ecological integrity assessments of headwater wetlands associated
TRANSCRIPT
Ecological Integrity Assessment of Headwater Wetlands Associated
with Spring Monitoring Sites
Kathleen Strakosch Walz (Wetland Ecologist) [email protected]
Jason Beury (Asst Ecologist) & Gemma Milly (Asst Botanist) NJDEP State Forestry Service
Office of Natural Lands Management Natural Heritage Program
NJ Water Monitoring Council Meeting May 19, 2016
Headwater Wetlands at 8 Spring Sites
2015: Spring Brook Cabin
Big Spring Shurts Road Valley Crest Paint Island
Indian Lady Hill Crystal Springs
2016:
Mount Misery Blue Hole
Spring Brook Stokes SF
Mt Misery Blue Hole
Spring Site Information SPRING CLASSIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION STUDY ABIOTIC BIOTIC SAMPLES
# SPRING NAME TWP COUNTY HEADWATER TO RIVER
GEOLOGY GROUNDWATER EMERGENCE WQ
Fish / Amph
Macro inverts
Veg (EIA)
1 Big Spring - Whittingham
Fredon Twp Sussex Pequest River Allentown Dolomite
limnocrene 1 1
2 Crystal Spring Laurel Springs
Camden North Branch Big Timber Creek
Vincentown Formation (Glauconite)
limnocrene 1 1 1
3 Indian Lady Hill Spring
Neptune Monmouth Hollow Brook Cohansey Formation
hillslope 1 1 1
4 Mount Misery Blue Hole
Pemberton Burlington Mount Misery Brook
Cohansey Formation, Eolian Deposits
limnocrene (1) (1)
5 Paint Island Spring
Millstone Twp
Monmouth Toms River Lower Member Kirkwood Formation, Alluvium
helocrene
1 1 1
6 Shurts Road Spring
Franklin Twp
Warren Musconetcong River
Allentown Dolomite
rheocrene 1 1 1 1
7 Spring Brook Cabin Stokes
Sandyston Twp
Sussex Big Flat Brook Moraine Deposits rheocrene (1) 1 1
8 Valley Crest Spring
Clinton Twp Hunderdon South Branch Raritan River
Leithsville Formation, Alluvium
hillslope 1 1 1 1
8 3 5 8
Ecological Integrity Assessment Metrics
LANDSCAPE Contiguous Natural Cover Land Use Index
BUFFER Perimeter With Natural Buffer Width of Natural Buffer Condition of Natural Buffer
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
VEGETATION Native Plant Species Cover Invasive Nonnative Plant Species Cover Native Plant Species Composition Vegetation Structure Woody Regeneration Coarse Woody Debris
HYDROLOGY Water Source Hydroperiod Hydrologic Connectivity
SOIL / SUBSTRATE Soil Condition Surface Water Turbidity/Pollutants Algal Growth
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
SIZE Comparative Size (Patch Type) Change In Size
EIA Site Scorecard Example:
Human Stressor Index (HSI) Stressor IMPACT
Calculator
Stressor SCOPE Pervasive =
4 Large = 3 Restricted
= 2 Small = 1
Stressor SEVERITY
Extreme = 4 VERY HIGH
= 10 High = 7
Medium = 4
Low = 1
Serious = 3 High = 7 High = 7 Medium =
4 Low = 1
Moderate = 2
Medium = 4 Medium = 4 Low = 1 Low = 1
Slight = 1 Low = 1 Low = 1 Low = 1 Low = 1
HSI Site Score HSI Site Rating
3.5-4.0 Very High
2.5-3.4 High
1.5-2.4 Medium
0.5-1.4 Low
0.0-0.4 Absent
Stressor Checklist (AA & Buffer) • Development • Recreation • Vegetation • Natural Disturbance • Soils • Hydrology
Multi-step Process → HSI Rating 1. Stressor Scope and Severity = Impact 2. Sum of Impact Scores 3. Impact Score Weighting 3. HSI Site Rating
SUM OF Stressor IMPACTS -- Score & Rating by MEF (Buffer, Veg, Soils, Hydro)
Buffer Sum Score:
Buffer Rating
Point:
AA Veg Sum Score:
AA Veg Rating Point:
AA Soil Sum Score:
AA Soil Rating Point:
AA Hydro Sum Score:
AA Hydro Rating Point:
HSII Total SITE RATING:
TOTAL (Site) HSI: Multiply each MEF Impact Rating by the following weights then sum them to calculate the HSII Rating.
