Browsing by Author "Johnson, Lucinda B"

Now showing 1 - 20 of 29

21st Avenue West Remediation to Restoration Project: Biological Survey and Hydrodynamic Modeling Results
(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2012) Host, George E; Reschke, Carol; Brady, Valerie; Breneman, Dan; Dumke, Josh; Niemi, Gerald J; Austin, Jay; James, Matthew; Johnson, Lucinda B
The lower 21 miles of the St. Louis River, the largest U.S. tributary to Lake Superior, form the 4856 ha St. Louis River estuary. Despite the effects of more than 100 years of industrialized and urban development as a major Great Lakes port, the estuary remains the most significant source of biological productivity for western Lake Superior, and provides important wetland, sand beach, forested, and aquatic habitat types for a wide variety of fish and wildlife communities. The lower St. Louis River and surrounding watershed were designated an “Area of Concern” (AOC) under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement in 1989 because of the presence of chemical contaminants, poor water quality, reduced fish and wildlife populations, and habitat loss. Nine Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs) have been identified in the AOC, including: Loss of Fish and Wildlife Habitat, Degraded Fish and Wildlife Populations, Degradation of Benthos, and Fish Tumors and Deformities. The St. Louis River Citizens Action Committee, now the St. Louis River Alliance (SLRA), was formed in 1996 to facilitate meeting the needs of the AOC. Following the recommendations of the St. Louis River AOC Stage II Remedial Action Plan, the SLRA completed the Lower St. Louis River Habitat Plan (Habitat Plan) in 2002 as “an estuary-wide guide for resource management and conservation that would lead to adequate representation, function, and protection of ecological systems in the St. Louis River, so as to sustain biological productivity, native biodiversity, and ecological integrity.” The SLRA also facilitated development of “Delisting Targets” for each BUI in the St. Louis River AOC in December 2008. The Habitat Plan identified several sites within the AOC with significant habitat limitations. One of these sites, the “21st Avenue West Habitat Complex” (approximately 215 ha; Map 1), was identified by a focus group within the SLRA Habitat Workgroup as a priority for a “remediation-to-restoration” project. The focus group subsequently developed a general description of desired future ecological conditions at the 21st Avenue West Habitat Complex, hereafter referred to as the ‘Project Area’, including known present conditions and limiting factors of the area. In addition, the focus group recommended a process to develop specific plans and actions to achieve the desired outcomes at the site. As the next step toward the creation of an “Ecological Design” for the Project Area, Natural Resource Research Institute researchers, in cooperation with USFWS, USEPA, MPCA, MnDNR, and other partners, sampled the 21st Avenue West site in late summer of 2011 to establish baseline information on vegetation, sediment types, benthic macroinvertebrates, toxins and bird usage of the area. This work will inform development of an ecological design that will allow assessment of restoration scenarios in the Project Area. The project will build on the 40th Ave West Remediation to Restoration effort, which developed an aquatic vegetation model based on depth, energy environment (predicted from a fetch model), water clarity, and other environmental factors. The model allows the evaluation of restoration scenarios involving changes in bathymetry, remediation or enhancement of substrate, reduction in wave energy, and other strategies. In this report we also incorporate a hydrodynamic model of the estuary to inform the ecological design process. Relationships between vegetation and the macroinvertebrate and avian communities will provide information on the efficacy of these strategies in remediating and restoring overall habitat and biological productivity in the 21st Avenue West Habitat Complex. This project was funded under USFWS Cooperative Agreement Number F11AC00517; full details of the project can be found in Attachment 1 of that Agreement.
