1	Field Training for Non-Wadeable Streams and Rivers Part 1. From Dave Peck April 2003 (EMAP Western Pilot Study) With CPCB modifications 17 August 2007
2	SITE SELECTION YEAR 1 = 5 random sites chosen by EPA YEAR 2 = 30 random sites chosen by EPA 5 reference sites chosen by CPCB Office evaluation Maps & permission No sites in Missouri R. floodplain No more than 3 sites per tributary Reconnaissance if possible Access & hazards Go through list of PRIMARY sites first. If you can’t sample a site, replace it with the next site on the ALTERNATE list
3	SAFETY Updated tetanus shots CPR and 1^st aid training WEAR LIFEJACKETS in BOATS Sunscreen, water, food, etc. Water quality may pose a hazard at some sites (Wash often, use sanitizer) Comfortable with site conditions and access Wide range of sites (urban, canals to wilderness )-- need to be prepared for all kinds of different safety situations Electrofishing– using powerful generators, dealing with water in raft at times
4	Data Recording (Table 2-3) Data Forms Will be only record of your visit “If you don’t write it down, it never happened.” No doodling!! Make copies, but send originals Stream ID and visit (date) must be correct on all forms for a site Check forms before you leave the site
5	A “Good” Data Form
6	Not-Too Bad, but…
7	Not-so Hot #1
8	Not-so-Hot #2
9	Not-So-Hot #3
10	Not-So-Hot #4
11	Not-So-Hot #5
12	Not-So-Hot #6
13	GENERAL SEQUENCE OF ACTIVITIES Sampling conducted during one pass downstream through the sampling reach Fish raft – samples along shoreline, stops to process fish at each transect. Alternate banks every 2 transects. Habitat raft - samples down channel, then stops at each transect for nearshore and riparian measurements. One bank entire reach (Fig. 6-1). GPS reading taken at each transect. Some duties (e.g., collection of benthos and periphyton samples) can be done by either raft (said EPA) But probably better for fish raft b/c of switching banks? At last transect K Water chemistry samples & in situ measurements, mid-channel Qualitative assessment forms (e.g., Channel Constraint, Visual Assessment, RBP Habitat) Samples processed at take-out point
14	FIND THE X-SITE PROBABILITY SAMPLING Systematic randomized sample of stream network from 1:100,000 scale USGS topo maps (perennial “blue line” streams) Design is optimized to estimate condition of the population expressed as stream length Very important to go to randomly selected (X-site) site on map; no alternatives But can slide reach around X FINDING THE X-SITE Non-wadeable sites: located on map prior to sampling, sampling reach is estimated based on x-site, location of put-in and take-out points Goal is to be within 100 m; 0.25 inches on 7.5” map = 150 m = 0.1 miles In the field, use all available means to confirm you are at the correct river
15	INITIAL SITE ACTIVITIES Site Verification Sampleable Wadeable Boatable Partial: Sampled by wading or by boat Interrupted flow Altered: stream different than map depiction Make sketches on form Non-Sampleable (Permanent) Dry when visited (100 %) Dry- not visited (e.g., During recon or when calling for access permission) Still need to complete a verification form for these sites Wetland (no defined channel) Map error--No Channel or Water Body Present Impounded Other (e.g., pipeline or underground flow) Non target Canal: Must meet both criteria No natural channel Only purpose is to move water
16	INITIAL SITE ACTIVITIES (cont.) Site Verification (Continued) No Access Permission Denied Permanently Inaccessible Temporarily Inaccessible (fire, weather, floods, need permission) Can be re-scheduled for following year Still need to complete a verification form for these sites
17	SAMPLING CONSIDERATIONS Sampling Atypical Flow Conditions Do not sample if flow seems atypical due to recent precipitation (Table 4-2) Classify as “Temporarily Inaccessible” on Verification Form Partially Boatable sites (Table 4-1) Do what can be done SAFELY Interrupted flow (enduring pools) Do not sample if excessive dragging of rafts will be required Classify as “Temporarily Non-sampleable—Not Boatable” on Verification Form If sampled by raft, collect all indicators if possible Access Permission/Public Relations Always ask for permission on site land owner may not have told renters Act professionally Good P.R. goes a long way Safety Don’t sample during storm events if water is very turbid/high. Flash floods? Think safety first; driving is biggest hazard
18	VERIFICATION FORM
19	BASE SITE ACTIVITIES (Section 3) Before sampling Site dossiers Check equipment (pre-label and package chemistry sample containers) If used Conductivity meter needs to be checked periodically (but not before every site) if you are doing field measurements QC check solution Low conductivity (Dilute phosphate buffer), approx. 75 microSiemens/cm at 25 degrees C. Medium/high conductivity: (Potassium chloride), approx 700 or 1400 microSiemens/cm at 25 degrees C. Check temperature probe on oxygen meter periodically using a thermometer CHECKLISTS!!!!
