National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Program Center National Capital Region Network Biological Stream Survey Protocol Version 2.0 Physical Habitat, Fish, and Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Vital Signs Natural Resource Report NPS/NCRN/NRR—2009/116 ON THE COVER Field crew collecting samples in a stream in Rock Creek Park Photograph by: Contractor Field Crew National Capital Region Network Biological Stream Survey Protocol Version 2.0 Physical Habitat, Fish, and Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Vital Signs Natural Resource Report NPS/NCRN/NRR—2009/116 Version 2.0 Revised and Edited by Marian E. Norris Water Resources Specialist And Geoffrey Sanders Data Manager NCRN Inventory and Monitoring Program 4598 MacArthur Blvd., NW Washington, DC 20007 June 2009 U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Program Center Fort Collins, CO The Natural Resource Publication series addresses natural resource topics that are of interest and applicability to a broad readership in the National Park Service and to others in the management of natural resources, including the scientific community, the public, and the NPS conservation and environmental constituencies. Manuscripts are peer-reviewed to ensure that the information is scientifically credible, technically accurate, appropriately written for the intended audience, and is designed and published in a professional manner. Natural Resource Reports are the designated medium for disseminating high priority, current natural resource management information with managerial application. The series targets a general, diverse audience, and may contain NPS policy considerations or address sensitive issues of management applicability. Examples of the diverse array of reports published in this series include vital signs monitoring plans; "how to" resource management papers; proceedings of resource management workshops or conferences; annual reports of resource programs or divisions of the Natural Resource Program Center; resource action plans; fact sheets; and regularly-published newsletters. Views and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect policies of the National Park Service. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the National Park Service. Printed copies of reports in these series may be produced in a limited quantity and they are only available as long as the supply lasts. This report is also available from the National Capital Region I&M Network website (http://www.nature.nps.gov/im/units/ncrn/index.cfm) and the National Park Service Natural Resource Program Center (http://www.nature.nps.gov/publications/NRPM/) on the internet. Please cite this publication as: Norris, M. E., and G. Sanders. 2009. National Capital Region Network biological stream survey protocol: Physical habitat, fish, and aquatic macroinvertebrate vital signs. Natural Resource Report NPS/NCRN/NRR—2009/116. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. NPS 800/100122, June 2009 ii Contents Page Figures............................................................................................................................................. v Tables ............................................................................................................................................. vi Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................... vii Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................... viii Background and Objectives ............................................................................................................ 1 Background and History ............................................................................................................. 1 Rationale for Monitoring this Resource ...................................................................................... 2 Measurable Objectives ................................................................................................................ 5 Sampling Design ............................................................................................................................. 6 Study Area 6 Site Selection and Justification ................................................................................................... 6 Population Being Monitored ....................................................................................................... 6 Sampling Frequency and Replication ......................................................................................... 7 Field and Laboratory Methods ...................................................................................................... 11 Field Season Preparations, Field Schedule, and Equipment Setup ........................................... 11 Sampling Methods .................................................................................................................... 11 Water Chemistry ....................................................................................................................... 13 Biological Sampling ................................................................................................................. 13 Benthic Macroinvertebrates .................................................................................................. 14 Fish ....................................................................................................................................... 15 Physical Habitat ........................................................................................................................ 15 Data Management ......................................................................................................................... 16 Data Analysis and Reporting ........................................................................................................ 16 Revising the Protocol and Archiving Previous Versions of the Protocol ............................. 17 Literature Cited ............................................................................................................................. 18 Appendix A: Data Sheets and Sampling Forms .......................................................................... 23 APPENDIX B MASTER FISH SPECIES LIST FOR THE STATE OF MARYLAND ............ 40 iii APPENDIX C MASTER BENTHIC TAXA LIST FOR THE STATE OF MARYLAND ......... 43 Standard Operating Procedures ..................................................................................................... 55 iv Figures Page Figure 1. Locations of the National Parks (red) in the National Capital Region within the Potomac River Watershed............................................................................................................... 1 v Tables Table 1: Site characteristics for streams to be sampled during a six year rotation. ........................ 8 vi Executive Summary The vital sign selection process of the NPS Inventory and Monitoring Program (I&M) identified fish, macroinvertebrates, and physical habitat characteristics as a critical need for the parks of the National Capital Region Network (NCRN). In 2005, the National Capital Region Inventory and Monitoring Network (NCRN) initiated a long-term water quality and quantity monitoring program, funded in part by the National Park Service Water Resources Division. The Biological monitoring portion of the program is carried out every 6 years at 37 sites within 10 of the NCRN parks. The data collected using this protocol will provide much needed baseline information on the stream biological resources in the NCRN, particularly in terms of community structure and composition. The information will also be used to determine long term trends in community composition, as well as trends in the abundance and distribution of individual species. Parks monitored with this protocol include Antietam National Battlefield, Catoctin Mountain Park, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, George Washington Memorial Parkway, Manassas National Battlefield Park, Monocacy National Battlefield, National Capital Parks - East, Prince William Forest Park, Rock Creek Park, and Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. The streams monitored are all part of the Potomac River Watershed. The Potomac is the second largest drainage of the nine river basins that form the 64,000 square mile Chesapeake Bay watershed. This protocol includes monitoring of three related vital signs: fish, macroinvertebrates, and physical habitat. The protocol is based on the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MD- DNR) Maryland Biological Stream Survey (MBSS). 23 standard operating procedures (SOPs) document the methods used to collect the relevant data. The protocol was developed in 2005 by Robert H. Hilderbrand, Richard L Raesly, and Daniel M. Boward, of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Sciences – Appalachian Laboratory (UMCES-AL) and Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MD DNR) who perform sampling and data analysis as part of the MBSS, so that data collected will be compatible with that from the rest of the state to provide a wider context for trends in the NCRN parks. The Protocol was revised and expanded (Version 2 by Norris and Sanders) in 2009 to include revisions to the MBSS program made by MD DNR for the State’s