40th Avenue West Remediation to Restoration Project: Biological Survey Results
(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2010-11) Brady, Valerie; Reschke, Carol; Breneman, Dan; Host, George E; Johnson, Lucinda B
The lower 21 miles of the St. Louis River, the largest U.S. tributary to Lake Superior, form the 4856 ha St. Louis River estuary. Despite the effects of more than 100 years of industrialized and urban development as a major Great Lakes port, the estuary remains the most significant source of biological productivity for western Lake Superior, and provides important wetland, sand beach, forested, and aquatic habitat types for a wide variety of fish and wildlife communities. The lower St. Louis River and surrounding watershed were designated an “Area of Concern” (AOC) under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement in 1989 because of the presence of chemical contaminants, poor water quality, reduced fish and wildlife populations, and habitat loss. Nine Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs) have been identified in the AOC, including: Loss of Fish and Wildlife Habitat, Degraded Fish and Wildlife Populations, Degradation of Benthos, and Fish Tumors and Deformities. The St. Louis River Citizens Action Committee, now the St. Louis River Alliance (SLRA), was formed in 1996 to facilitate meeting the needs of the AOC. Following the recommendations of the St. Louis River AOC Stage II Remedial Action Plan, the SLRA completed the Lower St. Louis River Habitat Plan (Habitat Plan) in 2002 as “an estuarywide guide for resource management and conservation that would lead to adequate representation, function, and protection of ecological systems in the St. Louis River, so as to sustain biological productivity, native biodiversity, and ecological integrity.” The SLRA also facilitated development of “Delisting Targets” for each BUI in the St. Louis River AOC in December 2008. The Habitat Plan identified several sites within the AOC with significant habitat limitations. One of these sites, the “40th Avenue West Habitat Complex”（approximately 130 ha; Figure 1), was identified by a focus group within the SLRA Habitat Workgroup as a priority for a “remediation- to-restoration” project. The focus group subsequently developed a general description of desired future ecological conditions at the 40th Avenue West Habitat Complex, hereafter referred to as the ‘Project Area’，including known present conditions and limiting factors of the area. In addition, the focus group recommended a process to develop specific plans and actions to achieve the desired outcomes at the site. As the next step toward the creation of an “Ecological Design” for the Project Area, Natural Resource Research Institute researchers, in cooperation with USFWS, USEPA, MPCA, MnDNR, and other partners, sampled the 40th Avenue West site during the late summer and fall of 2010 to establish baseline information on vegetation, sediment types, benthic macroinvertebrates, and bird usage of the area. Vegetation, macroinvertebrates, and sediment characterization were also completed for five Reference Areas selected by project cooperators. These Reference Areas represent less disturbed locations having high or low wind and wave exposure that can serve to demonstrate restoration potential for the Project Area. This project was funded under USFWS Cooperative Agreement Number 30181AJ68; full details of the project can be found in Attachment 1 of that Agreement.
Assessing Impacts of Climate Change on Vulnerability of Brook Trout in Lake Superior’s Tributary Streams of Minnesota
(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2013) Johnson, Lucinda B; Herb, William; Cai, Meijun
Water temperature is generally considered one of the primary physical habitat parameter determining the suitability of stream habitat for fish species, with effects on the mortality, metabolism, growth, behavior, and reproduction of individuals. In this study we assessed the potential threats of climate change on stream temperatures and flow regimes in Lake Superior tributary streams in Minnesota, USA. The study included deterministic models for stream flow and temperature of three study streams (Amity Creek, Baptism River, Knife River), and regional (empirical) models for specific flow and temperature parameters to give better spatial coverage of the region. Information on stream flow, stream temperature, and land cover was used to develop a brook trout presence/absence model to understand the current pattern of distribution of brook trout and predict future distributions under future climate. The hydrology of north shore streams is mainly driven by air temperature and precipitation. Historical air temperatures in the region have a significant upward trend, particularly since 1980. Global climate model (GCM) outputs project a continued increasing trend in air temperature, with an increase in mean annual air temperature of 2 to 3 °C by 2089. The historical precipitation data shows an increasing trend for total annual precipitation at Duluth and Two Harbors between 1900 and 2010, whereas Grand Marais and Grand Portage do not have a clear trend. Based on an analysis of daily precipitation totals, there is some indication of an increasing trend in the number of days in summer with high precipitation (10-20 cm). Both the GENMOM and the ECHAM5 GCMs project overall increases in precipitation of about 15%, but differ with respect to the seasonal distribution of the precipitation changes. A significant and relatively certain impact of climate change is a projected shift in precipitation from snowfall to rainfall. While an increasing trend in precipitation leads to increasing streamflow, the increasing trend in spring and summer air temperature tends to reduce streamflow (by increasing