Browsing by Author "Brown, Terry"

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    Environmental Indicators for the Coastal Region of the U.S. Great Lakes
    (University of Minnesota Duluth, 2006) Niemi, Gerald J; Axler, Richard P; Brady, Valerie; Brazner, John; Brown, Terry; Ciborowski, Jan H; Danz, Nicholas P; Hanowski, JoAnn M; Hollenhorst, Thomas; Howe, Robert; Johnson, Lucinda B; Johnston, Carol A; Reavie, Euan D; Simcik, Matthew; Swackhamer, Deborah L.
    The goal of this research collaboration was to develop indicators that both estimate environmental condition and suggest plausible causes of ecosystem degradation in the coastal region of the U.S. Great Lakes. The collaboration consisted of 8 broad components, each of which generated different types of environmental responses and characteristics of the coastal region. These indicators included biotic communities of amphibians, birds, diatoms, fish, macroinvertebrates, and wetland plants as well as indicators of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) photo-induced toxicity and landscape characterization. These components are summarized below and discussed in more detailed in 5 separate reports (Section II). Stress gradients within the U.S. Great Lakes coastal region were defined from 207 variables (e.g., agriculture, atmospheric deposition, land use/land cover, human populations, point source pollution, and shoreline modification) from 19 different data sources that were publicly available for the coastal region. Biotic communities along these gradients were sampled with a stratified, random design among representative ecosystems within the coastal zone. To achieve the sampling across this massive area, the coastal region was subdivided into 2 major ecological provinces and further subdivided into 762 segment sheds. Stress gradients were defined for the major categories of human-induced disturbance in the coastal region and an overall stress index was calculated which represented a combination of all the stress gradients. Investigators of this collaboration have had extensive interactions with the Great Lakes community. For instance, the Lake Erie Lakewide Area Management Plan (LAMP) has adopted many of the stressor measures as integral indicators of the condition of watersheds tributary to Lake Erie. Furthermore, the conceptual approach and applications for development of a generalized stressor gradient have been incorporated into a document defining the tiered aquatic life criteria for defining biological integrity of the nation’s waters. A total of 14 indicators of the U.S. Great Lakes coastal region are presented for potential application. Each indicator is summarized with respect to its use, methodology, spatial context, and diagnosis capability. In general, the results indicate that stress related to agricultural activity and human population density/development had the largest impacts on the biotic community indicators. In contrast, the photoinduced PAH indicator was primarily related to industrial activity in the U.S. Great Lakes, and over half of the sites sampled were potentially at risk of PAH toxicity to larval fish. One of the indicators developed for land use/land change was developed from Landsat imagery for the entire U.S. Great Lakes basin and for the period from 1992 to 2001. This indicator quantified the extensive conversions of both agricultural and forest land to residential area that has occurred during a short 9 year period. Considerable variation in the responses were manifest at different spatial scales and many at surprisingly large scales. Significant advances were made with respect to development of methods for identifying and testing environmental indicators. In addition, many indicators and concepts developed from this project are being incorporated into management plans and U.S. 8 EPA methods documents. Further details, downloadable documents, and updates on these indicators can be found at the GLEI website - http://glei.nrri.umn.edu.
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    Environmental Indicators for the US. Great Lakes Coastal Region
    (University of Minnesota Duluth, 2006) Niemi, Gerald J; Axler, Richard P; Brady, Valerie; Brazner, John; Brown, Terry; Ciborowski, Jan H; Danz, Nicholas P; Hanowski, JoAnn M; Hollenhorst, Thomas; Howe, Robert; Johnson, Lucinda B; Johnston, Carol A; Reavie, Euan D; Simcik, Matthew; Swackhamer, Deborah L.
