Section 3: Past Inventory, Monitoring, and
Research Activities in the Klamath Network Park Units
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| Lassen Volcanic
National Park (LAVO) |
 |
| FIGURE 4: Aquatic
Resources and Watershed Boundaries of Lassen
Volcanic National park, California, NPS Klamath
Network |
General Summary of Past Activities:
Surveys of Lassen Volcanic National Park ponds/lakes, wetlands and streams have
focused primarily on documenting baseline ecological condition and developing
management and research alternatives for these resources. The status of aquatic
invertebrates, native amphibians and nonnative fish in Lassen lentic habitats
has also been documented. Hydrothermal/geothermal resources have been
continuously monitored since 1981, focusing on water quality characteristics,
potential impacts of these resources on visitors, and potential visitor impacts
on the resources.
Lassen Peak and Cinder Cone National Monuments
were established on March 6, 1907, and combined into Lassen Volcanic National
Park (Figure 4) on August 9, 1916. The park is located in the southern most part
of the Cascade Mountains in northeastern California, and is part of the Cascade
Physiographic Province. The park is 43,047 ha (106,372 ac) in size, and the
landscape is dominated by volcanic processes; Lassen Peak is the southernmost
volcano in the Cascade Range. The park contains up to 277 permanent and
ephemeral lentic water bodies. Portions of five drainage basins are located
within the park, and four of the drainage basins (about 99% of the park) drain
into the Sacramento River. Many lakes have been historically stocked with
nonnative trout for recreational fishing and now contain self-propagating
populations. Mill Creek, which has no dams blocking anadromous fish passage, is
one of very few stream courses remaining in the Sacramento River drainage with
biological integrity preserved.
There are several aquatic vertebrate and
invertebrate taxa within Lassen that are on the federal and/or state lists as
protected species. Kings Creek caddisfly (Parapsyche extensa) is a federal
species of concern; the Modoc sucker (Catostomus micorps) is listed as
endangered on both lists; and the Cascades frog (Rana cascadae) is listed as a
federal and state species of concern.
Horizon Report
The retrieval of surface water quality data
from six of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) national water
resources databases included data generated by four agencies (i.e., National
Park Service [NPS], US Geological Survey [USGS], EPA, and California Water
Resources Control Board [CWRCB]; NPS-WRD 1999a). These data represent water
quality analyses for samples collected from 281 sampling stations, of which 218
(NPS = 190, USGS = 14, EPA = 7, CWRCB = 7) were within the boundaries of Lassen.
Park sampling stations (NPS-WRD 1999a, pages 51-54) were located at 29 lakes, 21
cold and hot streams, 60 hydrothermal sites, and 2 wetlands. Some sites had
multiple sampling stations. A total of 169 water quality parameters (NPS-WRD
1999a, pages 55-57) were examined, although not all parameters were represented
at all sampling locations. The period of time represented by these data from
Lassen sampling sites was 1960-1994. The Horizon Report is available at: (http://nrdata.nps.gov/LAVO/nrdata/water/baseline_wq/docs/LAVOWQAA.pdf).
Lakes, Streams, and Wetlands
The first known survey of lakes in Lassen was
documented in a report titled “1955 Lake Survey – Lassen Volcanic National Park”
(author unknown). Wallis (1959) conducted a fishery resources survey of 22 lakes
in 1958 with the purpose of developing a stocking plan for park lakes; the focus
was primarily on the distributions of fish species and past stocking activities.
Several lake surveys were conducted during the 1960’s and data from these
surveys have been summarized in the Baseline Water Quality Data Inventory and
Analysis report described previously (NPS-WRD 1999a). At least 11 lakes were
surveyed during this period of time. The objectives of these surveys were to
determine the general ecological conditions of the lakes and to develop
management and research alternatives for the park’s lentic resources. In 1976,
an extensive survey of Lassen lakes was completed (West 1976). A total of 162
lentic systems were surveyed, and of these 131 were sampled. Measurements and
assessments included: (1) water temperature; (2) color; (3) clarity; (4) site
depth (maximum and mean); (5) site bottom and shore type; (6) watershed
condition; (7) site surface area; (8) presence and location of inlets and
outlets; (9) fish presence; (10) presence of fish predators; and (11) relative
abundance of aquatic invertebrates and vegetation. Additional lake survey
activities included the physical and chemical analysis of seven Lassen lakes as
part of the EPA’s Western Lake Survey (Landers et al. 1987, Eilers et al. 1987);
inventories of aquatic invertebrates (DeMartini, 1994); and amphibian surveys of
378 lentic sites as part of the Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative
(Fellers et al. 2003). Stead et al. (2005), during the summer of 2004, also
investigated the status of native amphibians and nonnative fish in Lassen lentic
habitats (i.e., lakes, permanent and temporary ponds, wet meadows, and
marsh/bogs; n=365). A new baseline water quality inventory of Lassen aquatic
resources will begin in 2005, conducted by personnel of the USGS Western
Ecological Research Center in Arcata, California.