evapotranspiration). Available streamflow records for north shore streams suggest there may be a decreasing trend in mean annual flow and summer low flow, but the trends are not statistically significant. Future projections of streamflow based on the GCM output were mixed, with the deterministic models projecting moderate increases in average stream flow and summer low flow, while the regression models for project a moderate decrease in low flow. Stream temperature analyses for the three study streams based on GCM climate output give the result of fairly uniform seasonal increases in stream temperature to 2089 ranging from 1.3 to 1.9 °C for the GENMOM model to 2.2 to 3.5°C for the ECHAM5 model. Application of the GENMOM climate data to the deterministic stream temperature models produced fairly similar stream temperature changes for the three study sites. The empirical stream temperature study found stream temperature in the north shore region to be influenced by air temperature, catchment size, percentage of woody wetlands, latitude, and soil permeability rate. In response to climate change projected by the GENMOM GCM, the regional stream temperature model projects July mean water temperature to rapidly increase by approximately 1.2oC from 1990s to 2060s, followed by a slight decrease to 2089. The temperature increase was predicted to be the largest in the coastal area of middle north shore region. The brook trout presence/absence model found water temperature to have the strongest influence on trout presence. Brook trout were predicted to be at risk for water temperatures above 18.7oC and be extirpated from streams for temperatures over 20oC. Stream flow was shown to have a negative effect on trout presence, though not as strong as water temperature. Overall, these data predict that brook trout may be extirpated from lower shore area, be exposed to increasing risk in middle shore region, and remain present in upper shore streams from the present to 2089. This work would benefit greatly from a number of modifications to the GCM’s, the spatial data used in the development of both the deterministic and empirical models, and implementation of a more detailed, spatially explicit, hydrologic model. Finally, additional fish data, including cool and warm water assemblage data, along with descriptors of landscape structure (i.e., connectivity) would allow us to assess the areas where cold water species may be threatened by the presence or potential presence of coolwater competitors.
Channel, Riparian and Catchment Features as Predictors of Wood Abundance in Low Gradient, Agricultural Streams
(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2002) Johnson, Lucinda B; Host, George E; Richards, Carl
Wood is an important component of small to medium streams in forested regions, but has been little studied in agricultural areas. Although wood habitat has been shown to be an important factor controlling macroinvertebrate biodiversity in agricultural regions of the Midwestern U.S., there is little information on how much wood is available and what factors control its abundance and distribution. The goals of this study were to: 1) characterize the abundance, size, and distribution of wood in low gradient streams in a predominantly agricultural region, and 2) quantify the relative influence of reach- and catchment-scale factors on the abundance and distribution of wood in these streams. Standing stocks of wood were quantified in 49 stream reaches in the Saginaw Basin of central Michigan, USA. An array of stream channel, riparian zone, and catchment features were quantified. Multiple regressions were conducted to predict standing stocks from explanatory variables at three spatial scales. Features at the local scale (e.g., bank-full width, % open canopy) had a large influence on the density and size of accumulations, and a moderate influence on wood abundance. In contrast, riparian and catchment features including riparian vegetation type, link number, % urban land use in the catchment, and topographic heterogeneity exerted greater control over wood abundance and the mean size of wood accumulations. The differences in the factors predicting wood standing stocks versus accumulation density are probably related to the presence of structures that entrain wood into accumulations. In contrast, wood standing stocks reflect current and past land use practices, as well as underlying processes (e.g., hydrologic regime) controlled by landforms. Patterns in wood standing stock and distribution differ from those observed in high gradient regions, and low gradient streams in forested regions. This has important implications for ecosystem processes and management of headwater streams in agricultural regions.
Cook County Soil and Water Conservation District Biological Sampling for the Poplar River Quality Assurance Project Plan
(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2007) Breneman, Dan; Brady, Valerie; Johnson, Lucinda B
Benthic macroinvertebrate and habitat sampling evaluations will be conducted at locations chosen to represent the most common instream and riparian conditions. A best effort was made to minimize bias from either direct or indirect landscape alterations when selecting sampling locations. Sampling sites outlined below (see Bl. Study Design) are proposed based on several parameters (e.g., biological, geomorphological, etc.), but logistical considerations including best available access will influence site selection. Sampling protocols will follow standard operating procedures outlined by the NRRI-UMD Microscopy Laboratory standard operating procedures for field collection, laboratory sample processing, and data analysis (NRRI/TR-1999/37). All procedures outlined in the NRRI document are subject to change to respond to MPCA guidance and field conditions.
