  |
|
|
|
|
| Title | McDonald Creek Benthic Macroinvertebrate Study: A Cumulative Impact Assessment after Timber Harvesting in a Small Watershed | |||
| Month-Year Published | February 1999 | |||
| Online Availability |
2580 kilobytes, requires version 4.0 or later of Adobe Acrobat Reader Software get Acrobat Reader
| |||
| Short Description |
The benthic macroinvertebrate communities were sampled in McDonald Creek and South Fork (SF) Fulton Creek, two low order tributaries to Hood Canal in Jefferson County, Washington. The creeks were sampled from 1993 through 1996 during the fall low flow period. The study was designed to monitor cumulative effects to the benthic community in McDonald Creek before and after timber harvesting. SF Fulton Creek was sampled concurrently to provide a reference condition. (Also see abstract below) | |||
| Publication Number | 99-304 | |||
| Author(s) | Dickes, B. | |||
| Print Availability | ||||
| Number of pages | 32 pp. + app. (37 total) | |||
| Keywords | assessment, benthic, county, creek, fee, flow, gravel, Hood Canal, invertebrates, macroinvertebrates, methods, order, pH, sampling, stream, study, timber, water, watershed | |||
| Subject Waterbodies |
| |||
| Abstract | Long Description |
The benthic macroinvertebrate communities were sampled in McDonald Creek and South Fork (SF) Fulton Creek, two low order tributaries to Hood Canal in Jefferson County, Washington. The creeks were sampled from 1993 through 1996 during the fall low flow period. The study was designed to monitor cumulative effects to the benthic community in McDonald Creek before and after timber harvesting. SF Fulton Creek was sampled concurrently to provide a reference condition. Loss of 1993 data precluded comparison of pre/post harvest conditions. After timber harvesting in the McDonald Creek watershed there was a major shift in bedload. Gravel from upstream inundated the lower reach. Sections of the main channel were filled resulting in subsurface flow and a loss of favorable habitat. Macroinvertebrates were analyzed by two methods: 1) a benthic index of biotic integrity, and 2) functional feeding groups. Neither method detected significant differences between McDonald Creek and the reference condition. Sampling the best available habitat did not describe the hydrologic impacts to the ecosystem. For determining pre-existing channel integrity, transects should be considered in mapping fluctuations in physical habitat. Additionally, sampling sites bracketing the areas of timber harvesting are necessary to fully understand impacts to the system. Since pre-harvest data were not available for analysis, results from this study should not be used to determine the effectiveness of macroinvertebrates as an impact assessment tool in the harvested watershed. |
||
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
