Section 5: Network-Wide Scoping, Identification, and Prioritization of Vital Signs for Aquatic Resource Monitoring

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D. Network-Level Vital Signs Assessment

Priority Aquatic Resource Monitoring Questions

Two of the 10 most important network-wide vital signs monitoring questions identified at a Klamath Network meeting in Redding, California, April 27-28, 2005, were aquatic resource-focused. The top 10 monitoring questions (out of 172 monitoring questions and associated vital signs) were selected based on the total rating assigned to them by the individuals who participated in the Klamath Network vital signs/monitoring question rating process.

The two aquatic resources monitoring questions are:

1) What is the status and what are the trends of surface waters and pollutants, and

2) What is the status and what are the trends in structure, function and composition of locally limited (i.e., focal) aquatic communities?

The vital signs for each question are, respectively:

1) Water quality characteristics of surface and subterranean freshwater resources, and marine resources; and

2) Aquatic biota and communities.

Aquatic Resource Vital Signs Categories

Five general vital signs categories (Table 21) were identified from the park unit Vital Signs Tables (Tables 14-20, pages 61-73) as potentially affecting Klamath Network park unit freshwater resources: (1) atmospheric deposition of nutrients (e.g., nitrogen and phosphorus) and pollutants (e.g., mercury, persistent organics flame retardants, water repellent coatings, etc.); (2) presence and extent of native/introduced (invasive) aquatic biota (e.g., bullfrogs, exotic fish, invertebrates, algae, etc.); (3) climate change (e.g., changes in air and water temperature regimes and the timing and longevity of precipitation events and snow pack, etc.); (4) visitor use impacts - recreational; and (5) land and non-recreational human use impacts. Visitor use impacts - recreational was divided into four types of impact subcategories ranging from general impacts in the more developed and maintained areas in park units to backcountry impacts caused by activities such as hiking, backpacking, and camping. The land and non-recreational human use impacts category was divided into 15 types of impacts subcategories representing activities that include road construction and maintenance, treatment and deposition of human waste, dam operation and maintenance, agriculture, and past and present resource extraction operations (e.g., mining, timber harvest, geothermal exploration). A relatively high number of vital signs categories and subcategories (Table 22) were associated with lentic (12 of 22; 55%), lotic (15 of 22; 68%), and unique water resources (10 of 22; (45%). Lotic systems were also identified as especially associated with land and nonrecreational human use impact subcategories (i.e., 10 of 15 compared to 6 of 15 for lentic and unique water resources; Table 22). The vital sign categories and subcategories associated with cave water resources (e.g., ice, streams and springs) were climate change, visitor use, manipulation of the cave environment, park unit operations and nearby agricultural activities, and activities associated with fire suppression. Geothermal/hydrothermal resources were identified as being generally affected by visitor use and geothermal exploration near, yet beyond park unit boundaries.

The three Redwoods marine resource-types were identified as being variously associated with three of the five general vital signs categories: (1) climate change; (2) presence and extent of native/introduced (invasive) aquatic biota; and (3) land and non-recreational human use impacts (Table 23). The land and non-recreational human use impacts category was divided into nine types of impact subcategories. Climate change was identified as only associated with the intertidal/coastal offshore resource-type, whereas the presence and extent of native/introduced (invasive) aquatic biota was an important vital sign for lagoons and estuaries. Each resource-type was identified as being susceptible to two or more types of land and non-recreational human use impacts.

Table 21: General Vital Signs Categories and Subcategories and Their Applicability in Each Klamath Network Park Unit

Table 22: General Vital Signs Categories and Cubcategories and Their Applicability to Each Freshwater Resource-Type in Klamath Network Park Units [P=Permanent; Geo/Hydro = Geothermal/Hydrothermal; UNQRES = Unique Resource including Intermittent Ephemeral Ponds and Seasonal Ice Caves (LABE), Mineral Springs Complex (WHIS), and Sphagnum Bog Research Natural Area (CRLA)]

Table 23: General Vital Signs Categories and Subcategories and Their Applicability to Three General Types of Marine Resources at Redwood National and State Parks, Klamath Network