Duluth Residential Stormwater Reduction Demonstration Project for Lake Superior Tributaries
(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2011) Kleist, Chris; Brady, Valerie; Johnson, Lucinda B; Schomberg, Jesse
We used paired 2‐block street sections in the Amity Creek watershed (Duluth, MN) to demonstrate the effectiveness of homeowner BMPs to reduce residential stormwater flow to storm sewers in an older neighborhood in a cold climate on clay and bedrock geology. Runoff from each street was measured before and after installation of stormwater BMPs. In addition, the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of residents were measured before and after BMP installation. BMPs were installed on properties of willing residents of one street (“treatment”). Most residents (22 of 25 properties) willingly participated. 250 trees and shrubs were planted; 22 rain barrels were installed; 5 rain gardens, 12 rock‐sump storage basins, and 2 swales were constructed; and a stormwater ditch was re‐dug and had 5 ditch checks installed in it. The post‐project survey indicated an increase in understanding by treatment‐street residents of where stormwater flowed to and what it affected, and an increase in willingness to accept at least some responsibility for stormwater runoff. Residents who received BMPs were generally satisfied with them and would recommend them to others. Runoff reduction proved more difficult to quantify due to high and inconsistent runoff variability between the paired streets, very few pre‐BMP installation rain events, and loss of one control street due to re‐paving mid‐project. Capacity of installed BMPs is approximately 2.5% of the measured stormwater runoff. There is about a 20% greater reduction in runoff for the treatment street after BMPs were installed than for the control street for small to moderate storm events; while we would like to attribute this completely to our BMPs, we cannot prove that other factors weren’t also at work. Peak flows also appear to have been reduced for 1 inch and smaller rainstorms, but we were unable to accurately measure this reduction. The results are available on an existing stream education website and are used to educate neighborhood, city of Duluth, and regional residents on stormwater issues, individual responsibility, and BMP options.
Duluth Residential Stormwater Reduction Demonstration Project for Lake Superior Tributaries
(2011-07-30) Kleist, Chris; Brady, Valerie; Johnson, Lucinda B; Schomberg, Jesse
We used paired 2‐block street sections in the Amity Creek watershed (Duluth, MN) to demonstrate the effectiveness of homeowner BMPs to reduce residential stormwater flow to storm sewers in an older neighborhood in a cold climate on clay and bedrock geology. Runoff from each street was measured before and after installation of stormwater BMPs. In addition, the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of residents were measured before and after BMP installation. BMPs were installed on properties of willing residents of one street (“treatment”). Most residents (22 of 25 properties) willingly participated. 250 trees and shrubs were planted; 22 rain barrels were installed; 5 rain gardens, 12 rock‐sump storage basins, and 2 swales were constructed; and a stormwater ditch was re‐dug and had 5 ditch checks installed in it. The post‐project survey indicated an increase in understanding by treatment‐street residents of where stormwater flowed to and what it affected, and an increase in willingness to accept at least some responsibility for stormwater runoff. Residents who received BMPs were generally satisfied with them and would recommend them to others. Runoff reduction proved more difficult to quantify due to high and inconsistent runoff variability between the paired streets, very few pre‐BMP installation rain events, and loss of one control street due to re‐paving mid‐project. Capacity of installed BMPs is approximately 2.5% of the measured stormwater runoff. There is about a 20% greater reduction in runoff for the treatment street after BMPs were installed than for the control street for small to moderate storm events; while we would like to attribute this completely to our BMPs, we cannot prove that other factors weren’t also at work. Peak flows also appear to have been reduced for 1 inch and smaller rainstorms, but we were unable to accurately measure this reduction. The results are available on an existing stream education website and are used to educate neighborhood, city of Duluth, and regional residents on stormwater issues, individual responsibility, and BMP options.
