Ecological Integrity Assessments of Headwater Wetlands Associated

Ecological Integrity Assessment of Headwater Wetlands Associated

with Spring Monitoring Sites

Kathleen Strakosch Walz (Wetland Ecologist) Kathleen.walz@dep.nj.gov

Jason Beury (Asst Ecologist) & Gemma Milly (Asst Botanist) NJDEP State Forestry Service

Office of Natural Lands Management Natural Heritage Program

NJ Water Monitoring Council Meeting May 19, 2016

Headwater Wetlands at 8 Spring Sites

2015: Spring Brook Cabin

Big Spring Shurts Road Valley Crest Paint Island

Indian Lady Hill Crystal Springs

2016:

Mount Misery Blue Hole

Spring Brook Stokes SF

Mt Misery Blue Hole

Spring Site Information SPRING CLASSIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION STUDY ABIOTIC BIOTIC SAMPLES

# SPRING NAME TWP COUNTY HEADWATER TO RIVER

GEOLOGY GROUNDWATER EMERGENCE WQ

Fish / Amph

Macro inverts

Veg (EIA)

1 Big Spring - Whittingham

Fredon Twp Sussex Pequest River Allentown Dolomite

limnocrene 1 1

2 Crystal Spring Laurel Springs

Camden North Branch Big Timber Creek

Vincentown Formation (Glauconite)

limnocrene 1 1 1

3 Indian Lady Hill Spring

Neptune Monmouth Hollow Brook Cohansey Formation

hillslope 1 1 1

4 Mount Misery Blue Hole

Pemberton Burlington Mount Misery Brook

Cohansey Formation, Eolian Deposits

limnocrene (1) (1)

5 Paint Island Spring

Millstone Twp

Monmouth Toms River Lower Member Kirkwood Formation, Alluvium

helocrene

1 1 1

6 Shurts Road Spring

Franklin Twp

Warren Musconetcong River

Allentown Dolomite

rheocrene 1 1 1 1

7 Spring Brook Cabin Stokes

Sandyston Twp

Sussex Big Flat Brook Moraine Deposits rheocrene (1) 1 1

8 Valley Crest Spring

Clinton Twp Hunderdon South Branch Raritan River

Leithsville Formation, Alluvium

hillslope 1 1 1 1

8 3 5 8

Ecological Integrity Assessment Metrics

LANDSCAPE Contiguous Natural Cover Land Use Index

BUFFER Perimeter With Natural Buffer Width of Natural Buffer Condition of Natural Buffer

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

VEGETATION Native Plant Species Cover Invasive Nonnative Plant Species Cover Native Plant Species Composition Vegetation Structure Woody Regeneration Coarse Woody Debris

HYDROLOGY Water Source Hydroperiod Hydrologic Connectivity

SOIL / SUBSTRATE Soil Condition Surface Water Turbidity/Pollutants Algal Growth

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

SIZE Comparative Size (Patch Type) Change In Size

EIA Site Scorecard Example:

Human Stressor Index (HSI) Stressor IMPACT

Calculator

Stressor SCOPE Pervasive =

4 Large = 3 Restricted

= 2 Small = 1

Stressor SEVERITY

Extreme = 4 VERY HIGH

= 10 High = 7

Medium = 4

Low = 1

Serious = 3 High = 7 High = 7 Medium =

4 Low = 1

Moderate = 2

Medium = 4 Medium = 4 Low = 1 Low = 1

Slight = 1 Low = 1 Low = 1 Low = 1 Low = 1

HSI Site Score HSI Site Rating

3.5-4.0 Very High

2.5-3.4 High

1.5-2.4 Medium

0.5-1.4 Low

0.0-0.4 Absent

Stressor Checklist (AA & Buffer) • Development • Recreation • Vegetation • Natural Disturbance • Soils • Hydrology

Multi-step Process → HSI Rating 1. Stressor Scope and Severity = Impact 2. Sum of Impact Scores 3. Impact Score Weighting 3. HSI Site Rating

SUM OF Stressor IMPACTS -- Score & Rating by MEF (Buffer, Veg, Soils, Hydro)

Buffer Sum Score:

Buffer Rating

Point:

AA Veg Sum Score:

AA Veg Rating Point:

AA Soil Sum Score:

AA Soil Rating Point:

AA Hydro Sum Score:

AA Hydro Rating Point:

HSII Total SITE RATING:

TOTAL (Site) HSI: Multiply each MEF Impact Rating by the following weights then sum them to calculate the HSII Rating.

