Freshwater Wetland Biomonitoring in RI

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Freshwater Wetland Biomonitoring in RI

• A plan for RI being developed by
• Deb Pelton Carol Murphy as part of RIs
  Comprehensive Water Monitoring Strategy

DEM Meeting Date June 15, 2004 Time 1 230
pm Place DEM Office of Water Resources, Room 280
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Purpose of Meeting

• To solicit input from DEM staff to identify
  specific wetland monitoring needs for RI
• need to ensure that data are useful to wetland
  regulatory and non-regulatory decision makers.

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Meeting Agenda

• Introduction and background
• What is wetland biomonitoring why do it?
• EPA recommendations for a 3-tiered approach to
  monitoring
• A brief overview of methods with examples from
  other states
• RI Approach Why Deb is here, where we are, and
  where were going
• Possible management uses for wetland monitoring
  data a working list

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Bioassessment Basics

• Bioassessments are based on the premise that the
  community of plants and animals living in a
  wetland will reflect the biological integrity or
  health of a wetland.
• .In other words, the biological communities
  reflect the cumulative effect of multiple
  stressors over time.

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Shift in Focus Quantity to Quality Function
to Condition

• Healthier looking wetland

• Obviously degraded wetland

but how to be sure of ecological condition?
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Super-function

• The link between function and condition lies in
  the assumption that ecological integrity is an
  integrating super-function of wetlands. If
  condition is excellent (I.e. equal to reference
  condition), then the functions of that wetland
  type will also occur at reference levels.
  (Fennesy, et al., 2004)

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The 3-Tiered Approach

• Level 1 Landscape Assessment
• Evaluate indicators for a landscape view of a
  watershed (and the entire state) and wetland
  condition.
• Level 2 Rapid Wetland Assessment
• Evaluate the general condition of individual
  wetlands using relatively simple indicators.
  These assessments are based on identification of
  stressors (i.e. road crossings, tile drainage,
  ditching).
• Level 3 Intensive Site Assessment
• Designed to provide quantitative data on wetland
  condition within an assessment area, used to
  refine rapid wetland assessment methods and
  diagnose the causes of wetland degradation.

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The 3-Tiered Approach
lower resolution ability to assess more
wetlands, landscape overview
Level 2 Rapid Wetland Assessment
Level 1 Landscape Assessment
Level 3 Intensive Site Assessment

higher resolution more detailed, accurate
information also increased cost, effort results
from level 3 validate level 2. levels 2 3
validate level 1
?
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Level 1 Landscape Assessment

• Uses GIS existing data
• Preliminary view of condition
• Landscape view of watershed
• Indicators include
• land use/cover
• population density
• buffer widths
• others

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Level 2 Rapid Assessment

• Field-based, qualitative or semi-quantitative
• Check-lists and relatively simple data collection
  approaches
• ID Stressors to wetland
• Similar to functional assessment methods, but
  adds ecological condition
• Validate Level 1 Assessment
• Examples include
• ORAM, CRAM, WI RAM, others

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Level 3 Site Assessment

• Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) a synthesis
  of diverse biological information which
  numerically depicts associations between human
  influence and biological attributes.
• An indicator may reflect biological, chemical,
  and/or physical attributes of ecological
  condition.

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Level 3 Site Assessment

• Index of Biological Integrity (IBI)
• Development of an IBI involves several stages
• Select one or more assemblage to monitor
• ex. vegetation, macroinvertebrates, amphibians,
  birds, algae
• Classify wetlands
• Select wetlands across a gradient of human
  disturbance

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Level 3 Site Assessment

• Index of Biological Integrity (IBI)
• Development of an IBI involves several stages
• Sample assemblage(s) of choice along with
  chemical and physical characteristics of wetlands
• Analyze data (can involve complex statistics)
• Report results in form that is easy to understand
  and use

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Level 3 Site Assessment

• http//www.cbr.washington.edu/salmonweb/bibi/biomo
  nitor.html

Predictable response to human disturbance gradient
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Predictable Response to Human Disturbance Gradient
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Multi-Level Approach

• Each of the 3 levels is informative!

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States with Example Wetland Biomonitoring
Programs

• DE
• MD
• FL
• NH (coastal)
• RI (coastal)
• OTHERS!

• WI
• WA
• OR
• VT
• AR
• MA

• NJ
• NY
• KS
• GA
• ND
• MI

• OH
• MT
• ME
• PA
• CA
• MN

(primarily coastal)
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RI Approach

• Other states have focused on Pilot Projects
• RI decided to start with a Plan first
• Hired Deb under the EPA 104b(3) grant program,
  which supports wetlands program development, to
  work with Carol and others on this Plan.

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RI Plan for Wetlands Biomonitoring

• Learn what other states are doing great examples
  out there!
• Learn what we already know about freshwater
  wetlands in RI could possibly build on existing
  information
• Determine RI-specific objectives for freshwater
  wetland monitoring ensure that data are useful
  to regulatory and non-regulatory folks DEM,
  others outside DEM

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Questions for DEM Staff to Ponder

• What do you think the data needs are for
  freshwater wetland monitoring in RI?
• What information about wetland ecological
  condition might help you do your job and help all
  of us improve wetland protection and management

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RI Wetland Monitoring Data Needs/Management
Applications

• baseline monitoring for long-term trends and
  decision-making along human disturbance
  gradient, including reference wetlands
• diagnose type degree of human stress impairing
  a wetland
• loss of protective buffers
• water withdrawals
• sedimentation from highways
• recreation
• GW withdrawal and loss of recharge
• stormwater runoff
• assess cumulative impacts to wetlands

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RI Wetland Monitoring Data Needs/Management
Applications

• prioritize wetlands for open space protection
• assess impacts of land use changes on wetlands,
  esp. residential
• monitor compliance for mitigation wetlands
• eventual development support of water quality
  standards for wetlands
• provide guidance on what permitted projects
  should monitor in wetlands (most helpful info.)