An Ecological Design for the 21st Avenue West Remediation-to-Restoration Project
(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2013) Host, George E; Meysembourg, Paul; Reschke, Carol; Brady, Valerie; Niemi, Gerald J; Bracey, Annie; Johnson, Lucinda B; James, Matthew; Austin, Jay; Buttermore, Elissa
The lower 21 miles of the St. Louis River, the largest U.S. tributary to Lake Superior, form the 4856 ha St. Louis River estuary. Despite the effects of more than 100 years of industrialized and urban development as a major Great Lakes port, the estuary remains the most significant source of biological productivity for western Lake Superior, and provides important wetland, sand beach, forested, and aquatic habitat types for a wide variety of fish and wildlife communities. The lower St. Louis River and surrounding watershed were designated an 'Area of Concern' (AOC) under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement in 1989, listing nine beneficial use impairments (BUIs), such as loss of fish and wildlife habitat, degraded fish and wildlife populations, degradation of benthos, and fish deformities. To address these BUIs, the St. Louis River Alliance (SLRA) completed the Lower St. Louis River Habitat Plan, which identified ecosystems and sites with significant habitat limitations due to contaminated sediments and other unknown factors. The 21st Avenue West Habitat Complex is one of several priority sites for a 'Remediation-to-Restoration' (R-to-R) project. The intent of the R-to-R process is to implement remediation activities to address limiting factors such as sediment contamination while also implementing restoration projects that best complement the desired ecological vision. This report documents the initial steps in the R-to-R process underway at 21st Avenue West, the development of an “Ecological Design” for the project area, and a preliminary evaluation of factors potentially limiting the realization of habitat and other land use goals. To establish the basis for this ecological design, researchers at the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI), in cooperation with U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and other partners, sampled the project area from late summer 2011 through fall 2012. The intent of field sampling was to establish baseline information on vegetation, benthos, birds, sediment contamination and types, and ecotoxicology. The subsequent ecological design effort will explore options to increase the overall footprint of quality aquatic vegetation beds and spawning habitat available, soften and extend shorelines, and remove or reduce the effect of industrially-influenced substrates. These options will be presented to adjacent landowners, as well as local and regional stakeholders, to contribute to the discussion on R-to-R options. The desired outcome of the project is to significantly increase the biological productivity of this complex of river flats and sheltered bays, in fulfillment of the SLRA Habitat Plan (SLRA 2002), while minimizing the risk of exposure of contaminants to fish and wildlife resources. This project was funded under USFWS Cooperative Agreement Number F11AC00517, and is part of the USFWS Environmental Contaminants Program’s goal to address contaminant-related needs of the St. Louis River Area of Concern as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
An Ecological Design for the 40th Avenue West Remediation-to-Restoration Project
(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2012) Host, George E; Meysembourg, Paul; Brady, Valerie; Niemi, Gerald J; Bracey, Annie; Reschke, Carol; Johnson, Lucinda B
The lower 21 miles of the St. Louis River, the largest U.S. tributary to Lake Superior, form the 4856 ha St. Louis River estuary. Despite the effects of more than 100 years of industrialized and urban development as a major Great Lakes port, the estuary remains the most significant source of biological productivity for western Lake Superior, and provides important wetland, sand beach, forested, and aquatic habitat types for a wide variety of fish and wildlife communities. The lower St. Louis River and surrounding watershed were designated an 'area of concern' (AOC) under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement in 1989 because of the presence of chemical contaminants, poor water quality, reduced fish and wildlife populations, and habitat loss. Nine beneficial use impairments (BUIs) have been identified in the AOC, including: loss of fish and wildlife habitat, degraded fish and wildlife populations, degradation of benthos, and fish tumors and deformities. The St. Louis River Citizens Action Committee, now the St. Louis River Alliance (SLRA), was formed in 1996 to facilitate meeting the needs of the AOC. Following the recommendations of the St. Louis River AOC Stage II Remedial Action Plan, the SLRA completed the Lower St. Louis River Habitat Plan (Habitat Plan) in 2002 as 'an estuary-wide guide for resource management and conservation that would lead to adequate representation, function, and protection of ecological systems in the St. Louis River, so as to sustain biological productivity, native biodiversity, and ecological integrity.' The SLRA also facilitated development of 'delisting targets' for each BUI in the St. Louis River AOC in December 2008. The Habitat Plan identified several sites within the AOC with significant habitat limitations. One of these sites, the '40th Avenue West Habitat Complex' (approximately 130 ha; Figure 1), was identified by a focus group within the SLRA habitat workgroup as a priority for a 'remediation-to-restoration' project. The purpose of the 'remediation to restoration' process is to implement remediation activities to address limiting factors such as sediment contamination, followed by restoration projects that best complement the desired ecological vision. The focus group developed a general description of desired future ecological conditions at the 40th Avenue West Habitat Complex, hereafter referred to as the 'project area,' including known present conditions and potential limiting factors of the area. In addition, the focus group recommended a process to develop specific plans and actions to achieve the desired outcomes at the site. This report documents the first step in the 'remediation-to-restoration process being implemented at the '40th Avenue West Habitat Complex,' the development of an 'Ecological Design' for the project area, and a preliminary evaluation of those factors potentially limiting the realization of those habitat and other land use goals. This report is intended to serve as a basis for a subsequent feasibility study in which remediation alternatives will be evaluated along with restoration alternatives, which may achieve the habitat goals noted here. This project was funded under USFWS Cooperative Agreement Number 30181AJ68, and is part of the USFWS Environmental Contaminants Program's goal to address contaminant-related needs of the St. Louis River Area of Concern as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. To establish the basis of an 'ecological design' for the project area, researchers at the University of Minnesota Duluth's Natural Resource Research Institute (NRRI), in cooperation with USFWS, USEPA, MPCA, MNDNR, and other partners, sampled the project area from the late summer 2010 through spring 2011 to establish baseline information on sediment contamination, ecotoxicology, vegetation, sediment types, benthic macroinvertebrates, fish assemblage, and bird usage of the area. Vegetation, macroinvertebrates, and sediment characterization were also completed for five reference areas selected by project cooperators. These reference areas represent less disturbed locations having high or low wind and wave exposure that can serve to demonstrate restoration potential for the project area.
