950R95027 United States National Health and Environmental November 1995 Environmental Effects Research Laboratory-Western Protection Agency Ecology Division, Corvallis, Oregon m EPA Wetlands Research Update Prepared by: Richard Sumner, Regional Liaison - Wetlands Research Program The Update is prepared to keep those who are interested in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Wetlands Research Program (WRP) abreast of our activities and accomplishments. Strategic Research Goals . The WRP is in the fourth year of implementing research towards the development of a risk- based approach to wetland protection (Leibowitz etal. 1992a). The specific research objectives of WRP are: (1) Determine how wetlands contribute to environmental quality, both individually and as an aggregate within the landscape; (2) quantify the effects of stressors and landscape factors on wetland function to assess the risks posed by the associated loss and degradation of wetlands; (3) develop risk management options through the use of site prioritization and performance criteria for wetland restoration; (4) design and test a monitoring system that can assess wetland function and condition, and the effectiveness of risk reduction activities (i.e., adaptive management). A fifth research element on the topic of constructed wetlands was discontinued this year because of budget reductions and a reassign- ment of research staff. Landscape Function Project The implementation of a risk-based approach to wetland protection requires information on the interaction of wetlands with other ecosystems within broad geographic areas, such as eco- regions and watersheds. Empirical analysis and overlay analysis (i.e., through a Geographic Information System - GIS) are two approaches being evaluated by WRP for use in landscape- scale assessments. For example, the WRP is funding the Delaware State Office of U.S. Geological Survey to complete an empirical ------- Wetlands Research Update — Page Two evaluation of how wetlands located in different hydrogeomorphic landscapes perform a water quality function. The beneficial effect of wetlands on local water quality can vary greatly between different types of landscapes. The USGS is completing an intensive evaluation of wetlands located on the DELMARVA Peninsula. The USGS has relied upon data collected within two major hydrogeomorphic regions of Delaware—a well-drained upland landscape and a poorly drained upland landscape. Two of the key indicators used to differentiate the landscapes are the amount of sandy soils and depth to water table. Preliminary findings suggest that hydrologic pathways within the well-drained landscape underlie and thereby bypass local riverine wetlands. The wetlands generally do not provide the function of water quality improvement. In contrast, wetlands located within the poorly drained landscape of the study area can perform the water quality function. However, the level of performance probably will depend upon the juxtaposition of the wetlands with pollution sources. Such landscape-scale information should be taken into account when selecting areas for wetland restoration where the goal is water quality improvement. In addition, WRP continues its evaluation of empirical approaches in studies of prairie pothole wetlands of North Dakota. Field work continued through last summer and will take place next summer under WRP's interagency agreement with the National Biological Service. Its purpose is to evaluate the condition of prairie wetlands with the goal of prioritizing areas suitable for restoration. The reporting of results from the field study is expected to begin in the spring of 1996. Watersheds or other landscape units also can be prioritized for ecosystem protection and restoration activities through a GIS-based approach. A clear understanding of the landscape factors responsible for the formation and maintenance of wetlands is a prerequisite to this type of analysis. New research in Arkansas and Mississippi will be used to test and refine procedures for prioritizing areas suitable for wetland restoration based upon comparative risk at the landscape scale. Two new projects have been funded by WRP to conduct research on the cumulative effect of wetlands on landscape function in the White River Basin of Arkansas and the Yazoo River Basin of Mississippi. The objective of the projects is to test a synoptic, landscape assessment approach (the "Synoptic Approach") developed by the WRP, and its application for identifying areas suitable for ecosystem restoration (Leibowitz etal. 1992b). The two projects will be managed by Dr. Fred Limp of University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and Dr. Bob Bennett of Arkansas State University. The emphasis of Dr. Limp's project is GIS analysis, while Dr. Bennett's project will focus upon the field verification of synoptic results. Their work will build upon knowledge gained from a related study conducted in the Tensas River of Louisiana by the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service. Finally, the WRP is cooperating with EPA's Regional Office in Kansas City involving their work with the Synoptic Approach. Regional staff currently are conducting