Browsing by Subject "Biological monitoring survey"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    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.
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    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.
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    Miller Creek Macroinvertebrate, Habitat, and Temperature Report
    (University of Minnesota Duluth, 2010) Brady, Valerie; Breneman, Dan
    We sampled benthic macroinvertebrates and stream habitat at five locations in Miller Creek during late May 2008 as part of a TMDL (total maximum daily load) study on temperature. Data collected included: macroinvertebrate community composition, in-stream habitat for invertebrates and fish, stream bottom substrate types, and sediment particle size distribution. These data were linked with temperature logger data supplied by the South Saint Louis Soil and Water Conservation District (SSL SWCD) at or near these five sites, as well as additional sites (total of 27 stations) along the creek. Miller Creek macroinvertebrate and habitat samples were compared to data from several other streams where samples were collected during the early summer.
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    A Preliminary Assessment of Benthic Algal Communities and Physical Habitat at Several Locations within the Minnesota River Watershed
    (University of Minnesota Duluth, 1991) Richards, Carl
    Stream ecosystems are influenced by environmental factors that occur at a variety of scales (Minshall 1988). Biological monitoring within the Minnesota River Assessment project has focused on comparisons of large watersheds in relation to fish and invertebrate communities. The primary objectives of the present study were to make a preliminary evaluation of benthic algal communities that exist among several representative streams in the Minnesota watershed and to attempt to identify limiting features to their abundance and productivity. Algal communities play an important role within stream systems due to their importance to invertebrates and fish as food, as moderators of ambient nutrient concentrations, and as indicators of stream condition. Stream periphyton communities can be limited by a variety of factors including light (Mclntire et al. 1964, Hill and Knight 1988), nutrients (Patrick 1966, Pringle and Bowers 1984), and turbidity (Munn et al. 1989). One effective means of examining algal growth and productivity has been through the use of nutrient diffusing substrates (Pringle and Bowers 1984, Lowe et al. 1986). This technique along with measurements of physical and chemical parameters and examination of natural community composition was used to survey algae in mainstem and tributary sites.
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    Stream and Wetland Biological Survey
    (University of Minnesota Duluth, 2005) Breneman, Dan
    A biological monitoring survey was conducted on four stream sites and two wetlands in the vicinity of a proposed mining operation in northern Minnesota. Fish and macroinvertebrate community composition, habitat characteristics, and water chemistry parameters were examined to establish biological condition at four stream reaches and two wetland complexes. Fish assemblages were sampled in streams by electrofishing, and in wetlands with 24-hour trap net sets. Macroinvertebrates were collected qualitatively with D-frame kick nets, and quantitatively with Hess, Ekman, or Petite Ponar dredge sampling gear. Total number of fish and total lengths per species were determined within each stream reach to estimate catch per unit effort (CPUE). Macroinvertebrates were identified, enumerated, and the relative abundance and taxa richness per site determined. Stream habitat characteristics and water quality parameters at each site were summarized by point estimates along randomly placed transects. Invertebrate community composition between sites was predictable, with two wetland communities sharing similar characteristics (B5 and B7). The number of macroinvertebrate taxa was similar among stream sites (B1, B2, B3, and B6), but much higher than found in both wetland habitats. Three stream sites, including a designated reference reach located within the same drainage area (B1), provided similar community compositions. The remaining stream sampling location (B6) contained a macroinvertebrate and fish community that was unlike the previous three stream sites, and more similar to the wetland habitats based on the fish community composition. Fish communities among all sites were similar in respect to the functional proportions of taxa present. This survey suggests that the biological characteristics associated with stream and wetland sites sampled at the proposed NorthMet Mining Project site varied with respect to the distribution of fish and invertebrate functional categories between sites, but the overall community composition was typical of other systems in the region.