Wadeable Streams Monitoring: 2014 Results from Whiskeytown National Recreation Area and Lassen Volcanic National Park
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National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Wadeable Streams Monitoring 2014 results from Whiskeytown National Recreation Area and Lassen Volcanic National Park Natural Resource Report NPS/KLMN/NRR—2017/1536 ON THIS PAGE Photograph of Hollund Rudoph, laying out stream reach on Clear Creek, sample site WHISWQ25. Photograph courtesy of the National Park Service (Photo by: Kathleen Doran) ON THE COVER Photograph of Hat Creek, sample site LAVOWQ29, in the Reading Fire burn area. Photograph courtesy of the National Park Service (Photo by: Hollund Rudolph) Wadeable Streams Monitoring 2014 results from Whiskeytown National Recreation Area and Lassen Volcanic National Park Natural Resource Report NPS/KLMN/NRR—2017/1536 Eric C. Dinger National Park Service 1250 Siskiyou Blvd Ashland, OR 97520 October 2017 U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Fort Collins, Colorado The National Park Service, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science office in Fort Collins, Colorado, publishes a range of reports that address natural resource topics. These reports are of interest and applicability to a broad audience in the National Park Service and others in natural resource management, including scientists, conservation and environmental constituencies, and the public. The Natural Resource Report Series is used to disseminate comprehensive information and analysis about natural resources and related topics concerning lands managed by the National Park Service. The series supports the advancement of science, informed decision-making, and the achievement of the National Park Service mission. The series also provides a forum for presenting more lengthy results that may not be accepted by publications with page limitations. All manuscripts in the series receive the appropriate level of peer review to ensure that the information is scientifically credible, technically accurate, appropriately written for the intended audience, and designed and published in a professional manner. This report received informal peer review by subject-matter experts who were not directly involved in the collection, analysis, or reporting of the data. Data in this report were collected and analyzed using methods based on established, peer-reviewed protocols and were analyzed and interpreted within the guidelines of the protocols. Views, statements, findings, conclusions, recommendations, and data in this report do not necessarily reflect views and policies of the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the U.S. Government. This report is available in digital format from the Klamath I&M Network and the Natural Resource Publications Management website. To receive this report in a format that is optimized to be accessible using screen readers for the visually or cognitively impaired, please email [email protected]. Please cite this publication as: Dinger, E.C. 2017. Wadeable streams monitoring: 2014 results from Whiskeytown National Recreation Area and Lassen Volcanic National Park. Natural Resource Report NPS/KLMN/NRR— 2017/1536. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. NPS 615/140450, 111/140450, October 2017 ii Contents Page Figures.................................................................................................................................................... v Tables .................................................................................................................................................... vi Appendices ........................................................................................................................................... vii Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................viii Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................................. xi Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 1 Methods .................................................................................................................................................. 2 Implementation Schedule ............................................................................................................... 2 Site Selection .................................................................................................................................. 2 Site Layout ..................................................................................................................................... 3 Water Chemistry and Quality ......................................................................................................... 4 Stream Habitat/Riparian Corridor Characteristics .......................................................................... 4 Aquatic Communities ..................................................................................................................... 5 Metric calculation and data processing .......................................................................................... 6 Calculating Indicators of Ecological Condition ............................................................................. 6 Total Phosphorous ..................................................................................................................... 6 Total Nitrogen ........................................................................................................................... 6 Salinity ....................................................................................................................................... 7 Acid Neutralizing Capacity ....................................................................................................... 7 Streambed Stability (aka Relative Bed Stability) ...................................................................... 7 In-stream Habitat Cover ............................................................................................................ 8 Riparian Cover........................................................................................................................... 8 Riparian Disturbance ................................................................................................................. 8 Biological Indicators ................................................................................................................. 8 Establishing Thresholds of Ecological Condition ........................................................................ 10 Additional Macroinvertebrate Measures ...................................................................................... 12 iii Contents (continued) Page Relationship of KLMN Indicators to Water Quality Standards .............................................. 12 Results .................................................................................................................................................. 14 Whiskeytown National Recreation Area ...................................................................................... 14 Physical characteristics of Whiskeytown streams ................................................................... 17 Physical condition metrics of Whiskeytown streams .............................................................. 17 Chemical characteristics and condition estimates of Whiskeytown streams .......................... 21 Riparian characteristics of Whiskeytown streams ................................................................... 24 Vertebrate assemblage and condition of Whiskeytown streams ............................................. 24 Invertebrate assemblage and condition of Whiskeytown streams ........................................... 28 Lassen Volcanic National Park .................................................................................................... 30 Physical characteristics of Lassen Volcanic streams ............................................................... 34 Physical condition metrics of Lassen Volcanic streams .......................................................... 34 Chemical characteristics and condition estimates of Lassen Volcanic streams ...................... 38 Riparian characteristics of Lassen Volcanic streams .............................................................. 41 Vertebrate assemblage and condition of Lassen Volcanic streams ......................................... 41 Discussion ............................................................................................................................................ 47 General Issues ............................................................................................................................... 47 Status versus trends (or a cautionary note on changes from 2011…) .......................................... 47 Notes about condition assessment ................................................................................................ 48 Whiskeytown National Recreation Area ...................................................................................... 49 Lassen Volcanic National Park ...................................................................................................