    The goal of this research collaboration was to develop indicators that both estimate environmental condition and suggest plausible causes of ecosystem degradation in the coastal region of the U.S. Great Lakes. The collaboration consisted of 8 broad components, each of which generated different types of environmental responses and characteristics of the coastal region. These indicators included biotic communities of amphibians, birds, diatoms, fish, macroinvertebrates, and wetland plants as well as indicators of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (P AH) photo-induced toxicity and landscape characterization. These components are summarized below and discussed in more detailed in 5 separate reports (Section II). Stress gradients within the U.S. Great Lakes coastal region were defined from 207 variables (e.g., agriculture, atmospheric deposition, land use/land cover, human populations, point source pollution, and shoreline modification) from 19 different data sources that were publicly available for the coastal region. Biotic communities along these gradients were sampled with a stratified, random design among representative ecosystems within the coastal zone. To achieve the sampling across this massive area, the coastal region was subdivided into 2 major ecological provinces and further subdivided into 762 segment sheds. Stress gradients were defined for the major categories of human-induced disturbance in the coastal region and an overall stress index was calculated which represented a combination of all the stress gradients. Investigators of this collaboration have had extensive interactions with the Great Lakes community. For instance, the Lake Erie Lakewide Area Management Plan (LAMP) has adopted many of the stressor measures as integral indicators of the condition of watersheds tributary to Lake Erie. Furthermore, the conceptual approach and applications for development of a generalized stressor gradient have been incorporated into a document defining the tiered aquatic life criteria for defining biological integrity of the nation's waters. A total of 14 indicators of the U.S. Great Lakes coastal region are presented for potential application. Each indicator is summarized with respect to its use, methodology, spatial context, and diagnosis capability. In general, the results indicate that stress related to agricultural activity and human population density/development had the largest impacts on the biotic community indicators. In contrast, the photoinduced P AH indicator was primarily related to industrial activity in the U.S. Great Lakes, and over half of the sites sampled were potentially at risk of P AH toxicity to larval fish. One of the indicators developed for land use/land change was developed from Landsat imagery for the entire U.S. Great Lakes basin and for the period from 1992 to 2001. This indicator quantified the extensive conversions of both agricultural and forest land to residential area that has occurred during a short 9 year period. Considerable variation in the responses were manifest at different spatial scales and many at surprisingly large scales. Significant advances were made with respect to development of methods for identifying and testing environmental indicators. In addition, many indicators and concepts developed from this project are being incorporated into management plans and U.S. EPA methods documents.
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    Geospatial Modeling of Native Plant Communities of Minnesota’s Laurentian Mixed Forest
    (University of Minnesota Duluth, 2013) Brown, Terry; Meysembourg, Paul; Host, George E
    The MFRC Landscape Program recognizes several distinct regional landscapes, formed by integrating the natural physiographic and climatic regions of the state with social and economic objectives. These landscapes have served as focal points for regional planning efforts involving multiple groups of stakeholders. While the landscape regions have unique issues and potentials, they all have common data needs. Foremost among these is an assessment of landscape potential, which is required to formulate desired future conditions. To date, numerous efforts studies have been conducted to map landscape potential – these efforts typically integrate spatial data in a Geographic Information System (GIS) with forest compositional and structural information from remote sensing (e.g. Landsat; Wolter et al 1995, airphoto interpretations) or field inventories. White and Host (2000) created a landscape ecosystem map for the Northern Superior Uplands based on a spatial analysis of GIS data layers known to be important determinants or correlates of forest type distribution, including soils, elevation, landtype associations, climate, and numerous other factors. Subsequently, Host et al. (2006) mapped Native Plant Communities (NPCs) for the northern landscape, a landscape dominated by extensive peatland systems. In the late 1990’s, David Shadis, soil scientist and ECS coordinator for the Chippewa National Forest created a map of the Drift and Lake Plains (DLP) Section. This map however, was at a much coarser resolution than the previously mentioned mapping efforts. Moreover, since the initial DLP maps were developed, the MN DNR published the Field Guide to Native Plant Communities of the Laurentian Mixed Forest Province (MN DNR 2003). For both strategic and tactical planning purposes, there is a strong need to produce a map of the DLP and other unmapped forested lands of the state using MN DNR Native Plant Community classification and based on a common, consistent and cross-boundary set of geospatial data. The specific objectives of this proposal were to: 1) Integrate a suite of geospatial data layers to predict potential Native Plant Communities of the Drift and Lake Plains and Western and Southern Superior Uplands ecological sections, with a spatial resolution similar to the Minnesota-Ontario Peatlands and Northern Superior Uplands NPC maps map and based on the DNR classification of Native Plant Communities. 2) In support of the Landscape Committee planning efforts, summarize acreages of Native Plant Communities by Ownership (MFRC 2010); provide other reports in consultation with Committee members.