Effects of Multiple Stressors on Aquatic Communities in the Prairie Pothole Region
(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2007) Schoff, Patrick K; Johnson, Lucinda B; Guntenspergen, Glenn R; Johnson, W. Carter
The prairie potholes wetlands of the Great Plains comprise some of the most ecologically valuable freshwater resources of the nation, but they are also exceptionally vulnerable to anthropogenic stressors, particularly those associated with agricultural land use practices. They are also considered likely to be severely impacted by climate change. In this study we have quantified relationships among stressors associated with climate, agricultural land use and amphibian communities throughout much of the prairie pothole region.
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.
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.
Evaluation of DNR Aquatic Vegetation Surveys: Data Summaries and Comparative Analysis
(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2006) Reschke, Carol; Host, George E; Johnson, Lucinda B
Evaluation of the potential effects of methoprene and Bti on anuran malformations in Wright County, MN
(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2001) Johnson, Catherine M; Johnson, Lucinda B
An increasing number of amphibians from around the globe have been reported with deformations and malformations of the eyes, mandibles and internal organs as well as missing, abnormally shaped, abnormally pigmented, or multiple limbs. For the purposes of this document, the terms “deformation” and “malformation” are defined as in a recent USGS publication entitled, “Field Guide to the Malformations of the Frog and Toad” (Meteyer et. al. 2000a). Thus, the term deformation refers to alterations in form or structure that occur later in development, resulting from mechanical factors such as amputation. “A deformation does not involve an intrinsic defect in morphogenesis and impacts a structure that is otherwise developing normally.” The term malformation refers to “errors in any phase of morphogenesis including cell proliferation, cell migration, differentiation, programmed cell death or regression of larval structures.” This report is primarily concerned with malformations and their possible connection with the use of either methoprene or Bacillus thuringiensis var. israeliensis (Bti) in developing Rana pipiens (northern leopard frogs) in central Minnesota.
Great Lake Environmental Indicators (GLEI) Standard Operating Procedures: Fish and Invertebrate Community Sampling
(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2003-05-21) Breneman, Dan; Brady, Valerie; Johnson, Lucinda B; Ciborowski, Jan H
Hierarchical Influences of Channel, Riparian And Landscape Features on Coarse Woody Debris in Low-gradient, Midwestern Streams
(University of Minnesota Duluth, 1998) Johnson, Lucinda B; Host, George E; Richards, Carl
Coarse woody debris is an important component of many small to medium streams, directly influencing stream geomorphology as well as many ecosystem properties and processes (reviewed by Harmon, et al. 1984, Gregory and Davis 1992, Gurnell, et al. 1995; Table 1). Woody debris exerts control over the structure of aquatic habitats by impeding flow, thereby increasing flow heterogeneity in the channel, influencing the pool-riffle sequence, erosional processes, channel dimensions, and deposition and retention of sediment and organic matter. Habitats created by CWD are varied, including plunge pools, backwaters and eddies, as well as the interstices of debris dams and individual logs (O’Connor 1991). These habitats are critical for fish as well as invertebrate species, providing flow and predation refugia for fish, oviposition and pupation sites, a feeding platform for invertebrates, and a substrate for biofilm production (Sedell et al. 1988, Shearer and Webster 1988)). The structure and dynamics of physical habitat in streams (Southwood 1977) and potential sources of colonizers (Gore 1982) regulate the composition and function of stream communities. Increased retention of particulate organic matter and production of FPOM from decomposing logs alters nutrient fluxes through the biota and subsequently influences the functional response of the fish and invertebrate communities within the stream (Minshall et al. 1982, Sedell et al. 1988). In response to changes in organic matter storage, functional responses of invertebrate communities, taxa abundance, and production have been reported to vary between erosional and depositional habitats, as well as between reaches