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

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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.

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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).

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.
United States Environmental Protection Agency
National Health & Environmental Effects Laboratory
200 Southwest 35th Street
Corvallis, OR 97333
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