a synoptic assessment of the Great Plains Region. Their purpose is to help local environmental managers identify attainable ecological goals for specific geographic areas. The Region's synoptic project and other approaches for assessing landscape function and wetlands restoration potential were discussed at an August 1995 workshop convened in Lincoln, Nebraska. The workshop was sponsored by WRP, the EPA Regional Office, and the Natural Resource Conservation Service in cooperation with the State of Nebraska. ------- Wetlands Research Update — Page Three Restoration Project The WRP has commissioned several studies designed to demonstrate and refine WRP's "An Approach to Improving Decision Making in Wetlands Restoration and Creation" (Kentula et al. 1992). The work will culminate in a series of new publications discussing methods for (1) prioritizing areas ecologically suitable for riparian restoration, (2) characterizing populations of wetlands to establish their reference condition, and (3) analyzing the information gathered to produce monitoring protocols for establishing wetlands protection goals (e.g., state water quality standards) and/or performance goals for wetlands restoration projects. For example, the WRP is working with its cooperators to produce a special issue of Restoration Ecology on the theme of riparian restoration. The publication will highlight results from a number of studies, including one recently completed by Utah State University in San Diego County, California. Dr. Chuck Hawkins was the principal investigator for the study. Land cover and wetness indices can be combined within a GIS environment to prioritize project sites ecologically suitable for riparian protection within a watershed. Approximately 5500 ha within the San Luis Rey River basin have been identified as priority areas for riparian preservation or restoration (Russell, 1994). The prioritiza- tion process relied upon the use of GIS to identify areas within the watershed as having hydrologic potential for sustaining riparian ecosystems. The selected areas then were prioritized based upon ecological criteria. The initial identification phase of the study was completed using an index of wetness potential that is derived from elevation data using TOPMODEL (Beven and Kirkly 1979). Priority restoration and protection sites then were selected using spatial and proximal considerations (e.g., patch size and connectivity). The considerations and their associated rules of combination were based on the assumption that species habitat is a primary management goal for the watershed. The completed prioritization process provides a sensible starting point for more rigorous project planning at the parcel or stream reach scale of operations. Manuscripts also are being prepared using results from two other closely related studies designed to help riparian restoration planning. The studies were conducted within the Upper Arkansas River basin of Colorado, and again within the San Luis Rey River basin. Results from the Upper Arkansas basin studies, produced by Dr. Mike O'Neill, will describe the impact of inter-basin flow diversions on local hydrologic condition, and its ramifications for the planning of wetlands and riparian restoration projects. Results from research in the San Luis Rey River basin will be reported by Dr. Richard Harris of the University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Harris has documented an approach for using best professional judgement in selecting sites for riparian wetlands protection and restoration (as opposed to the GIS method described above). His approach entails stream reach categorization and a community-level analysis of field data. Results from Dr. Harris's work in the San Luis Rey River basin suggest that the two overarching prescriptions for restoration in the basin are: (1) increase, where attainable, the area of tree-dominated communities to restore historic patterns, and (2) reduce the impact of exotics through selective vegetation management. In another area of research, the WRP continues to analyze data collected from its Oregon Wetland Study (OWS). The study entails the characterization and comparative analysis of a sample of approximately 100 naturally-occurring and mitigated freshwater wetlands located in the Portland Metropolitan Area of Oregon (Magee et al. 1993). ------- Wetlands Research Update — Page Four Preliminary findings suggest a decrease in native plant species diversity associated with wetland mitigation in urban landscapes. Plant species composition of both mitigation projects and naturally occurring wetlands is degrading within the urban growth boundary of Portland, Oregon. Degradation is indicated by a high percentage of introduced plant taxa. Also, degradation can be inferred from the species accumulation curves constructed for the projects. The curves do not attain a plateau, as would be expected in an ecologically intact landscape in the region. In other words, sampling wetlands in a relatively intact landscape should reveal a redundancy in recorded plant species. Sampling in the Portland Metro area shows that this redundancy has been compro- mised, thereby placing the remaining wetland plant