with and without debris dams (Molles 1982, Smock et al. 1982, 1989), or logs (Wallace et al. 1995). In regions with unstable substrates, snags support a large proportion of the insect biomass and production (Benke, et al. 1984, Smock, et al. 1985). In many regions of the United States coarse woody debris was historically a prominent feature in streams, such that logjam s stretched for kilometers on both small and larger streams (Swanson, et al. 1976, Triska 1984, Maser and Sedell 1995). Debris removal was initiated to provide unobstructed waterways for navigation and transportation of harvested logs. In 1776 the U.S. Congress appropriated money to clear driftwood from streams and rivers to improve navigation, beginning with the Mississippi River. Removal of woody debris in rivers remains an active role of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Harmon, et al. 1986), and is one of the primary roles of County Drain Commissioners (locally elected officials charged with creation and maintenance of an extensive network of drainage ditches) in the state of Michigan. Geomorphic features, to some degree, have regulated the original vegetation of the landscape (Grimm 1984, Host and Pregitzer 1992), as well as the historical and current land use/land cover patterns within the region. Many land management practices directly and indirectly influence the abundance of coarse woody debris (CWD) in streams. Alteration of the hydrologic regime resulting from stream channelization, wetland filling, or urbanization frequently results in increased bank erosion, one of the primary mechanisms of CWD input to streams in non-mountainous regions (Keller and Swanson 1979; Davis and Gregory 1994). Especially in small to medium-sized streams, forest management alters the species composition, number, and size distribution of trees in the upland, and thus dramatically modifies the potential source and input rates of CWD to streams (Bilby 1984, McDade et al. 1990, Gumell, et al. 1995, Fetherston et al. 1995). In agricultural and suburban regions potential sources of woody debris as well as the stream retention capacity are altered by management practices such as grazing, landscaping, riparian vegetation thinning or removal, dredging and channelization. The riparian zone and the land-water ecotone mediate inputs of sediment, nutrients, and particulate organic matter to streams, in addition to providing other important ecosystem functions (Gregory, et al. 1991). Coarse woody debris produced in the riparian zone by fire, disease, insect damage, ice/snow loading, and wind-throw represents the potential source for the stream (Keller and Swanson 1979). Processes such as mass soil wasting, bank undercutting and erosion, and flooding transport this material into the stream. In some systems beaver may be the primary vector transporting large volumes of CWD to the channel (Naiman, et al. 1986, Maser and Sedell 1995). The processes controlling CWD input to streams are influenced locally by tree species, stand age, soil stability, and human intervention (e.g., forest harvest and riparian zone clearing), and regionally by geology, climate, valley geomorphology and land use patterns. Since CWD fundamentally influences both the structure and function of many streams, identifying the myriad of factors that regulate its abundance and distribution is essential for understanding how many aspects of stream ecosystems are regulated. Many studies have examined the role of coarse woody debris in high- and low-gradient catchments (Table 1). However, few studies have attempted to quantify the relationship between landscape factors and the observed patterns in CWD abundance and distribution in low gradient systems, particularly in landscapes that are not dominated by forests. Landscape-scale factors such as land use patterns and surficial geology influence the abundance of woody debris found in stream channels (Ralph et al. 1994; Richards, et al. 1996) and undoubtedly also play a role in mediating the impact of disturbance events that influence the export of CWD and smaller organic matter fragments. By examining the factors influencing large woody debris at a range of spatial scales, the extent to which local and regional factors regulate the abundance and distribution of CWD can be discriminated. The goals of this paper are to: 1) characterize the abundance, size, and distribution of CWD in low gradient streams in developed landscapes; 2) quantify the relative influence of reach- and catchment-scale factors on the abundance and distribution of CWD.