20	REACH Determined ahead of time from map measurements A is upstream, K is downstream This is different than the manual: 40 x mean wetted width (at the point of entry) Minimum reach length = 150 m; Maximum 1000 m Can slide reach as long as X is still within reach X is the site coordinates Main channel between transects 10 habitat, substrate, backwater measurements 20 snags, Thalweg measurements At transects (switch shores every other transect: odd # sites begin on the left, even # sites begin on the right) Habitat Bugs Periphyton
21	REACH (cont.)
22	SLIDING THE REACH Barriers in reach Ponds, lakes, reservoirs Stream order (100,000 map) changes (confluences) Impassable physical barriers (cliffs, dams) Access denials Keep constant reach length, slide reach to avoid barrier, X-site must be in reach Do Not slide for bridges, rip-rap, pipes
23	WATER CHEMISTRY (Section 5) Collect a water sample at last transect (K) in mid-channel or flowing section of stream (or another transect if necessary) EPA will tell us what they want, but here’s the former method: One 4 L cubitainer: major anions/cations, total nutrients, DOC, TSS, acid-base chemistry Two, 60 mL sealed syringes (protect from CO₂ exposure): Dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) pH Avoid contamination Rinse container and lid 3x Do not inflate cubitainers by mouth Avoid food, insect repellent, sunscreen before collecting sample Fill syringes to 60cc, no bubbles in syringe, don't label over graduations Exclude all air from cubitainers, tape lids Keep cold and dark on ice, ship next day if possible If not, ship as soon as you can Use ice substitute packs instead of ice to ship if possible LOTS OF ICE (Total wt. of cooler should be 40-50 lbs.)
24	WATER CHEMISTRY (Section 5), cont’d In situ meter reading of air and water temperature,dissolved oxygen (DO),conductivity, turbidity, salinity at same place Record on both EPA and CPCB forms Phytoplankton 50 ml Filter! Return to Lim.
25	SAMPLE COLLECTION FORM
26	PERIPHYTON (Section 7) NOT the EPA method in the Peck et al. manual CPCB 5 vial method Every other transect (A, C, E, G, I), proper bank CPCB form Label vials Site number Vial number (1 through 5) Date Use deliminator Hard substrate - Upper surface scrubbed & aspirated Soft substrate - Top 0.5 cm aspirated Filter! Keep on ice, in dark Return to Lim
27	CPCB SAMPLE COLLECTION FORM
28	MACROINVERTEBRATES (Section 9) Each transect, proper bank 1 D-frame kick net sample - 500 micrometer mesh At appropriate bank Away from river margin, but Depth <1 m Sample area = 1 net width wide, 1 net width long Place heavy mussels and snails in net Scrub large rocks into net, then remove from quadrant 30 second kick Note habitat and substrate Composite all 11 samples from a site Label Preserve in formalin
29	MACROINVERTEBRATES (Cont.) Kick net sampling (Table 9-1) Riffle/run sampling (enough flow to extend net) Examine and scrub rocks and larger substrates within 1 ft² quadrant first, then place them outside of quadrat. Kick remaining finer substrate (top layer only) in quadrat for 30 seconds Stand at side of net, not upstream Only check one substrate type per sample Also indicate microhabitat type at sampling point Pool sampling (not enough flow to extend net) Examine and scrub rocks and larger substrates within 1 ft² quadrant first, then place them outside of quadrant. Stir up top sediments within quadrant, sweep net through cloud for 30 seconds
30	MACROINVERTEBRATES (Cont’d) Processing (Table 9-2) Don’t label jars until you’ve collected the sample! Remove as much material as possible before preserving (coarse and fine) Do not fill jar more than 1/4 full of residue Fill to top with preservative (no headspace) to cushion specimens After adding preservative, gently rotate the jar to horizontal position to mix to minimize damage to specimens Don’t invert, agitate, or swirl Complete label for inside of jar (water-resistant paper) Make sure info on label and form match (e.g., no. jars)