taxa at risk from future disturbance. The management implication of OWS results is that natural wetlands located in urban landscapes provide refugia for many native wetland plants. However, mitigation activities planned to replace or increase the amount of refugia in urban settings may not prove successful. Most of the mitigation projects to date are not the same wetland type as what was lost. Offsite mitigation of wetland types typical of the region and within less disturbed areas may prove more beneficial if the project goal is preservation of plant species diversity. Research findings from OWS eventually will be used to produce a wetland monitoring manual. The manual, as currently envisioned, will serve as a template for multiple applications, including the establishment of wetland protection criteria and performance criteria for restoration projects. The manual will reflect OWS results as well as information gathered from several other WRP- supported projects. For example, researchers from Chico State University in California evaluated wetland characterization methods developed by Kentula et al. (1992) and Magee et al. (1993) for use in monitoring the performance of vernal pool projects. Dr. David Kistner and his associates conducted their field work within the Central Valley of California, where a primary goal of wetland restoration is the conservation of biodiversity (Kistner et al. 1995). Based upon their field reconnaissance, the scientists from Chico State University prepared a sampling design modified from the WRP methods that takes into account both plants and macroinvertebrates associated with vernal pools. Within the design, naturally occurring wetlands are used to determine the quality attained or potentially attainable by project pools. Complementary work on the topic of wetlands monitoring is being finished up by researchers from the University of Washington, while new studies are being planned for the Prairie Pothole Region. Dr. Kern Ewing and his colleagues from the University of Washington soon will be reporting on methods for selecting and sampling reference sites to advance the design of wetland mitigation banks in the Puget Sound region. Finally, the WRP is planning a new monitoring project with the National Biological Service. Dr. Chip Euliss, with the Service, is working with WRP staff on plans to adapt the OWS study plan for use in the Prairie Pothole Region. The goal of that study is to develop an approach for monitoring the performance of various wetland restoration programs, including the USDA Wetlands Reserve Program and the Partners for Wildlife Program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. ------- Wetlands Research Update — Page Five Wetlands Function Project Information on relationships between stressors and the degradation of wetland functions is needed for a risk-based approach to wetland protection. New research sponsored by the Project is finding appropriate environmental indicators for characterizing the condition and function of wetlands along a gradient of environmental disturbance. For example, an urban wetlands study conducted by the University of Massachusetts at Amherst is investigating various environmental indicators for evaluating the ecological condition of wetlands in urban landscapes. Data collected from selected watersheds in the Connecticut River Basin is being evaluated to determine how wetlands respond to the impacts of urbanization, as measured by percent impervious surface within the watersheds. Roadways and roof structures create large amounts of impervious surface within our urban communities. New scientific evidence emerging from around the country shows that degradation of aquatic ecosystems occurs when 10-20 percent of a watershed is rendered impervious by urbanization. Researchers from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst are investigating this phenomenon with respect to wetlands. Preliminary results from rapid wetlands assessment within the Connecticut River Basin suggest that the habitat function of wetlands is affected by the amount of impervious surface in the watershed. Researchers currently are developing specific biological indicators that can be used to quantify the impact on the ecological integrity of wetlands. They hypothesize that benthic macroinvertebrate communities can serve as one of the more robust indicators of wetland condition. In addition, the researchers are exploring the responsive- ness of the indicator to changes in sediment regime and water quality. The WRP also is sponsoring other studies designed specifically to support the development by the states of biological criteria for wetlands. For example, the WRP is working in collaboration with the National Biological Survey to evaluate the condition of Great Lakes coastal wetlands. Abundant and diverse fish has been documented in coastal wetlands of the Great Lakes. Researchers characterized a population of minimally disturbed "reference wetlands" along the shores of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan coastal wetlands earlier this year. Analysis revealed that the coastal wetlands provide significant breeding and feeding habitat for fish. The heaviest use of the