_____ x 0.3 = _____ x 0.3 = _____ x 0.1 = _____ x 0.3 = HSI Total Score:
ONSITE (AA) HSI (Vegetation, Soil, Hydrology) _____ x 0.4 = _____ x 0.2 = _____ x 0.4 = HSI Onsite Score:
ABIOTIC HSI (Buffer, Soil, Hydrology) _____ x 0.4 = _____ x 0.2 = _____ x 0.4 = HSI Abiotic Score:
Spring Brook Cabin (Stokes SF) EIA
WETLAND CONDITION: GOOD (B) Landscape Context: Excellent (A) Vegetation: Fair (C) Hydrology: Excellent (A) Soils: Excellent (A)
HUMAN STRESSOR INDEX RATING: MEDIUM AA: invasive plants, deer browse Buffer: gravel road and culvert, invasive species
Wetland Type: Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland; HGM: Slope
Floristic Diversity: 77 plant species (4 invasive) 77% relative native cover
Shurts Road Spring EIA Wetland Type: Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland;
HGM: Slope Floristic Diversity: 91 plant species (8 invasive)
64% relative native cover
WETLAND CONDITION: FAIR (C) Landscape Context: Poor (C) Vegetation: Fair (D)
Hydrology: Good (B) Soils: Excellent (A)
HUMAN STRESSOR INDEX RATING: MEDIUM AA: invasive species Buffer: invasive species, road, residential, runoff, dike, culvert
Valley Crest Spring EIA Wetland Type: Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland;
HGM: Slope Floristic Diversity: 61 plant species (4 invasive)
91% relative native cover
WETLAND CONDITION: FAIR (C) Landscape Context: Poor (D) Vegetation: Good (B) Hydrology: Good (B) Soils: Excellent (A)
STRESSOR INDEX RATING: HIGH AA: invasive species, trash, groundwater extraction Buffer: invasive species, agriculture, roads, runoff
Big Spring (Whittingham) EIA Wetland Type: Flooded & Swamp Forest
HGM: Slope Floristic Diversity: 78 plant species (3 invasive)
96% relative native cover
WETLAND CONDITION: EXCELLENT (A) Landscape Context: Excellent (A) Vegetation: Excellent (A) Hydrology: Excellent (A) Soils: Excellent (A)
STRESSOR INDEX RATING: LOW AA: invasive species Buffer: invasive species
High moss diversity
Indian Lady Hill Spring EIA Wetland Type: Flooded & Swamp Forest; HGM: Slope
Floristic Diversity: 49 plant species (0 invasive) 100% relative native cover
WETLAND CONDITION: Good (B) Landscape Context: Fair (C) Vegetation: Excellent (A) Hydrology: Excellent (A) Soils: Excellent (A)
STRESSOR INDEX RATING: MEDIUM AA: none Buffer: invasive species, trash/dumping, roads, runoff, flow obstruction
Paint Island Spring EIA Wetland Type: Flooded & Swamp Forest; HGM: Slope
Floristic Diversity: 80 plant species (10 invasive) 58% relative native cover
Vernal water star-wort
WETLAND CONDITION: FAIR (C) Landscape Context: Poor (C) Vegetation: Poor (D) Hydrology: Good (B) Soils: Excellent (A)
STRESSOR INDEX RATING: VERY HIGH AA: invasive species, deer browse (no regen) Buffer: invasive species, herbivory, trash/dumping, residential, lawns, road, runoff, flow obstruction (culvert under road)
Crystal Springs at Laurel Spring EIA Wetland Type: Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow &
Shrubland; HGM: Slope Floristic Diversity: 40 plant species (6 invasive)
57% relative native cover
Invasive Kudzu Pueraria montana
WETLAND CONDITION: FAIR (C) Landscape Context: Poor (D) Vegetation: Poor (D) Hydrology: Good (B) Soils: Good (B)
STRESSOR INDEX RATING: Very High AA: invasive species, deer browse Buffer: invasive species, herbivory, trash/dumping, residential, lawns, road, runoff, flow obstruction (culvert under road), trails, engineered channel
Mount Misery Blue Hole (2016)
Spring Site Ecological Integrity Scores
SPRING CLASSIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION STUDY
# SPRING NAME TWP COUNTY
HEADWATER TO RIVER
GEOLOGY GROUND WATER
EMERGENCE EIA Score
1 Big Spring -
Whittingham Fredon Twp Sussex Pequest River Allentown Dolomite limnocrene A
4 Mount Misery
Blue Hole Pemberton Burlington
Mount Misery Brook
Cohansey Formation, Eolian Deposits
limnocrene (A)
3 Indian Lady Hill
Spring Neptune Monmouth Hollow Brook Cohansey Formation hillslope B
7 Spring Brook Cabin Stokes
Sandyston Twp
Sussex Big Flat Brook Moraine Deposits rheocrene B
2 Crystal Spring Laurel Springs Camden North Branch Big
Timber Creek
Vincentown Formation
(Glauconite) limnocrene C
5 Paint Island
Spring Millstone Twp Monmouth Toms River
Lower Member Kirkwood Formation,
Alluvium helocrene C
6 Shurts Road
Spring Franklin Twp Warren
Musconetcong River
Allentown Dolomite rheocrene C
8 Valley Crest
Spring Clinton Twp Hunderdon
South Branch Raritan River
Leithsville Formation, Alluvium
hillslope C