches that are indicative of hydrologic permanence and therefore useful in stream assessments. The initial part of the study surveyed 61 reaches along 17 headwater streams across four forests in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio that varied in hydrologic permanence over the 2-year study. The study was expanded to include additional sites in Regions 1, 2, 3, 5 and 10. We will provide an update of the study and physical and biological results from the initial survey.