High-resolution Mapping of Urban Land Use Intensity in Watersheds of the St. Louis River Estuary
(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2015-07) Host, George E; Meysembourg, Paul; Johnson, Lucinda B
Agriculture and development are the source of a multitude of environmental stressors influencing coastal ecosystems, including sediment and nutrient runoff, alterations to hydrologic and thermal regimes, delivery of pollutants and loss of habitat. Many studies have addressed the effects of land use on aquatic ecosystem, but fundamental issues of scale remain unresolved. Land use data are common inputs to environmental indicator development, hydrologic models such as SWMM or HSPF, and decision support models such as the EPA National Stormwater Calculator. The difference in areal estimates of urban land cover between NLCD and higher resolution land classification can result in significant differences in predicted amounts of runoff and infiltration. Using these data to develop remediation strategies using green or gray infrastructure could potentially result in costly errors through under or over-engineering retention structures. For this reason, we initiated this project to expand the Stueve et al. (2014) methodology, which focused on a single watershed, to multiple urban watersheds entering the St. Louis River Estuary (SLRE). We then used these data to develop indices of urban land use intensity, focusing on impervious surface, building footprints, building heights and height diversity within municipal parcels. Finally, we assessed the relationship of these urban land use intensity indices to water quality data collected in nine tributary watersheds of the St. Louis River.
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.
Landscape Influences on Habitat, Water Chemistry, and Macroinvertebrate Assemblages in Midwestern Stream Ecosystems
(University of Minnesota Duluth, 1993) Richards, Carl; Johnson, Lucinda B; Host, George E
Landscape characteristics of 65 subwatersheds within the Saginaw Bay Watershed of central Michigan were examined to identify relationships to stream habitat, water quality, and macroinvertebrate communities. A Geographic Information System was used to compile and analyze a series of landscape data including land use, elevation, slope, and hydrography of each watershed. Land use and landcover were quantified in 65 watersheds for both entire watersheds and 200 m stream buffers. Both watershed and buffer data were then empirically related to instream habitat and surface water chemistry using multivariate analysis. Macroinvertebrates community data from each watershed were related to stream physical and chemical data to identify which reach-scale environmental factors yhat most strongly influenced observed patterns. From these analyses, the relative influences of landscape features on macroinvertebrate communities could be inferred. Results showed that stream habitat, particularly channel morphology and substrate, were most strongly influenced by the presence of non forested wetlands. All permanent vegetative landcovers were associated with decreased values for most chemical parameters. Land use heterogeneity and average watershed slope were important predictors of total suspended solids. Landscape data accounted for over 75% of the variance in total nitrogen. In general, relationships between landscape data and stream chemistry were stronger in summer than fall. Surprisingly, the use of stream buffer data did not improve the predictions of habitat and chemistry characteristics compared with use of whole watershed data. Finer scale information may be required to depict the influence of riparian zones on midwestern streams. Macroinvertebrates were most strongly related to channel morphology, substrate characteristics, and nutrient concentrations. At the largest scale, geomorphic differences among watersheds and the extremes of land use (extensive row crop agriculture) had the strongest influence on macroinvertebrate communities, through their influence on stream habitat. At smaller scales, land use patterns (type, heterogeneity) exhibited more influence through their association with water chemistry and habitat alterations.
Little Rock Creek Biological Survey, Habitat Evaluation, and GIS Analysis
(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2008) Breneman, Dan; Brady, Valerie; Hollenhorst, Thomas; Johnson, Lucinda B
Little Rock Creek was listed as a Minnesota 303(d) impaired water in 2004, resulting in a TMDL (total maximum daily load) study for aquatic life due to the lack of a cold water fish assemblage. Data presented in this report provide biological survey summary information on the stream community associated with Little Rock Creek (LRC), local habitat measurements, and land use/land cover characteristics of the watershed in an effort to identify causes of impairment. This report will describe the biotic stream community and quantify potential relationships among landuse characteristics, local habitat conditions, and biotic assemblages including fish, and macroinvertebrates. This report will focus on trends in the macroinvertebrate and fish communities (abundance and functional traits), physicochemical, and local habitat conditions from five sample locations within the Little Rock Creek watershed (Fig. 1a,b). Additional data is provided by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), and an earlier Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) study, for the purpose of regional comparisons (hereafter referred to as ‘MPCA and/or NRRI regional comparison sites;’ Figs. 2,3). Data collected by the MPCA between 1996-2006 includes 16 streams in the same area as the TMDL sites. A 1998 sampling efforts at 18 streams (c.f., Hutchens et al. 2009) in southeastern Minnesota were conducted in a heavily agricultural area to determine landuse/landscape interactions with macroinvertebrate and fish communities.

University Digital Conservancy

Browse by Author

Browsing by Author "Johnson, Lucinda B"