Vital Signs Prioritization

Vital signs were prioritized for each park unit by staff at each park unit relative to the perceived importance of including each vital sign category as part of an aquatic resources monitoring program. The prioritization of vital signs varied among the units (Table 24):

1. Crater Lake identified each of the five general vital signs as important for monitoring the park’s lentic and lotic resources;

2. Lassen did not identify any of the land and non-recreational human use impact subcategories as potentially affecting the park’s water resources;

3. Climate change was identified as the top priority vital sign at Lava Beds, followed by four types of land and non-recreational human use impacts (i.e., park unit operations, timber harvest/operations, agriculture, and geothermal exploration);

4. Land and non-recreational human use impacts (esp., associated with human waste disposal and timber harvest), climate change, and visitor use impacts – recreational (i.e., general impacts) were identified as priority vital signs for Oregon Caves;

5. Redwoods did not identify atmospheric deposition of nutrients and pollutants as a priority vital sign for the park’s freshwater and marine resources;

6. The only vital sign identified as important for Whiskeytown aquatic resources was land and non-recreational human use impacts and included three priority subcategories (i.e., past mining operations, dam operation and water-level flux, and impacts due to fire and fire suppression).

Table 24: Priority Ratings for Each of Five General Aquatic Resource Vital Sign Categories and Subcategories. Ratings for each Klamath Network Park Unit are From 1-4 with 1 Being the Highest Priority. The Two CRLA Ratings are Lentic/Lotic; The Two RNSP Ratings are Freshwater/Marine; The Two WHIS Ratings are DAM Operations/Water-Level Flux.

An index was created to determine the perceived importance of each general vital sign category at the network-level. The index was calculated for each vital sign by adding the priority rating (i.e., 1–4, with 1 being the highest priority) assigned to the vital sign by each park unit (Table 24). If a park unit did not assign a rating to a vital sign then a rating of 5 was assigned to that vital sign for that unit. If a park unit assigned two or more ratings to a vital sign (e.g., CRLA atmospheric deposition = 3/2; LABE land and non-recreational human use impacts = 4/2a/3/2b; Table 24) then the ratings for that vital sign were averaged. The average index for all park units for each general vital sign was calculated as:

1. [CRLA + LAVO + LABE + ORCA + RNSP + WHIS]/6 park units.

For example:

1. atmospheric deposition = [(3+2/2)+2+5+5+5+5]/6 = 4.1,

2. land use = [3+5+(4+2+3+2/4)+(1+2/2)+(1+4+1+2+2/5)+(1+2+2+3/4)]/6 = 2.7. Two basic groups of vital signs were identified based on the calculation of the average index for each of the five general vital signs: (1) climate change and land and nonrecreational human use impacts scored 2.7; and (2) presence and extent of native/introduced (invasive) aquatic biota, visitor use impacts - recreational, and atmospheric deposition scored between 3.8 and 4.1.

Monitoring Questions, Potential Indicators of Resource Stress, and Associated

Monitoring Options

A monitoring question was developed for each of the five general aquatic resource vital signs categories. Each question was general in scope so as to be applicable to each park unit. Next, a list of potential stress indicators (i.e., characteristics that can be measured and are useful indicators of change and/or perturbation) for each vital sign category was created by compiling and synthesizing indicators from each park-specific Vital Signs Table (Tables 14-20). Indicators were chosen that could be used to answer each monitoring question. Finally, a list of potential monitoring options consisting of a parameter or set of parameters to be sampled and useful for quantifying resource change and/or perturbation was also created by compiling and synthesizing responses from the park-specific Vital Signs Tables. This process created a relatively detailed outline of potential stress indicators and monitoring options. Indicators and monitoring options can be revised and refined as necessary during the development of the Klamath Network water quality monitoring program.

1. Basic information that would be helpful to have for each resource-type prior to implementation of a monitoring program:

A. Complete inventory (or as complete as possible) of sites in each park unit.

B. Status and trends:

1) Analyze data to elucidate the present physical, chemical and biological characteristics of (at least) a subset of sites; and

2) Determine the present variability among sites.