Stream (cold and hot) and wetland survey data
are available as part of the Baseline Water Quality Data Inventory and Analysis
Report (NPS-WRD 1999a). Three reports document stream survey activities from
1963-1979 (Everest 1964, McClelland 1973, Thompson 1983), and three agencies
(i.e., NPS, USGS, and CWRCB) have been responsible for collecting stream survey
data from 1979-present. Two wetlands (Corral Meadows and Grassy Swale) were
surveyed as part of the Lassen Park Summer 1979 Lake Surveys, and research has
been conducted on the Drakesbad fen from 2002-2004 (Patterson and Cooper, in
prep). Faculty members of the Department of Civil Engineering and Applied
Mechanics, San Jose State University, conducted a sanitary survey of five park
watersheds supplying water to campgrounds and park communities. The survey was
completed in 1996, and provided data concerning types and sources of potential
water source contamination to assist Lassen in complying with the USEPA Surface
Water Treatment Rule established in 1989 (Williamson et al. 1997).
Hydrothermal/Geothermal Resources
Geothermal/hydrothermal resources in Lassen are
situated primarily in the southwestern (e.g., Sulfur Works, Bumpass Hell, Little
Hot Springs Valley) and southern (e.g., Devil’s Kitchen, Drakesbad, Terminal
Geyser) parts of the park (Thompson 1983). Waring (1915) reported the results of
the first thermal water analyses of Lassen hot springs. Ten years later, Day and
Allen (1925) reported the results of the chemical analyses of water from 23
Lassen hot springs. Since these early analyses, at least five surveys of
hydrothermal resources have been conducted from 1963 to1981 (e.g., Lenn 1965 =
22 hot springs; Ghiorso 1980 = 34 hydrothermal sites; Thompson 1983 = 43
hydrothermal sites). Data from these surveys have been collected in the Baseline
Water Quality Data Inventory and Analysis (NPS-WRD 1999a). Since 1981, the
monitoring and chemical analyses of Lassen hydrothermal sites have been
performed primarily by the USGS. According to USGS Fact Sheet 101-02 (Clynne et
al. 2002), NPS personnel and USGS scientists monitor the physical and chemical
characteristics of surface hydrothermal activity in the park to: (1) better
understand the origin and evolution of the park’s hydrothermal resources; and
(2) protect park visitors from any potential hazards associated with visiting
these features.
Fisheries Studies
1) Management of fishing and fish stocking in
National Parks in California, 1975.
2) Management of high country lakes in the
National Parks of California, 1976.
3) Snag Lake Management Report, 1976.
4) Summary of 1976 lake survey data relating to
the status of trout fisheries in Lassen Volcanic National Park.
5) An analysis: Impacts of trout stocking upon
recreational fishing and aquatic resources in Lassen Volcanic, Sequoia and Kings
Canyon, and Yosemite National Parks, California, 1977.
6) Food Habits Analysis of Fish from Mountain
Lakes in Lassen Volcanic National Park, California, 1977.
7) Aquatic resources of Lassen volcanic,
Sequoia-Kings Canyon, and Yosemite National Parks, with special reference to
trout stocking and the recreational fishery, 1978.
8) Status of the Manzanita Lake trout fishery,
Lassen Volcanic National Park, 1998.
9) Surveys of the Sifford Lakes, Lassen
Volcanic National Park, 2000.
10) FY04 Joint inventory of fishes, native
amphibians, and invertebrates in all lakes and ponds of the park. Status of the
trophy rainbow trout fishery at Manzanita Lake
(Lassen Volcanic National Park) based on
reports from angler survey boxes in 1994.
Resource Management Water Quality
Concern
1) Deterioration of geothermal areas as a
result of visitor impacts
See Attachment I for LAVO water quality, fisheries and
lake monitoring, and research study references.