31	SAMPLE COLLECTION FORM
32	AQUATIC VERTEBRATES (Section 10) NOT amphibians and crayfish Electrofishing - primary sampling technique If conductivity > 1700 us/cm, use GPP 5 unit 1 pass through reach along banks, with effort allocated among entire reach length (45 min for small streams, 3 hr for large, wide streams) Areas between transects (“sub-reaches”) used to spread effort throughout reach, and to keep track of where species were collected Alternate banks every 2 sub-reaches On larger streams, may take > 1 day to completely sample reach Electrofishing swath 3 – 4 m wide At oar’s length from shore Near cover Depths < 3 meters wherever possible.
33	AQUATIC VERTEBRATES (cont.) Sein each transect as last resort Kick seining or sweep hauls Multiple short hauls preferred over long ones to minimize mortality Need to keep track of sites not fished and why, and how much of reach was sampled effectively Header section of collection form
34	AQUATIC VERTEBRATES (cont.) ID and tally Keep “species” bagged separately OK to use more than one tag for species to avoid opening and closing bags as you progress through reach Voucher specimens: Listed species; photograph, then release Large or easy to ID: Keep 1-2 specimens, or photograph if too large or game species Smaller or hard to ID will have been brought back to lab: Preserve up to 20 adults Need to be able to correct counts for misidentifications GOOD CLEAR PHOTOS ARE CRITICAL Must be able to confirm ID from photo Make sure vouchers are properly preserved! Don’t pack fish in bags; use > 1 bag/tag if necessary Fill in every sub-reach where species is collected We won’t compute Jaccard coefficient Record any specimens with anomalies (not type), and mortality from collecting or handling
35	VOUCHER PHOTOGRAPHS
36	VERTEBRATE COLLECTION FORM
37	FISH TISSUE CONTAMINANTS (Section 11) Used as “Sampling device” to get some idea of long-term exposure of stream to toxics Vouchers come before tissue. Two types of samples Big > 120 mm total length Up to 3 individuals of 3 different species Piscivores >> Invertivores >> Omnivores Up to 9 different samples Each species gets own ID number Small < 100 mm total length Similar sized individuals; 400 g wet wt. (approx 14-16 oz.) “Pop can” One ID number for all If tissue samples are too large for a clear zip-lock bag, place in a garbage bag and put a second label on the outside of the garbage bag
38	VERTEBRATE COLLECTION FORM (p. 2)
39	Visual Assessments Done at end of day (or on the way to hotel) Visual Assessment Place to note things you can’t on other forms Watershed disturbance: Consider “catchment” (watershed upstream of Transect K) Include any observations driving to and from site Site Characteristics: 200m circle about X-site for site characteristics
40	TRACKING FORMS
41	BACK AT KBS Take care of samples the day you return! Chemistry samples for USEPA Chain-of-custody Seal coolers Store in walk-in cooler Take to EPA the next day Periphyton & phytoplankton samples for Lim Chain-of custody Small cool in walk-in-cooler Leave a note for her Fish and bugs Track on sign-in sheet in tile room Let lab person know samples have arrived Fish tissue to ???
42	BACK AT KBS (cont.) The next day review field sheets Missing info Clean up handwriting Photocopy & put in order Clean equipment Hose outside Clean up vehicles and boats FIX anything needing fixing Gas receipts to Josh Travel forms
43	Habitat Methods These are in the other presentations.