C. Identify sites potentially not affected by impacts due to recreational visitor use, park unit operations, or nearby past and present land use activities. These sites will be potentially useful for determining, at least in a relative sense, the characteristics and variation among ‘pristine’ sites to which impacted sites can be compared.

2. Climate change (e.g., temperature and precipitation regimes):

A. Monitoring question: What impacts do global and local changes in climate have on Klamath Network park unit aquatic resources (especially regarding such parameters as the timing and extent of precipitation, water and air temperature ranges, air currents, relative humidity, evaporation rates, ozone-levels, and UVB radiation flux and attenuation); and how do these impacts affect resource condition, quality, and ecosystem dynamics?

B. Indicators of stress:

1) Change in climate-related parameters such as (a) water and air temperature, (b) relative humidity, (c) timing and amount of precipitation (rain and snow), (d) water-level, (e) flow and discharge rates, (f) ozone levels, (g) UVB radiation flux and attenuation, and ocean processes (e.g., upwelling, wave action, nearshore currents);

2) Change in the timing, longevity and physical characteristics of intermittent ephemeral ponds (primarily at LABE).

C. Monitoring Options:

1) Measure water and air temperature, relative humidity, precipitation, water level, flow and discharge rates, ozone levels, and UVB radiation flux and attenuation;

2) Quantify trends of wave action, upwelling, and nearshore currents; and measure for change beyond normal statistical variation;

3) Quantify the timing, depth, and duration of snow pack; and the timing and extent of snow melt;

4) Identify and quantify ice sources and intermittent ephemeral ponds (LABE);

5) Determine extent of ice sources and measure ice-levels, evaporation rates, concentrations of total carbonates and calcite solubility (LABE and ORCA);

6) Quantify the timing, longevity and physical characteristics of intermittent ephemeral ponds (LABE).

3. Land and non-recreational human use impacts (subcategories to which indicators apply are in brackets; see Tables 21– 24 for list of subcategories):

A. Monitoring question: How do land use activities (past, present and within and outside of Klamath Network park units) affect park unit aquatic resources; and how do these activities impact resource condition, quality, and ecosystem dynamics?

B. Indicators of stress:

1) Change in sedimentation/siltation and turbidity [A, B, D, F, H, I];

2) Changes in the distributions and composition of aquatic biota [A, D, E, H, I, L];

3) Disturbance (e.g., trampling, rutting, erosion) of stream banks and channels, pond and lake shorelines and wetted areas [A, N, O];

4) Presence of and/or change in the concentrations of hydrocarbons and other motor vehicle derived contaminants [A, B, N];

5) Change in water temperature and dissolved oxygen level [B, F, I, L];

6) Change in channel morphology (e.g., bank and channel erosion), as well as flow and discharge rates [B, H, I, L];

7) Presence of and/or change in the concentrations of heavy metals and other contaminants (e.g., herbicides, pesticides, dioxin) [B, C, G, I, J];

8) Disruption of native anadromous salmonid passage [D];

9) Change in nutrients (e.g., nitrogen and phosphorus) and primary productivity [B, E, F, I];

10) Presence of and/or change in bacterial indicators of fecal contamination, Giardia, and Cryptosporidium [E, O];

11) Change in the depth and quantity of groundwater [J];

12) Presence of and/or change in the abundance of light-adapted biota as well as contaminants such as hydrogen peroxide and sodium hypochlorite in caves [K];

13) Presence of and/or change in the amount of litter and garbage at or near resource sites [M].

C. Monitoring Options:

1) Collect sediment cores to determine historical and contemporary sedimentation rates; measure turbidity, bedload, flow and discharge rates, water-level [A, B, D, F, H, I];

2) Measure water temperature, dissolved oxygen level, and nutrient and chlorophyll-ą concentration [A, B, E, F, I, J, L];

3) Quantify the presence and composition of aquatic biota, and use rapid bioassessment methods to identify and quantify impact [A, B, D, E, H, I, L];

4) Quantify the presence and concentrations of heavy metals and other contaminants (e.g., herbicides, pesticides, dioxin, hydrogen peroxide, sodium hypochlorite) in water and /or tissue samples [C, G, I, J, K];

