3.1 Physical Characteristics

The ponds were found to be full of water and teeming with life early in the summer season. However, later in this wet year all except two ponds were dry. The following describes the several field days

The first attempt to visit the ponds was not successful. Beginning on the Pacific Crest Trail, the author and his son, Garrett, walked west and were lead over a series of hilltops and valleys. The ponds were actually farther south and west than the map suggested. This first trip on July 5th did not produce any samples or observations of the ponds directly.

The second trip to the ponds was on July 14. Scott Swarts of the Crater Lake stream survey team accompanied the author to Whitehorse Bluff. On this field trip we climbed the bluff on the north side and arrived at Pond #7 first. Few observations were taken there in hopes of finding larger ponds. Pond #6 was encountered next and its temperature at 1700 hours was 130 C (Table 1). Pond #8 was encountered next and was determined to be about 7 meters in diameter, grass covered the bottom, and it was 140 C. In addition there were mosquito larvae and water bugs in the water. It was a foot lower than full on this date.

Walking west we arrived at one of the largest ponds on this date, Pond #9. We called it Frog Pond as it is referred to in Bob Truitt's report. We collected two zooplankton samples. The first at 1800 hours on the north side of Pond 9A and the second tow at 1825 hours was collected on the south side of Pond 9A. The tows were made by holding the 12 cm diameter net at surface level as the other walked a semicircle with the cord to a spot on the other side of the pond. The net was pulled through undisturbed water about 50 cm deep and 10 cm off the bottom. Any shrimp collected were trapped in the vertical portion of the tow which occurred at the end of the horizontal tow.

Frog tadpoles were noticed and were about one inch in length. Also noticed was a campfire ring on the southeast side of Pond #9A.

Turning south we encountered Ponds #10 and #11. Pond #11 was 160 C and was down from full by about 30 cm. Pond #12 was found by walking further south and was covered with a grass bottom.

The final pond group observed on July 14th was east of Ponds #10, 11, and 12. There is no number for this group but we identified it by a tree striped of its bark by a bear. We called it Bear Tree Pond. A single small pond was found north of a larger pond complex. Moss covered the southern side of the smaller pond. Salamander egg masses covered the north side of the larger pond. An adult frog was photographed in the larger pond. Two zooplankton tows were made at 1900 and 1920 hours in the larger pond.

This was a very special research trip. Several students from Rogue Community College accompanied the author. The day was spent observing the ponds and collecting samples for later study. Some of these student reports are included in Appendix II.

The plan was to allow a student to study a single pond. In this way several ponds would be studied in detail. An in situ probe was used to measure pH, temperature, and conductivity. Water samples were taken and analyzed for dissolved oxygen and phytoplankton (Table 1). The temperatures of the ponds ranged from 23.7 to 16.60 C, the conductivity from 7.6 to 16.6 uMho/cm, the pH from 5.23 to 5.69 units, and the dissolved oxygen concentrations from 4.50 to 6.69 mg/L (Table 2). Ponds observed on this field day included #0, 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, and 11. Notes on special conditions follow.

Pond #0 SE is not shown on any map. However two students selected it for study. Surrounded by tall trees, it was well shaded. The bottom was covered with grass and had only about an inch of water in it. Several zooplankton were collected and drawn in the lab at Rogue Community College (RCC). No chemical sampling was completed here since it was so far away from the main group of ponds. It lies far to the south east on the bluff.

Ponds #1 and 2 were not observed. Pond #3 was a tea brown color. This pond had the coolest water and the temperature changed little in the sun or in the shade. The conductivity of this water was less than 10 uMho/cm.

Pond #4 was observed and had several parameters recorded for it (Table 1). Pond #5 was not observed. Pond #6 had dried into two basins by this date. The north and south basin were not similar in many respects. Pond #6 north was a reddish color and had many pollywogs with shrimp and animal tracks around it. Pond #6 south was clear and had numerous elk and deer tracks along the shore as well as the tracks of grouse and quail. There were shrimp in this south pond but no pollywogs. These two basins were very different from each other on this date.