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    Identification of Risk Factors for Blister Rust ( Cronartium ribicola) on Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus L.).
    (University of Minnesota Duluth, 1999) Brown, Terry; White, Mark A; Host, George E
    Mature white pine forest has been significantly reduced in Northeastern Minnesota over the past 120 years. Blister rust, a usually lethal fungal disease of white pine, was also introduced about 120 years ago, and now poses a major challenge to attempts to reestablish white pines in the region. A map delineating hazard zones for blister rust was prepared in 1961 - this report details the procedure used to update that map using modem GIS techniques. The new map (above, and page 26) is more detailed than the old, and recognizes that even within areas previously classified as "high hazard'', there are places where white pine regeneration may be possible and desirable.
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    An Integrated Approach to Assessing Multiple Stressors for Coastal Lake Superior
    (2011) Niemi, Gerald J; Reavie, Euan; Peterson, Gregory S; Kelly, John R; Johnston, Carol A; Johnson, Lucinda B; Howe, Robert W; Host, George; Hollenhorst, Thomas; Danz, Nick; Ciborowski, Jan H; Brown, Terry; Brady, Valerie; Axler, Richard P
    This peer-reviewed article summarizes research conducted under the Great Lakes Environmental Indicators (GLEI) project initiated by the authors in 2001. The authors assessed the status of Lake Superior’s coastal ecosystem relative to over 200 environmental variables collected from GIS data sets for the enture US Great Lakes basin. These were assessed using gradients including atmosphereic deposition, agriculture, human population and development, land cover, point source pollution, soils and a cumulative stress index. Relationships of biological assemblages of birds, diatoms, fish and invertebrates, wetland plants, soils and stable isotopes to these gradients were then assessed. Key findings are extracted and reproduced below. Biological indicators can be used both to estimate ecological condition and to suggest plausible causes of ecosystem degradation across the U.S. Great Lakes coastal region. Here we use data on breeding bird, diatom, fish, invertebrate, and wetland plant communities to develop robust indicators of ecological condition of the U.S. Lake Superior coastal zone. Sites were selected as part of a larger, stratified random design for the entire U.S. Great Lakes coastal region, covering gradients of anthropogenic stress defined by over 200 stressor variables (e.g. agriculture, altered land cover, human populations, and point source pollution). A total of 89 locations in Lake Superior were sampled between 2001 and 2004 including 31 sites for stable isotope analysis of benthic macroinvertebrates, 62 sites for birds, 35 for diatoms, 32 for fish and macroinvertebrates, and 26 for wetland vegetation. A relationship between watershed disturbance metrics and 15N levels in coastal macroinvertebrates confirmed that watershed-based stressor gradients are expressed across Lake Superior’s coastal ecosystems, increasing confidence in ascribing causes of biological responses to some landscape activities. Several landscape metrics in particular—agriculture, urbanization, human population density, and road density—strongly influenced the responses of indicator species assemblages. Conditions were generally good in Lake Superior, but in some areas watershed stressors produced degraded conditions that were similar to those in the southern and eastern U.S. Great Lakes. The following indicators were developed based on biotic responses to stress in Lake Superior in the context of all the Great Lakes: (1) an index of ecological condition for breeding bird communities, (2) diatom-based nutrient and solids indicators, (3) fish and macroinvertebrate indicators for coastal wetlands, and (4) a non-metric multidimensional scaling for wetland plants corresponding to a cumulative stress index. These biotic measures serve as useful indicators of the ecological condition of the Lake Superior coast; collectively, they provide a baseline assessment of selected biological conditions for the U.S. Lake Superior coastal region and prescribe a means to detect change over time.” Key points: “In general, the U.S. Great Lakes coastal region of Lake Superior shows greater overall stress in the southern regions compared with relatively low overall stress in the northern regions. These patterns are primarily due to agricultural land use, higher human population densities, and point sources in the eastern and western portions on the south shore, while the north shore at the western end of Lake Superior is primarily forested with relatively sparse