fish habitat appears to occur in spring and early summer. Large numbers of young-of-the- year yellow perch and northern pike where observed leaving the Bark Bay slough study site on Lake Superior in late June. Further site characterization should help produce a new understanding of the environmental factors that affect the distribution, diversity, and abundance offish species using Great Lakes wetlands. Environmental indicators then can be derived from such knowledge, along with the criteria needed to support and restore aquatic life use. The effect of different management practices on reducing the amount of wetland degradation caused by land use also is a topic of project research. The WRP is in the second year of a major research effort within the Prairie Pothole Region. Twenty seasonal wetlands exposed to a range of upland agricultural practices are being monitored within the Missouri Coteau Ecoregion of North Dakota. Project reports describing relationships between wetland buffers and wetland condition should be completed in late 1996. ------- Wetlands Research Update — Page Six Ancillary research within the Prairie Pothole Region is developing approaches for examining the exposure and effects of pesticide use on wetlands within the region. Future publications will describe results of a pesticide source characterization. The characterization will include a county-level comparison of wetland density, pesticide application rates, and active chemical ingredients associated with each agricultural land use. Information from the assessment should prove useful in future studies designed to evaluate the ecological risks to wetlands posed by pesticide applications Finally, the WRP has funded new research to develop indices of biotic integrity (IBI) for Southeastern bottomland hardwood forests. The project is being conducted by Louisiana State University in conjunction with Clemson University. Researchers are examining . historical data sets for a population of wetlands located in Louisiana and South Carolina. The data sets from the wetlands are being supplemented with ongoing data collections. Study wetlands have been exposed to a variety of stressors, including wastewater inputs. Technical Information Transfer Activities Over the last year, the WRP contributed resources and expertise to the following activities performed in collaboration with the EPA Regional Offices and several of the states. * Initiation of a new project designed to promote broader geographical use of the "Avian Richness Evaluation Method" - "AREM" (Adamus 1993a,b). AREM consists of a series of wildlife habitat relationship models covering a number of bird species. The procedure estimates the number of species likely to occur regularly in a particular wetland, and uses this information to assign importance to the site. AREM was originally developed for use with riparian and wetland ecosystems of western Colorado. The new project will produce reports describing bird use of wetlands within the Willamette Valley of Oregon. * Initiation of a study on the development of environmental indicators for wetland evaluation. The University of Massachusetts at Amherst is conducting the study in cooperation with EPA's New England Region (Boston). Results from the study are being incorporated into an "example" state wetland assessment methodology that can be used as a template by states wanting to develop their own standard methodology. The methodology is tentatively titled "A Two-Tier Approach to Functional Assessment of Wetlands." It will incorporate several new concepts into wetlands assess- ment, including the use of indicators that reflect wetland condition and restoration potential. It also will have utility for assessing wetlands within urban landscapes. Products are scheduled for completion in late 1995. Our future challenge is establishing a direct link between the various state assessment methods and the Corps of Engineers "HGM-based" functional assessment method. * Support for the State of Minnesota and the establishment of wetland reference condition for riverine wetlands. Minnesota's Pollution Control Agency is in the process of characterizing wetland reference sites within the North Central Hardwood Forests Ecoregion (i.e., depressional wetlands). New reference sites containing riverine wetlands soon will be selected for study within the Western Corn Belt Plains Ecoregion. Information from the studies can be used to develop protection and restoration criteria that reflect the inherent variability of wetlands, including their relative functions and conditions. * Sponsored a meeting in Duluth, Minnesota, to coordinate research that supports the development of wetland biological criteria. Participants discussed requirements for the establishment of reference sites, sampling frequency and intensity, the merits of different taxa as indicators of biotic condition, ecological measures to supplement the biotic measures, and analytical approaches to identify the best indicators of condition. They concluded that the ------- Wetlands Research Update — Page Seven process of establishing reference condition for wetlands should include the characterization of wetlands along a gradient of