AIM national aquatic monitoring framework : field protocol for wadeable lotic systems

2021·3.9 MB·English

AIM National Aquatic Monitoring Framework:
Field Protocol for Wadeable Lotic Systems
Technical Reference 1735-2, Version 2
February 2021
Production services were provided by the BLM National Operations Center’s
Information and Publishing Services Section in Denver, Colorado.
Suggested citation:
Bureau of Land Management. 2021. AIM National Aquatic Monitoring
Framework: Field Protocol for Wadeable Lotic Systems. Tech Ref 1735-2,
Version 2. U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management,
National Operations Center, Denver, CO.
BLM/OC/ST-17/002+1735+REV21
AIM NATIONAL AQUATIC MONITORING FRAMEWORK • Technical Reference 1735-2
AIM National Aquatic Monitoring Framework: F
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Field Protocol for Wadeable Lotic Systems P
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Technical Reference 1735-2, Version 2 OL
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February 2021 A
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Compiled by: L
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Scott W. Miller – BLM Lotic AIM Lead, National Operations Center, IC
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Denver, Colorado; and Co-Director, BLM/Utah State University (USU) S
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National Aquatic Monitoring Center, Logan, Utah M
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Colin Brady – BLM Fisheries Biologist, Alaska State Office, Anchorage, Alaska F
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Nicole Cappuccio – BLM Aquatic Analyst, National Operations Center, RU
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Denver, Colorado R
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Jennifer Courtwright – USU Aquatic Ecologist, BLM/Utah State University 2
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National Aquatic Monitoring Center, Logan, Utah
Technical guidance provided by:
Bryce Bohn – BLM Aquatic Habitat Management Program Lead, Idaho State
Office, Boise, Idaho (now retired)
Dan Dammann – BLM Hydrologist, Swiftwater Field Office, Roseburg, Oregon
Melissa Dickard – BLM AIM Section Chief, National Operations Center,
Denver, Colorado
Mark Gonzalez – BLM Riparian/Wetland Ecologist and Soil Scientist, National
Riparian Service Team, National Operations Center, Denver, Colorado
Justin Jimenez – BLM Riparian and Fisheries Lead for the Aquatic Habitat
Management Program, Utah State Office, Salt Lake City, Utah
Ed Rumbold – BLM Water Lead for the Aquatic Habitat Management Program,
Colorado State Office, Lakewood, Colorado
Steve Smith – BLM Riparian Ecologist, National Riparian Service Team Leader,
National Operations Center, Denver, Colorado
Gordon Toevs – BLM Division Chief for Resource Services, National Operations
Center, Denver, Colorado
Matthew Varner – BLM Riparian and Fisheries Lead for the Aquatic Habitat
Management Program, Alaska State Office, Anchorage, Alaska
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AIM NATIONAL AQUATIC MONITORING FRAMEWORK • Technical Reference 1735-2
1 Acknowledgments
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UA The compilation and completion of this protocol would not have been possible
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– partners—in particular, the U.S. Forest Service’s PACFISH/INFISH Biological
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ST Environmental Protection Agency’s National Aquatic Resource Surveys. The
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AIM NATIONAL AQUATIC MONITORING FRAMEWORK • Technical Reference 1735-2
Table of Contents F
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1. Introduction ............................................................1 O
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1.1 Reach Selection and Method Precision ..............................5 C
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1.2 Timing of Field Data Collection......................................7 L F
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2. How to Use This Protocol ................................................8 W
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2.1 Protocol Overview..................................................8 DE
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2.2 Critical Concepts ...................................................9 B
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2.2.1 Identifying Bankfull............................................9 L
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2.2.2 Identifying Benches ..........................................11 IC
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2.2.3 Identifying Scour Line ........................................12 Y
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2.2.4 Identifying Thalweg ..........................................13 E
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2.2.5 Identifying Where Bed-Meets-Bank............................13 S –
2.3 Equipment ........................................................14 FE
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3. Office and Field Evaluation .............................................15 A
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3.1 Office Evaluation ..................................................15 Y 2
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3.2 Field Evaluation ...................................................16 2
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3.2.1 Locating Targeted, Probabilistic, and Revisit Point Coordinates .17
3.2.2 Field Evaluation Status .......................................20
3.2.3 Documentation of Reaches that were Not Sampled............24
4. Reach Setup and Monumenting ........................................25
4.1 Setting Up the Reach ..............................................25
4.2 Monumenting or Relocating Sample Reaches ......................26
4.2.1 Methods for Monumenting New Reaches .....................27
4.2.2 Methods for Relocating Established Monuments ..............28
5. Water Quality ..........................................................31
5.1 pH, Specific Conductance, and Temperature (core)..................31
5.2 Total Nitrogen and Phosphorus (contingent) .......................32
5.3 Turbidity (contingent) .............................................33
5.4 Continuous Temperature Monitoring (contingent)..................35
6. Benthic Macroinvertebrates (core) ......................................37
6.1 Targeted-Riffle.....................................................37
6.2 Reachwide ........................................................38
6.3 General Methods..................................................39
6.4 Sample Preservation...............................................41
7. Physical Habitat and Canopy Cover .....................................42
7.1 Channel Widths ...................................................42
7.1.1 Wetted Width.................................................42
7.1.2 Bankfull Width................................................43
