Ecoregion: Northern Great Plains Steppe 



Aquatic Ecological System Type: D005-Northwestem Great Plains Intermittent Stream trending 

 towards a Great Plains prairie stream if downstream connectivity is maintained. 



Key Environmental Factors: Hydrology — upstream beaver dams; Grazing — moderate impacts 



Rare or Unique Species: Iowa Darter 



Rare Features: No rare features documented 



Introduced/Exotic Species: Yellow bullhead, golden shiner and green sunfish 



Overall Ecological Site Condition: Fair 



Reach Summary: The 250m reach consisted of 3 run/pool complexes with the uppermost pool being 

 ~1 00m long and containing the most fish holding habitat. This stream reach has moderate aquatic habitat 

 with extensive beds of macrophytes, beaver dam complexes in the reach, without which, the pool would 

 have been smaller and disconnected. Pools averaging 10-1 5m long and 2.25m wide. The first 2 riffle/pool 

 complexes proceeding upstream were deep enough to allow seining for fish, the last pool was clear and 

 shallow enough to visibly inspect for fish and amphibians. Spacing between the pools was ~20m apart for 

 the bottom 3, and ~ 1 00m from pool 3 to 4. All substrate of the pools was silt dominated with surrounding 

 vegetation dominated by Scirpus sp. (rushes) and Eleocharis palustris, common spikerush. Aquatic 

 vegetation and overhanging banks provided the most significant stream habitat in this stream reach. 

 Livestock use index (LUI) was moderate with -20 cow pies counted on a 75m walk of the left bank. 

 Pugging and hummocking was especially noticeable in the first pool area where the cows have a stream 

 crossing near the beaver dam. 



Reach Riparian Ranking: BLM= 66.7% (16 of 24) EPA RBP= 69.5 % (139 of 200) 



Reach Riparian Geomorphology: The geomorphology of this stream reach is a Rosgen F-6 with a 

 gentle-medium slope (~1%), moderate sinuosity, a run-pool configuration with substrate dominated by 

 cobbles and ranging to gravel-dominated pools. Pools are slightly incised and averaged >40 cm in depth, 

 wetted width of the reach was . Surrounding bank materials are finer than the channel bed materials. 



Amphibian Community: 20-30 adult Northern Leopard Frogs (NLF) were collected throughout the 

 reach. 



Fish Community: 7 fish species (4 natives) were seined in the 3 pools. Dominant fish species was the 

 fathead minnow. Expected fish for this stream type would have been fathead minnows, brassy minnows 

 and brook sticklebacks, so the additional species were a surprise, especially the Iowa darter, unfortunately 

 3 non-native species were collected reducing the quality of the fish community and the IBI. 



Fish Community Quality: 181= 56.65 0/E= 51.6% 



Macroinvertebrate Community: Macroinvertebrate Community: This community of intermittent 

 prairie stream invertebrates consists of the Prairie Pool assemblage (#12, Stagliano 2005). The 

 community indicator species are characterized by tolerant, damselfiy taxa, Coenagrion/Enallagma sp. 

 Enallagma civile, testes and Ishnura, the crustaceans {Hyalella and Gammarus), many genera and 



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