PNW 98 Session - Full Abstracts
Full Abstract
1) Contact Author: Teri Granger
2) Institution:Washington Department of Ecology
3) Mailing Address: PO Box 47600 Olympia, WA 98504-7600
4) Phone #:360 407-6547
5) Email: tgra461@ecy.wa.gov
6) Presenter: Stephen Stanley
7) Paper or Poster: paper
8) Equipment needs other than standard slide and overhead projector:
9) Contributed session 1st choice:Functional
10) Contributed session 2nd choice:Functional
11) Do you want your oral or poster presentation judged for a student award (yes or no)?: No
12) Would you like to be a judge for Student Awards (yes or no)?:No
13) Keywords:functions, assessment, hydrogeomorphic
14) Authors:
Teri Granger (1)
Stephen STanley (1)
15) Affiliation/institution:
(1) Washington Department of Ecology, Olympia, WA
16) Abstract Title:
Nearing completion; developing methods for selected wetland types in the lowlands of western Washington
17) Abstract Text:
What's up with the Washington State Wetland Function Assessment Project? For the past one and a half years, the Washington State Wetland Function Assessment Project has been working with interdisciplinary assessment teams, technical committees, reviewers, and field crews to develop methods to assess performance of selected wetland types. The "types" are the Hydrogeomorphic subclasses of Riverine Flowthrough, Riverine Impounding, Depressional Flowthrough and Depressional Closed that occur in the lowlands of western Washington. We have developed draft models for up to 15 functions, as well as methods to standardize collection of data needed to assess those functions. We have trained and organized field crews who collected data at 86 reference wetlands during the summer and fall of 1997. The assessment teams used the data to revise and calibrate models. The technical committee and assessment teams also used the data to decide how to select reference standard wetlands. Using reference wetlands to calibrate the models and establish reference standards is a major component of the Hydrogeomorphic Approach. We are using many elements of the HGM Approach in the project. Reference standard wetlands are those used to establish the conditions (reference standards) that need to be present if a wetland is to receive the highest function score. The technical committee and assessment teams examined two different ways to select reference standard wetlands. To compare them, we calibrated the models using both alternatives (see paper by Tom Hruby.) After examining the data and discussing implications, the project's technical committee decided that our reference standard wetlands will be those that are judged to be the highest performers regardless of their level of alteration. Project staff and the assessment teams have been busy writing the documents (assessment methods) that will contain the calibrated draft models. The draft methods are nearly ready to be reviewed and tested by members of the Society of Wetlands Scientists and others. Following testing, to be completed by the end of September, we have only to make revisions, based on your comments, and finalize the methods. We hope to be ready to distribute final methods and conduct training sometime in the early part of the New Year. We have also begun developing methods for Depressional wetlands in the Columbia Basin. The Basin's assessment team is busy working on their first drafts of function models.
18) Comments/Requests: