Project Number: 3602-13000-008-04
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Aug 09, 2005
End Date: Aug 08, 2010

Objective:
The objective of this cooperative research agreement is to assess the ecological health of streams in the Cedar Creek of the St. Joseph River Watershed that currently serves as a benchmark for the USDA Conservation Effects Assessment Program. The assessement will use a combination of analyses from fish and macroinvertebrate community diversity, water quality monitoring, and habitat analyses to achieve the project goals.

Approach:
Annual assessments will be made near the ARS current automated samplers in the Cedar Creek of the St. Joseph River Watershed. Riparian zone habitat will be characterized at each site one time per year. Fish and macroinvertebrate sampling, water quality measurements, and in-stream habitat measurements will be made at each site in the spring (May), mid-summer (July), and fall (September) each year over a five-year period. Several ecological indices, i.e., Headwater Habitat Evaluation Index, Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index, Fish and Macroinvertebrate Community Diversity Index will be calculated to reflect the aquatic health of the monitored streams. Ecological indices will be correlated to the hydrological and water quality data collected by ARS and other organizations working at the same area.