Stream Ecological Integrity

Importance/Issues

The Stream Ecological Integrity protocol addresses multiple ROMN vital signs: Surface Water Dynamics, Groundwater Dynamics, Freshwater Communities, Invasive/Exotic Aquatic Biota, Invasive/Exotic Plants, Water Chemistry, and Focal Species–Beaver. The protocol will be implemented in all six parks, with initial effort focusing on GLAC.

Streams and rivers are fundamental components of nearly every ROMN park, and their ecology is both intimately linked with and reflective of the watersheds they drain. A defining feature of streams and rivers is their dependence on the landscape for inputs of energy and nutrients; streams integrate all systems within a landscape.

Streams also support a broad spectrum of ecological services, including wildlife habitat, nutrient processing, hydrologic cycling, and multiple socioeconomic functions for humans (e.g., water sources, fisheries, recreation). Since streams are typically sensitive to stressors at both local and landscape scales, they are one of the most useful types of ecosystems for longterm ecological monitoring in the ROMN.

Survey-site data will be used for making statistically valid inferences about stream condition across each ROMN park, as well as populationscale, long-term trend assessments. Sentinel sites will be used for more intensive (both in terms of sampling frequency and instrumentation) protocols to quantify loadings, site-scale trend, and possible mechanisms. Sentinel sites will occur on reaches as required by regulatory programs, in existing long-term stream sampling locations, at key confluences, and/or at watershed pour points.

Preliminary Monitoring Objectives

1. Determine the seasonal, annual, and/or decadal status and trend, at the park scale, of benthos and periphyton assemblages (using multimetric and multivariate indices), physical habitat, and select physiochemical measures (e.g., NPS–Water Resources Division core parameters, anions, cations, nutrients, and sediment).
2. Quantify the seasonal, annual, and/or decadal patterns in benthos and periphyton assemblages, hydrologic dynamics, and physiochemical loadings of key water quality analytes (e.g., NPS–WRD core measures, any 303(d)-listed analyte, critical anions and cations, nutrients, and sediment) at sentinel stream sites.
3. Determine the long-term status and trend of stream length and proportion in each park where select invasive plant and aquatic taxa are present.
4. Determine the long-term status and trend of stream length and proportion in each park where beaver are present.

Potential Measures

1. Stream Discharge will be measured.
2. Habitat paramters will be measured such as in stream cover for fish, bank and riparian area status and cover.
3. Water Chemistry samples will be taken. At the site for acidity, disolved oxygen, and turbidity. Samples will be taken for lab analysis to measure a full suite of parameters such as metals, nitrates, carbon, sulfates, and organic compounds.
4. Water samples will also be taken for aquatic biota measures, both benthic invertebrates and periphyton.

Protocol Development and Status

ROMN started working with the Flat Head Biological Station (FLBS) in August, 2007 on a field trial of the draft stream protocols in the Flat Head River Basin area in West Glacier National Park.

Contacts

Billy Schweiger
Natural Resources Program Center
1201 Oakridge Drive, Suite 200
Fort Collins, CO 80525
970-267-2147
Billy_Schweiger@nps.gov

(ROMN Vital Sign Monitoring Plan, 2007, page 74-75; Draft Stream Protocol, July 2007.)

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