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ARS Home » Plains Area » Las Cruces, New Mexico » Range Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #398223
Research Project: Science and Technologies for the Sustainable Management of Western Rangeland Systems

Location: Range Management Research

Title: AIM national aquatic nonitoring framework: Field protocol for lentic riparian and wetland systems

Author
item REYNOLDS, LINSAY - Bureau Of Land Management
item LEMLY, JOANNA - Colorado Department Of Agriculture
item DICKARD, MELISSA - Bureau Of Land Management
item MARSHALL, SARAH - Colorado State University
item MANNING, MARY - Us Forest Service (FS)
item MILLER, SCOTT - Bureau Of Land Management
item KACHERGIS, EMILY - Bureau Of Land Management
item McCord, Sarah
item KARL, JASON - University Of Idaho

Submitted to: Bureau of Land Management
Publication Type: Government Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/1/2023
Publication Date: 8/10/2023
Citation: Reynolds, L., Lemly, J., Dickard, M., Marshall, S., Manning, M., Miller, S., Kachergis, E., Mccord, S.E., Karl, J. 2023. AIM national aquatic nonitoring framework: Field protocol for lentic riparian and wetland systems. Bureau of Land Management. Technical reference 1725-2, Version 2.

Interpretive Summary: The goal of this monitoring protocol is to provide a standard way to monitor riparian and wetland resources on public lands. This protocol targets a broader sample population of riparian and wetland areas than other existing protocols and is tailored for public lands in the western landscape. Data collected using this protocol can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of land management actions on maintaining or improving the biological, physical, and chemical integrity of riparian and wetland areas in order to inform policy, planning, and state and federal regulations. The protocol has been developed following principles outlined in the BLM’s National Aquatic Monitoring Framework, which recommends standardized indicators and associated field methodologies for monitoring aquatic environments consistent with BLM’s Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) Strategy . However, the protocol can be used in any application where a standardized set of monitoring methods is needed for riparian and wetland areas.

Technical Abstract: The Field Protocol for Lentic Riparian and Wetland Systems has been developed jointly by specialists from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) in conjunction with science partner Colorado Natural Heritage Program of Colorado State University. The protocol was developed in response to requests from land-management personnel for standardized monitoring techniques that can be used to determine the condition, track trends, and measure the annual use of vegetated riparian and wetland areas, sometimes referred to as lentic riparian-wetland systems. The Field Protocol for Lentic Riparian and Wetland Systems is applicable to assessment and monitoring questions at various spatial scales from fine-scale (e.g., site-specific, pasture, or allotment scale) to broad-scale (e.g., ecoregional, state, or national scale). A multi-scale approach ensures consistency across scales and allows local data to be viewed in context and to inform questions at broader scales.