human population densities. Coastal regions of Lake Superior can be found at each of the extremes of the disturbance gradients. This includes relatively pristine watersheds in the northern regions with low human population densities and little agriculture that contrast with regions of relatively high populations with industrial activity such as Duluth-Superior in Minnesota-Wisconsin and Sault Ste. Marie Michigan at the other end of the gradient. The U.S. Lake Superior coastal region varies widely in the degree of human-related stress; generally, levels of stress decrease from south to north but with considerable variation, especially along the southern shore due to local agricultural activity and the presence of several population and industrial centers. In spite of a lack of latitudinal variation, there is human-induced, watershed scale variability across the Lake Superior coast. Compared to the other Great Lakes, Lake Superior coastal fish communities had more generally intolerant fish and more turbidity intolerant fish. Coastal fish community composition reflected the higher levels of suspended solids associated with human alteration to watersheds. The most disturbed sites on Lake Superior had greater proportions of non-native species and fewer bottom-feeding taxa.
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    Predicting Potential Beaver Dam Sites on Lake Superior's North Shore
    (University of Minnesota Duluth, 2020-04) Johnson-Bice, Sean; Gorzo, Jessica; Kovalenko, Katya; Brown, Terry; Host, George E
    Beavers (Castor canadensis) play a substantial role in coastal Lake Superior ecosystems, as the creation of beaver dams and ponds results in riparian habitat that can be vastly different from habitats before beaver activity (Naiman et al. 1988, Rosell et al. 2005). Beaver dams can influence water temperatures, flow regimes, channel morphology, and sediment dynamics (Gurnell 1998, Pollock et al. 2003, Westbrook et al. 2006, Burchsted et al. 2010, Bouwes et al. 2016). Understanding where beavers are likely to build dams and ponds has many practical implications for resource managers and citizens. Current climate models have predicted an increase in the prevalence of extreme precipitation events that may cause an increase in erosion and flooding events in the North Shore (Herb et al. 2016). Beaver dams have been shown to mitigate the downstream effects of high-precipitation events by reducing stream energy and increasing water retention time (Law et al. 2016, Puttock et al. 2017, Karran et al. 2017); their presence in the North Shore may be an important natural mechanism for minimizing impacts from natural hazards. But they also may have an adverse effect on fisheries, particularly steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) (Johnson-Bice et al. 2018), leading to controversy within coastal communities and complex management decisions. The goal of this study was to create a model that predicts potential beaver dam locations based on existing habitat characteristics, stream gradient, and stream power and flow estimates. Building from an existing data set that includes spatial information of beaver-created wetlands within five North Shore watersheds, we also conducted a rapid assessment of water and sediment storage contained within beaver ponds across the North Shore. The key deliverables of this project are: ● An interactive online map showing historic and potential beaver dam locations ● Estimates of water and sediment storage in North Shore beaver wetlands ● A downloadable spatial database of existing and predicted beaver dam locations, with FGDC-compliant metadata ● This report describing methods, results, and interpretations These products will be important for resource managers that make land-use decisions based on current and future hydrologic and sediment pathways in Lake Superior tributaries.
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    Prioritized Monitoring for the Lake Superior Basin: Final Report
    (University of Minnesota Duluth, 2010) Host, George E; Hollenhorst, Thomas; Brown, Terry; Johnson, Lucinda B
    Given this overall goal, the specific objectives for this project were to: 1) create a scalable system of fine-resolution, hierarchically nested watersheds across the Lake Superior basin; 2) quantify the natural environmental and human disturbance gradients for fine-scale watersheds; 3) use these gradients to provide supporting data for intra- and cross-agency monitoring and sampling designs; 4) identify reference (least impacted) and degraded watersheds and coastal regions within the Lake Superior basin; 5) develop tools that allow users to scale data appropriate to their sample domain and response variables; 6) disseminate project outputs via an updated LSDSS website.
