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Did changes in western federal land management policies improve salmonid habitat in streams on public lands within the Interior Columbia River Basin?

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Abstract

Historic management actions authorized or allowed by federal land management agencies have had a profound negative effect on salmon, trout, and char populations and their habitats. To rectify past failings, in the 1990s, federal agencies in the Interior Columbia River Basin modified how they conducted land management activities to foster the conservation of aquatic species. The primary policy changes were to provide additional protection and restoration of lands near streams, lakes, and wetlands. What remains uncertain was whether these changes have altered the trajectory of stream habitat conditions. To address this question, we evaluate the status and trends of ten stream habitat attributes; wood frequency, wood volume, residual pool depth, percent pool, pool frequency, pool tail fines (< 6 mm), median particle size, percent undercut banks, bank angle, and streambank stability in managed and reference catchments following changes in management policies. Our review of these data support the hypothesis that changes made in management standards and guidelines in the 1990s are related to improved stream conditions. Determining the precise magnitude of changes in stream conditions that resulted from the modification of land management policies is difficult due to the shifting environmental baseline. By understanding and accounting for how changes in stream conditions reflect improved land management policies and broader environmental trends, federal agencies will be better situated to make project level decisions that benefit aquatic resources.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Jeff Kershner, Christy Meredith, Robert Al-Chokhachy, and Eric Archer for their work in organizing and running the PacFish Infish Biological Opinion Effectiveness Monitoring Program (PIBO EMP); without such work, the data used in this study would not be available. Earlier drafts of this manuscript were greatly improved by suggestions made by Eric Archer, Christy Meredith, and two anonymous reviewers.

Funding

This study was primarily funded by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management with additional assistance from the Environmental Protection Agency, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries.

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  1. National Stream and Aquatic Ecology Center, Forest Service, 860 North 1200 East, Logan, Utah, 84321, USA

    Brett B. Roper

  2. PacFish InFish Biological Opinion Effectiveness Program, Forest Service, 860 North 1200 East, Logan, Utah, 84321, USA

    W. Carl Saunders & Jeffrey V. Ojala

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  1. Brett B. Roper
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  2. W. Carl Saunders
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  3. Jeffrey V. Ojala
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Correspondence to Brett B. Roper.

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Roper, B.B., Saunders, W.C. & Ojala, J.V. Did changes in western federal land management policies improve salmonid habitat in streams on public lands within the Interior Columbia River Basin?. Environ Monit Assess 191, 574 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-019-7716-5

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