disturbance associated with a given landscape. * Sponsored workshops in Lincoln, Nebraska and Washington, D.C. on the geographical prioritization and monitoring of wetlands, respectively. The workshops were co-sponsored with EPA Regional Offices and the National Resource Conservation Service. The Service is particularly interested in the development of science-based approaches for increasing and sustaining the performance of restoration projects conducted under the USDA Wetlands Reserve Program. * Encouraged WRP cooperators to participate and provide technical advice to local watershed councils, where appropriate. For example, researchers from Utah State University have shared their technical information and ideas on ecosystem restoration with the local watershed coordinator for the Upper Arkansas River Basin (see Restoration Section). Their partnership appears to be succeeding as they work on new collaborative projects. They are exploring opportunities to assist local property owners with the restoration of fish habitat within water quality limited stream reaches. * Continued support for the development and validation of hydrogeomorphic-based approaches for wetland assessment. The WRP commissioned a report by Dr. Mark Brinson and others entitled, "Background and Recommendations for Establishing Reference Wetlands in the Piedmont of the Carolinas and Georgia." The report has been peer reviewed and is currently being revised prior to distribution. * Prepared a report entitled, "Amphibian Toxicity Data for Water Quality Criteria Chemicals." The publication is a compilation of tables listing data gleaned from the scientific 'iterature. Personnel Notes The WRP program wishes the best of luck to Dr. Eric Preston, who retired from EPA in September. Eric was the previous manager of the Wetlands Research Program. More recently, he managed EPA's Ecosystem Management Research Program for the Pacific Northwest and was a principal contributor to the Biodiversity Research Consortium. Eric provided outstanding scientific leadership in the areas of cumulative effects assessment, land- scape analysis, and biodiversity assessment. We eagerly anticipate his authoring of several important manuscripts now that he is free of administrative chores. In Closing If this Update was mailed to you, you're on our mailing list and will continue to receive Program information. If you wish to be added to our mailing list, please contact the Wetlands Research Program, EPA Western Ecology Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333. Inquiries about specific research projects can be directed to Richard Sumner at the above address. He will direct the inquiry to the appropriate principal investigator. ------- Recent Program Publications and Cited Literature The Mowing publications may be obtained through a library. Inquiries about EPA publications may be directed to EPA's Center for Environmental Research Information (CERI), 26 West Martin Luther King Boulevard, Cincinnati, OH 45268 - Telephone (513) 569-7562. Adamus, P.R. 1993a. Irrigated wetlands of the Colorado Plateau: Information Synthesis and Habitat Evaluation Method. EPA/600/R-93/071. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Research Laboratory, Corvallis, OR. Adamus, P.R. 1993b. User's Manual: Avian Richness Evaluation Method (AREM) for Lowland Wetlands of the Colorado Plateau. EPA/600/R-93/240. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, OR. Beven, K.J and M.J. Kirkly. 1979. A Physically Based Variable Contributing Area Model of Basin Hydrology. Hydrological Sciences Bulletin. 24:43-69. Kentula, M.E., R.E. Brooks, S.E. Gwin, C.C. Holland, A.D. Sherman, and J.C. Sifneos. 1992. An Approach to Improving Decision Making in Wetland Restoration and Creation. Island Press, Washington D.C. Kistner, D.H., D.G. Alexander, and H.R. Jacobson. 1995. Vernal pool creation and restoration in California: A study plan for evaluating attainable quality and functional performance. EPA/600/R-95/073. U.S. Environmental Protection Research Laboratory, Corvallis, OR. Leibowitz, S.G., E.M. Preston, L.Y. Arnaut, N.E. Detenbeck, C.A. Hagley, M.E. Kentula, R.K. Olson, W.D. Sanville, and R.R. Sumner. 1992(a). Wetlands Research Plan FY92-96: An Integrated Risk-Based Approach. Edited by Joan P. Baker. EPA/600/R-92/060. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Research Laboratory, Corvallis, OR. Leibowitz, S.G., B. Abbruzzese, P.R. Adamus, L.E. Hughes, and J.T. Irish. 1992(b). A Synoptic Approach to Cumulative Impact Assessment: A Proposed Methodology. Edited by S.C. McCannell and A. J. Hairston. EPA/600/R- 92/167. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Research Laboratory, Corvallis, OR. Magee, T.K., S.E. Gwin, R.G. Gibson, C.C. Holland, J.E. Honea, P.W. Shaffer, J.C. Sifneos, and M.E. Kentula. 1993. Research Plan and Methods Manual for the Oregon Wetland Study. Document production by K. Miller. EPA/600/R-93/072. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Research Laboratory, Corvallis, OR. Russell, G. 1994. Site Selection for Riparian Wetland Restoration Using a Geographic Information System. M.S. Thesis. Utah State University, Logan, UT. 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