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    Quantifying parcelization potential of forest lands in Itasca County, north central Minnesota
    (University of Minnesota Duluth, 2009) Host, George E; Brown, Terry
    Land parcelization is one of several factors contributing to forest fragmentation, which in turn has been linked to numerous environmental degradations, including declines in water quality (Dillon et al., 1994), wildlife habitat (Brooks, 2003), and reduced access to public for hunting and recreational pursuits. Parcelization, the division of tracts of land into smaller holdings, is often accompanied by changes in ownership, land use/land cover and public access, and development. The increased trend toward divestiture of land holdings by forest product companies is well-documented in Minnesota and elsewhere. The Phase 1 report of the Minnesota Statewide Conservation and Preservation Plan identified habitat degradation, fragmentation, and consumptive use of land (conversion of land through development and associated infrastructure) as three of the main drivers of change affecting Minnesota’s land resources (Swackhamer et al 2007). Mundell et al (2007) recently completed an analysis of forest parcelization using land records from Itasca County. By using Minnesota Department of Revenue records from 1995 through 2006, they were able to identify subdivisions of ~40 acre parcels. They were also able to quantify changes in property tax classifications (e.g. forest undeveloped land to residential land), and assess the number and rate at which parcels were ultimately developed (changes in land value associated with presence of structures on the property). They found that parcelization rates for Itasca County were about 0.4% per year, or approximately half the typical rate of forest harvest (~1.0% per year). With the exception of 2002, when the elimination of Minnesota’s Tree Growth Tax Law caused a spike in the percentage of parcels classified as forest undeveloped land, the rate of parcelization has been relatively constant at 45-50 divisions per year across the county. There were strong spatial variations associated with parcelization. Parcelization was greatest near municipalities – high rates were observed near the cities of Grand Rapids and Deer River. Parcelization was positively associated with proximity to water and to public lands. The findings from this and other research provide a basis for a county-scale regional assessment of the relative potential for parcelization of private lands. The objectives of this study were to assess and map the relative potential for parcelization for private lands within Itasca County, related this to a critical habitat database developed as part of the Statewide Plan for Conservation and Preservation.
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    Restorable Wetland Decision Support Data, 2014
    (2024-02-01) Johnson, Lucinda; Brady, Valerie; Erickson, Jeremy; Brown, Terry; Gernes, Mark; ljohnson@d.umn.edu; Johnson, Lucinda; Natural Resources Research Institute
    The Minnesota Restorable Wetland Decision Support Data were developed in combination with the Minnesota Restorable Wetland Index to: predict likely locations of restorable wetlands; locate highly stressed areas most in need of water quality or habitat improvement; prioritize areas that already are or are most likely to result in high functioning, sustainable wetlands; identify areas that will provide the greatest benefits in the form of water quality and habitat. Data include: Minnesota Restorable Wetland Decision Support - Viability, Minnesota Restorable Wetland Decision Support - Water Quality Benefits, Minnesota Restorable Wetland Decision Support - Habitat Stress, Minnesota Restorable Wetland Decision Support - Habitat Benefits, Minnesota Restorable Wetland Decision Support - Nitrogen Stress, and Minnesota Restorable Wetland Decision Support - Phosphorus Stress. This data had previously been available within the Minnesota Restorable Wetland Prioritization Tool (2013-2024).