5) Analyze water samples for hydrocarbons and other motor vehicle derived contaminants [A, B, N];

6) Quantify the presence and concentrations of bacterial indicators of fecal contamination, Giardia, and Cryptosporidium in water samples [E, O];

7) Quantify the abundances of light-adapted biota in caves [K];

8) Measure groundwater depth and quantity [J];

9) Map and photo-archive beach, shoreline, bank and channel profiles and monitor for disturbance (e.g., trampling, soil compaction, rutting, erosion, devegetation) [D, N, O];

10) Measure ice-levels and the quantity and availability of water in caves [L];

11) Measure the presence and amount of litter and garbage at or near resource sites [M].

4. Presence and extent of native/introduced (invasive) aquatic biota: A. Monitoring question: What impact do introduced/invasive non-native aquatic biota have on the distributions and survival of native aquatic biota, and on the biotic community and ecosystem dynamics of Klamath Network park unit aquatic resources?

B. Indicators of stress:

1) Change in the (a) distributions, (b) abundances, (c) percent area occupied (PAO), and (d) community organization and structure of native and nonnative introduced/invasive biota of concern

C. Monitoring Options:

1) Quantify trends of native and introduced (invasive) aquatic biota including: (a) distributions, (b) abundances, (c) PAO, (d) community organization and structure, and (e) rates of recruitment and mortality;

2) Quantify the condition and quality of the habitats occupied by native biota of concern.

5. Visitor use impacts - recreational including (a) tour-related impacts, (b) hiking, backpacking and camping, (c) stock (horse) and mountain bicycle use, (d) swimming, sun-bathing, and picnicking, (e) recreational fishing, and (f) motorized boats and boat-related activities:

A. Monitoring question: How do the recreational activities of visitors affect Klamath Network park unit aquatic resources, and how do these activities impact resource condition, quality, and ecosystem dynamics?

B. Indicators of stress:

1) Change in shoreline/bank erosion and concomitant change in nearshore sedimentation rates and siltation;

2) Change in shoreline/ bank soil compaction, trampling, and de-vegetation;

3) Change in the distributions and composition of aquatic macroinvertebrates;

4) Presence of and/or change in the concentrations of bacterial indicators of fecal contamination;

5) Presence of and/or change in the amounts of litter and inorganic/organic contaminants.

C. Monitoring Options:

1) Quantify shoreline/bank condition and measure, map, and photo-archive indicators of erosion and impact (e.g., (a) sedimentation/ siltation; (b) soil compaction; (c) de-vegetation);

2) Collect sediment cores to document historical and contemporary sedimentation rates;

3) Measure water clarity and turbidity;

4) Quantify macroinvertebrate species presence and composition in all aquatic habitats;

5) Measure chlorophyll-ą concentration in phytoplankton and periphyton samples (as a proxy for primary productivity);

6) Determine in water samples the presence and concentrations of bacterial indicators of fecal contamination;

7) Quantify the presence and amount of litter, as well as inorganic/organic contaminants in caves, and monitor for change.

6. Atmospheric deposition of nutrients (e.g., nitrogen and phosphorus) and pollutants (e.g., mercury, persistent organics, flame retardants, water-repellent coatings, etc.):

A. Monitoring question: How does the atmospheric deposition of nutrients and other contaminants affect the water quality and ecosystem dynamics of Klamath Network park unit aquatic resources?

B. Indicators of stress:

1) Presence of and/or change in the concentrations of air-borne nutrients and pollutants;

2) Change in primary productivity;

3) Change in the presence and composition of aquatic macroinvertebrates, especially species negatively affected by air-borne pollutants.

C. Monitoring Options:

1) Wet/dry chemistry: (a) rain and snow precipitation samples; (b) snow core samples;

2) Analyze water samples for nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations;

3) Analyze tissue samples (highest trophic-level possible) for the presence and concentrations of pollutants of interest;

4) Determine the concentration of chlorophyll-ą in phytoplankton and periphyton samples (as a proxy for primary productivity);

5) Determine the presence and composition of aquatic macroinvertebrates, and use rapid bioassessment methods to identify and quantify impact.