1. Vegetation + Macroinvertebrate Monitoring
NPA Janes Creek Restoration Project

2. Table of Contents Riparian Habitat Invasive vegetation
vegetation sampling
Macroinvertebrates
water quality
indicator species
Conclusions + questions

3. Riparian Vegetation
Riparian zone- The interface between the land and a river or stream.
Includes plants that thrive in wet environments
Classic riparian species: Willow, Alder, grasses, rushes, sedges etc… Important: maintain temperature, provide nutrients, stabilize bank.

5. Native Riparian Plants
Plants which have historically occurred in an area area known as native plants.
Diverse array of vegetation native to Janes Creek, including:
Willows (Salix spp.)
Sedges and rushes (Carex, Scirpus, Juncus spp.)
Red flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum)
Red Alder (Alnus rubra)
Thimbleberry and Salmonberry (Rubus parviflorus, R. spectabilis)

6. ©Steve Baskauf
© Jean Pawek

7. Invasive Vegetation
Invasive species: A Non native plant that outcompetes native vegetation through prolific propagation
Invasive vegetation can quickly and aggressively overwhelm an ecosystem.

8. Reed Canary grass has choked out the stream, prohibiting fish passage, and outcompetes necessary riparian vegetation

9. Phalaris arundinacea
Reed Canarygrass

10. Vegetation Sampling
Monitoring vegetation must be done before and after reed canarygrass removal
Conducted by tossing a stone to determine center of the 1x1m plots, flag corners
Estimate percent cover of plants by species
One of project goals is to increase biodiversity on-site by removing reed canarygrass - monitoring will help us assess how well this goal is achieved

11. Species
Common Name
Vegetation type
Invasive / Native
Thuja plicata
Western red cedar
Tree
Native
Sequoia sempervirens
Redwood
Alnus rubra
Red alder
Populus spp.
Cottonwood / Aspen
Salix spp.
Willow species
Tree / Shrub
Ribes sanguineum
Red flowering currant
Shrub
Rubus armeniacus
Himalayan blackberry
Invasive
Rubus parvifolius
Thimbleberry
Rubus spectabilis
Salmonberry
Ranunculus repens
Creeping buttercup
Forb
Hedera Helix
English Ivy
Scirpus microcarpus
Panicled bulrush
Graminoid
Typha latifolia
Cattail
Phalaris arundinacea
Reed canarygrass
Grass

12. Tips on Estimating Percent Cover
Start with most dominant to least dominant
Use classes (0-5%, 6-24%, 25-50%, etc.) based on information to be gained from surveying
Helps to use charts like this one

13. Benthic Macroinvertebrate Sampling
Benthic: relating to the bottom of a lake, ocean, or stream
Macroinvertebrate: an organism without a backbone, which is visible to the eye without the aid of a microscope

14. Macroinverts give us clues about water quality

15. Mayfly
Caddisfly
Indicator Species - Species that serve as a measure of the environmental conditions that exist in a given habitat

16. Collecting

17. Sorting

18. Ranking
= 3
= 2
= 1

19. Amphibians of Janes Creek
A few native species:
Yellow legged frog
Red-legged frog
Pacific chorus frog
Northwestern salamander
Invasive species:
American bullfrog

20. Why amphibians?
Amphibians are great indicator species of stream health.
Sensitive to pollutants
Habitat requirements
Consistency with past
conditions
©Jacki Dougan

21. Conclusions
Draw information from environment from biological components to assess ecosystem health
Ability to maintain conditions supporting diverse array of life forms
Success and interactions of organisms dependent on physical conditions

22. Final thoughts Diversity as an indicator of health of a system
Assessing diversity through several means gives us a well-rounded look at environmental health
May give us clues as to what is negatively influencing system