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    St. Louis River Watershed Streams & Lakes: Water Quality/Biological Monitoring
    (University of Minnesota Duluth, 2011-06-29) Axler, Richard P; Breneman, Dan; Brady, Valerie; Johnson, Lucinda B; Ruzycki, Elaine; Henneck, Jerald; Olker, Jennifer; Host, George E; Brown, Terry; Bartsch, Will
    This provisional report is an addendum to the Surface Water Assessment Final Report entitled Surface Water Assessment St. Louis River Watershed: Streams and Lakes: Water quality/biological monitoring submitted to the MPCA electronically on June 29, 2011. That final report summarizes the water quality, habitat, macroinvertebrate, and fish data previously submitted to MPCA as the major part of this SWA project. This provisional report represents a detailed summary of the statistical analyses that the Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) at the University of Minnesota-Duluth is conducting using the data collected from this project together with previous and ongoing landscape stressor analyses conducted by NRRI via other funding sources over the past several years.
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    Stormwater Planning Initiative Project – Stormwater Management Planning Guide and Landowner-friendly IMS website tool
    (University of Minnesota Duluth, 2007-06-30) Host, George E; Hale, Cindy; Collins, Pat; Geissler, John; Axler, Richard P; Schomberg, Jesse; Granley, Mindy; Sjerven, Gerald; Brown, Terry
    Individual landowners in rapidly growing areas of the North Shore Community are increasingly required to create stormwater management plans (SMPs) prior to building. Planning development with stormwater runoff in mind is particularly important on the North Shore of Lake Superior, characterized by shallow clay-rich soils over bedrock, steep slopes, and delicate wetland complexes. While numerous organizations exist with pieces of the information required to complete a SMP, the process of collecting expertise from multiple agencies is daunting for landowners. Duluth Township recognized the environmental importance of stormwater planning by passing new zoning ordinances mandating stormwater planning in some land use zones. However, they recognized the difficulty that landowners face in creating a SMP and are committed to finding solutions. The objective of this project was to connect Duluth Township landowners to tools and resources necessary to complete a Stormwater Management Plan for their property. This pilot project features development of a user friendly Internet Map Server (IMS) tool that allows landowners to easily generate working base maps of their property. To date, IMS website tools have been largely developed by GIS professionals who are familiar with the GIS interface. When the general public tries to utilize these same tools, they typically become frustrated with the complexities of these programs, and cannot obtain the valuable information they need. This project was unique in that it was driven by extensive landowner input before, during, and after development to ensure that the tools developed achieved our objectives. Township administrators were also involved in development of the IMS tool and companion step-by-step guide so that the resulting landowner SMPs satisfied the regulatory and reporting requirements of the township. With the user-friendly IMS interface, the landowner is able to easily obtain base maps of their property containing multiple layers of the best existing data, including aerial photographs, topography, and wetlands for developing the SMP's required by the Duluth Township zoning ordinance. While there are resolution limitations to the existing wetland data, the website guides landowners on how to elaborate on this base layer of data as they conduct a site evaluation of their property. For instance, the website illustrates how to identify a small unmapped wetland and add these features to the base map. While the SMP Guide and IMS mapping tool was specifically designed and tested on Duluth Township, the project serves as a model template easily expanded to other townships along the North Shore.
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    Watershed-based Stressors for the Great Lakes Basin
    (2024-01-11) Host, George; Kovalenko, Katya; Brown, Terry; Johnson, Lucinda; Ciborowski, Jan; ljohnson@d.umn.edu; Johnson, Lucinda; Natural Resources Research Institute
    The Watershed-based Stressors for the Great Lakes Basin dataset includes component and aggregated measures of environmental stress to coastal ecosystems from watersheds of the Great Lakes Basin. Stressors include the amount of agricultural and developed land use, as well as road and population density. These summaries are based on a set of 5971 watersheds that cover the US and Canadian Great Lakes basin, derived using methods from Hollenhorst et al. (2007). Indices presented in this dataset include SumRel (Host et al. 2011) and the more recent combined Agriculture and Development - AgDev index (Host et al. 2019). These were developed as part of the Great Lakes Environmental Indicators II (GLEI-II) project, funded through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and used to quantify the response of biota (birds, fish, macroinvertebrates, diatoms and wetland vegetation) to varying degrees of watershed stress (Kovalenko et al. 2014). As of 2015, a more recent version of watersheds has been created by the Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Framework and stressors recalculated based on those watersheds.