_____ x 0.3 = _____ x 0.3 = _____ x 0.1 = _____ x 0.3 = HSI Total Score:

ONSITE (AA) HSI (Vegetation, Soil, Hydrology) _____ x 0.4 = _____ x 0.2 = _____ x 0.4 = HSI Onsite Score:

ABIOTIC HSI (Buffer, Soil, Hydrology) _____ x 0.4 = _____ x 0.2 = _____ x 0.4 = HSI Abiotic Score:

Spring Brook Cabin (Stokes SF) EIA

WETLAND CONDITION: GOOD (B) Landscape Context: Excellent (A) Vegetation: Fair (C) Hydrology: Excellent (A) Soils: Excellent (A)

HUMAN STRESSOR INDEX RATING: MEDIUM AA: invasive plants, deer browse Buffer: gravel road and culvert, invasive species

Wetland Type: Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland; HGM: Slope

Floristic Diversity: 77 plant species (4 invasive) 77% relative native cover

Shurts Road Spring EIA Wetland Type: Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland;

HGM: Slope Floristic Diversity: 91 plant species (8 invasive)

64% relative native cover

WETLAND CONDITION: FAIR (C) Landscape Context: Poor (C) Vegetation: Fair (D)

Hydrology: Good (B) Soils: Excellent (A)

HUMAN STRESSOR INDEX RATING: MEDIUM AA: invasive species Buffer: invasive species, road, residential, runoff, dike, culvert

Valley Crest Spring EIA Wetland Type: Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland;

HGM: Slope Floristic Diversity: 61 plant species (4 invasive)

91% relative native cover

WETLAND CONDITION: FAIR (C) Landscape Context: Poor (D) Vegetation: Good (B) Hydrology: Good (B) Soils: Excellent (A)

STRESSOR INDEX RATING: HIGH AA: invasive species, trash, groundwater extraction Buffer: invasive species, agriculture, roads, runoff

Big Spring (Whittingham) EIA Wetland Type: Flooded & Swamp Forest

HGM: Slope Floristic Diversity: 78 plant species (3 invasive)

96% relative native cover

WETLAND CONDITION: EXCELLENT (A) Landscape Context: Excellent (A) Vegetation: Excellent (A) Hydrology: Excellent (A) Soils: Excellent (A)

STRESSOR INDEX RATING: LOW AA: invasive species Buffer: invasive species

High moss diversity

Indian Lady Hill Spring EIA Wetland Type: Flooded & Swamp Forest; HGM: Slope

Floristic Diversity: 49 plant species (0 invasive) 100% relative native cover

WETLAND CONDITION: Good (B) Landscape Context: Fair (C) Vegetation: Excellent (A) Hydrology: Excellent (A) Soils: Excellent (A)

STRESSOR INDEX RATING: MEDIUM AA: none Buffer: invasive species, trash/dumping, roads, runoff, flow obstruction

Paint Island Spring EIA Wetland Type: Flooded & Swamp Forest; HGM: Slope

Floristic Diversity: 80 plant species (10 invasive) 58% relative native cover

Vernal water star-wort

WETLAND CONDITION: FAIR (C) Landscape Context: Poor (C) Vegetation: Poor (D) Hydrology: Good (B) Soils: Excellent (A)

STRESSOR INDEX RATING: VERY HIGH AA: invasive species, deer browse (no regen) Buffer: invasive species, herbivory, trash/dumping, residential, lawns, road, runoff, flow obstruction (culvert under road)

Crystal Springs at Laurel Spring EIA Wetland Type: Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow &

Shrubland; HGM: Slope Floristic Diversity: 40 plant species (6 invasive)

57% relative native cover

Invasive Kudzu Pueraria montana

WETLAND CONDITION: FAIR (C) Landscape Context: Poor (D) Vegetation: Poor (D) Hydrology: Good (B) Soils: Good (B)

STRESSOR INDEX RATING: Very High AA: invasive species, deer browse Buffer: invasive species, herbivory, trash/dumping, residential, lawns, road, runoff, flow obstruction (culvert under road), trails, engineered channel

Mount Misery Blue Hole (2016)

Spring Site Ecological Integrity Scores

SPRING CLASSIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION STUDY

# SPRING NAME TWP COUNTY

HEADWATER TO RIVER

GEOLOGY GROUND WATER

EMERGENCE EIA Score

1 Big Spring -

Whittingham Fredon Twp Sussex Pequest River Allentown Dolomite limnocrene A

4 Mount Misery

Blue Hole Pemberton Burlington

Mount Misery Brook

Cohansey Formation, Eolian Deposits

limnocrene (A)

3 Indian Lady Hill

Spring Neptune Monmouth Hollow Brook Cohansey Formation hillslope B

7 Spring Brook Cabin Stokes

Sandyston Twp

Sussex Big Flat Brook Moraine Deposits rheocrene B

2 Crystal Spring Laurel Springs Camden North Branch Big

Timber Creek

Vincentown Formation

(Glauconite) limnocrene C

5 Paint Island

Spring Millstone Twp Monmouth Toms River

Lower Member Kirkwood Formation,

Alluvium helocrene C

6 Shurts Road

Spring Franklin Twp Warren

Musconetcong River

Allentown Dolomite rheocrene C

8 Valley Crest

Spring Clinton Twp Hunderdon

South Branch Raritan River

Leithsville Formation, Alluvium

hillslope C