Ponds #7 and 8 were not observed on this date. Pond #9 was sampled and another pond to the east of the main pond was discovered. We called the unmapped pond, #13 or Pond #9 east. Pond #9 was a root beer color. It had elk tracks as well as pollywogs and frogs in evidence. There were logs in the pond and it was half shaded by 50 foot tall hemlock trees.

Pond #10 was the warmest pond observed and had a temperature of 23.70 C. It also had the highest conductivity of 16.6 uMho/cm. This pond was clearer than most ponds and was observed to contain shrimp. It was about one third of its filled size.

Pond #11a also had shrimp. It was quite warm with a temperature of 22.80 C. Pond #12 was not observed on this date.

The author was accompanied by Mr. David Hartesveldt and Mr. Larry Beard and family on this field trip. The Beards and the author worked together to sample the ponds for chemical and biological specimen as well as physical and chemical parameters. Mr. Hartesveldt crisscrossed the Bluff several times observing the flora in and around the ponds.

The tour began at Pond #7C. Pollywogs were noted in great numbers. They had bodies about one centimeter in diameter and tails of about 2.5 cm. They also had external gills. A zooplankton tow was completed on the pond's surface. The pH was measured at 5.98 at 15.10 C at 1150 hours. The depth of the pond was 35 cm. Several egg clusters were seen on the shore with 50 or more 0.5 mm eggs per cluster.

Pond #7A had about 80 cm of water in it with a pH of 6.20 at a temperature of 13.20 C. There were two types of pollywogs in this pond, the first type had external gills and the other had no external gills. This second pollywog was round with a white belly and iridescent. A pond sample was taken from this pond for chemical nutrient analyses at CCAL (Table 3).

Pond #6 was observed. It was turbid and about 12 cm deep. There were few pollywogs in this pond. It appeared to be drying fast.

Pond #4 was grass covered and had one centimeter long dark toads all around it. These toads numbered about 30/m2. What water there was looked turbid. The bank was covered with elk tracks in the wet mud.

Pond #3 was 18.30 C and had a pH of 5.56. There were water striders and dragon flies at this pond. A chemistry nutrient sample was taken for CCAL. The pond was 95% exposed to direct sunlight. Grass was found high out of the water, under the water, and rooted at the bottom of the pond but floating on the surface. There were young salamanders with all four legs and about 8 cm long. An 8 to 10 cm frog was found. It had blue ear areas. This pond measured 60 cm deep and the bottom was covered with rocks and branches.

Pond #2 was 70% shaded and had a temperature of 17.40 C and a pH of 5.55. The pond was tea colored. Salamander pollywogs with external gills were observed.

Ponds #MA and B were discovered to be dry and covered with moss. This made a very soft bed on which to lie.

Pond #9 was sampled for chemistry nutrient analyses for CCAL. It had salamander pollywogs which were 5 cm long. There were other salamander pollywogs evident with external gills. The temperature was 22.30 C and the pH was 5.59.

Pond #9 East or Pond #13 had shrimp and was very dark in color. The temperature was 22.0° C and the pH was 5.55.

September 10, 1993, Fifth Trip

We expected that at some time the ponds would be dry. On this field day all ponds were quickly visited and found to be dry except Pond #7A and D, and Pond #1. The ponds were visited between 1540 and 1810 hours. The temperature of Pond #7a was 23.50 C, pH was 5.92, and the dissolved oxygen concentration was 7.29 mg/L. A chemistry nutrient sample was taken for CCAL. A zooplankton tow was completed at Pond #7D. Although there was no water, there was an elk wallo in Pond #12.

3.2 Plankton

3.2.1 Phytoplankton

Three phytoplankton samples were obtained from three different ponds (Table 4). Pond WH9 was sampled on August 9, 1993, as was pond WH11A. Nine alga taxa were identified in both ponds. Pond WH7A was sampled on September 10, 1993, and only 4 taxa were identified. The species number and their corresponding division, individual species biovolume and species name are arranged in Table 5.

Ponds WH9 and WH11A, both collected on the same date, show many similarities quite different from pond WH7A (Table 4). Nine taxa were identified in WH9 and WHl lA, both had similar total cell densities (5289.54 and 4768.45 cells/L, respectively) and biovolumes (224928.79 and 348983.87 gm3/L). Pond WH7A, with 4 taxa, had a total cell density of 155900.31 cells/L and total biovolume of 14288870.0 [tm 3/L.

The dominant taxa varied for each pond (Table 4). Pond WH9 was dominated by Diogenes sp. and Synechocystis sp., both cyanobacteria with combined cell density of 79.1% and the cryptophyta were 10.9%. In cell biovolume the cryptophta were dominate (65.4%) and the cyanobacteria were greatly reduced (15.4%). Pond WH1 lA was dominated by a statospore (or cysts) and Chromulina sp., both chrysophytes and had a combined cell density of 82.0% and euglenaophyta had 0.5%. The cell biovolume was 12.7% and 56.0% for chrysophta and euglenaphyta, respectively. Pond WH7A had only one taxa dominate (both in cell density and biovolume), Chlorella sp., in the division chlorophyta (Table 4).

On a divisional level, all ponds had a fairly even distribution (Table 6). Pond WHi 1A had two taxa each of Chlorophyta, Chrysophyta, Cryptophyta, and Cyanobacteria; and one taxon of Euglenophyta. Pond WH7A had one taxon in Chlorophyta, Chrysophyta, Cryptophyta, and Cyanobacteria. Pond WH9 was slightly different with three Chrysophyta, two Chlorophyta and cyanobacteria, one Bacillariophyta and one Cryptophyta.

3.2.2 Zooplankton

The zooplankton exhibited more diversity than did the phytoplankton, probably as a result of the greater number of samples and the larger period of time over which the zooplankton samples were obtained.

There were eleven zooplankton samples taken over a period from July 14 - Sept. 10, 1993 (Table 8). From those samples, 18 different organisms were identified; 8 rotifers, 3 cladorcerans, 2 calanoid copepods, 2 cyclopoid copepods, 1 nauplii (combined both calanoid and cyclopoid), 1 fairy shrimp, and 1 seed shrimp (Table 7). The number of species identified within each sample, ranged from a low of two in FROG 1 (7/14/93) to a high of 8 species in 4 ponds; BEARI (7/14/93, a surface tow), WH3 (8/21/93), WH7C (8/21/93), and WH7D (9/10/93) (Table 8). In comparing the proportional abundance, the dominate species was Diaphanosoma brachyurum Lieven (25.6%), a cladoceran, and the lowest was the seed shrimp and Hexarthra mira at 0.3% (Table 9). On a divisional basis, the cladocerans had the highest proportional abundance (39.8%) and the seed shrimp the lowest (0.3%).

The percent similarity, in which all species identified within a sample are used in comparing between all samples, showed that ponds FROG1 and WH11A had the greatest similarity at 92.4%, and the two BEAR samples at 80.2% (Table 10). Sample BEAR2 had no percent similarity (0.0%) with three other samples , FROG 1, WH11 A, and WH13. Nine other sample combinations had similarities over 50%. Of the total different possible similarity combinations (55), 31 were less than 25% similar.

Table 11 shows the compilation of zooplankton taxa into divisions. The sample BEARI, with eight taxa, had the greatest number of divisions, six. Two samples, FROG 1 and WH1 1A had only 2 divisions and 2 and 3 taxa, respectively.

3.3 Flora Survey Results

Other trees observed included lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta ssp. murrayana), western white pine (Pinus monticola) and subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa).

Transitional between the aquatic habitat of some ponds (e.g. Ponds Four and Seven) and the more xeric upland habitat of the greater portion of the bluff top were the mesic embankments. These embankments supported dense stands of grouse whortleberry (Vaccinium scoparium) and sparse stands of big whortleberry (Vaccinium membranaceum). Other species occasionally observed included western wintergreen (Gaultheria humifusa) and dwarf bramble (Rubus lasiococcus). Much of Pond Four has been filled from sedimentation such that little aquatic habitat remains. Narrow-spiked reedgrass, western wintergreen, alpine everlasting (Antennaria media) and mountain spiraea (Spiraea densiflora) all contributed to the turf of the developing meadow.