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AIM NATIONAL AQUATIC MONITORING FRAMEWORK • Technical Reference 1735-2
1 7.2 Floodplain Connectivity ...........................................43
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7.11.2 Determining which Angle(s) to Measure .....................85
7.12 Thalweg Depth Profile (contingent) ...............................86
8. Riparian Vegetation ....................................................88
8.1 Priority Noxious (core) and Priority Native Woody Riparian
(contingent) Vegetation............................................88
8.2 Greenline Vegetation Composition (contingent)....................90
9. Human Influence (covariate)............................................91
10. Photos (covariate).....................................................93
10.1 General Photo Methods ..........................................94
10.2 Reach Overview Photo Methods..................................95
10.3 Monument Photo Methods.......................................95
10.4 Critical Concept Photo Methods ..................................96
10.5 Bank Stability and Cover Photo Methods..........................97
10.6 Flood-Prone Width Photo Methods ...............................98
11. Gear Decontamination................................................99
11.1 Safety Precautions...............................................100
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Appendix A: Protocol Compatibility ......................................101 F
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Appendix B: Glossary ....................................................105 P
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Appendix C: Special Situations...........................................109 TO
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C1. Interrupted Flow .................................................109 OL
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C2. Side Channels....................................................111 O
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C3. Beaver-Impacted Reaches ........................................113 W
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C4. Braided Systems..................................................115 E
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C5. Partial Data Collection............................................116 BL
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Appendix D: Bankfull, Bench, and Scour Line Photos......................119 OT
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Appendix E: Gear List ....................................................124 Y
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Appendix F: Suggested Workflow ........................................128 M
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Appendix G: Guidance for Integrating MIM Greenline Vegetation FE
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Composition and Other Greenline-Based Measurements with the RU
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Appendix H: Implementation of the AIM Lotic Protocol in Alaska..........135 2
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H1. Determining Reach Status........................................135
H2. Streambed Particle Sizes..........................................135
H3. Bank Stability and Cover..........................................136
H4. Riparian Vegetation Cover and Complexity and Priority
Noxious Vegetation ..............................................136
References ..............................................................139
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AIM NATIONAL AQUATIC MONITORING FRAMEWORK • Technical Reference 1735-2
1. Introduction F
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The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) developed the National Aquatic O
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Monitoring Framework (NAMF) (Miller et al. 2015) to monitor the condition C
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and trend of aquatic systems as part of the Assessment, Inventory, and L F
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Monitoring (AIM) Strategy (Toevs et al. 2011). Following the AIM principles, R
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the NAMF standardized field sampling methodologies, electronic data A
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capture, and the use of appropriate sample designs for wadeable streams A
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and rivers (i.e., lotic systems). The protocol in this technical reference outlines LE
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standardized core and contingent field methodologies for wadeable lotic O
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systems, as well as suggested covariates. S
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Following 3 years of implementation of the protocol in this technical reference, M
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application of data and management decisions, and studies on the repeatability – F
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of the field methods, Version 2 of the protocol reflects the following updates: B
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• Omits U.S. Environmental Protection Agency methods for the ocular R
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estimate of instream habitat complexity and riparian vegetative type, 20
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cover, and structure for streams in the continental U.S. because of high 1
field measurement variability among crews and low discriminatory efficiency
among BLM streams.
• Changes the riparian vegetation core method to focus only on estimates
of the frequency of occurrence of priority noxious vegetation based on
standardized state species lists.
• Adds a contingent method for assessments of the frequency of occurrence
of priority native woody riparian vegetation based on standardized state
species lists.
• Updates the bank cover method to ensure foliar and not basal cover is
estimated to maintain compatibility with existing protocols.
• Adds pool tail fines as a contingent method.
• Adds guidance for the monumenting of stream reaches.
• Adds Appendix G for integrating multiple indicator monitoring (MIM)
procedures with the AIM lotic protocol.
• Adds Appendix H for implementing the AIM lotic protocol in Alaska.
• Clarifies protocol verbiage to ensure accurate implementation and
repeatable measurements among data collectors.
Building on the work of the BLM AIM Aquatic Core Indicator Work Group
(ACIWG) and guidance from an external science advisory team, the protocol
contains 11 core methods, 8 contingent methods, and several covariates
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AIM NATIONAL AQUATIC MONITORING FRAMEWORK • Technical Reference 1735-2
1 applicable to lotic systems (Table 1). The 11 core methods represent a
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S AIM lotic core methods are standardized procedures for collecting data that
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