Identifying and Conserving Aquatic Natural Areas

Moderators:  Mike Leahy, Natural Areas Coordinator, Missouri Department of Conservation, PO Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102. (573) 522-4115 x 3192.
Bob Hrabik, Resource Science Field Station Supervisor, Open Rivers & Wetlands Field Station, 3815 E. Jackson Blvd., Jackson, MO 63755. (573) 243-2659 x 21.

Session Description:  Missouri’s aquatic biodiversity is of national importance. For example, Missouri ranks ninth in the nation in terms of freshwater fish species diversity with over 200 native fish species, including four species endemic to Missouri. Missouri is also rich in crayfish, mussel, and aquatic snail diversity that rivals all but a few southeastern U.S. states. At the same time the most threatened aspect of Missouri’s natural heritage is its aquatic fauna. The Missouri Natural Areas Program has since 1977 attempted to conserve Missouri’s natural communities and geological features. However, of the 181 designated Missouri Natural Areas, only 30% were designated with an aquatic natural community as its principle feature. With the Missouri Comprehensive Wildlife Strategy and the Missouri Aquatic GAP Project we have new tools to identify the best places to work on aquatic natural area designation and conservation.

Identifying and designating aquatic natural areas requires taking informed risks. We do not have complete knowledge of all the best sites for designating aquatic natural areas so we must weigh the risk of this incomplete knowledge against not taking any conservation action. In most cases, designation of a stream as an aquatic natural area will depend on the health of the watershed, something beyond the control of any agency. So we need to gauge the risks associated with various watersheds and stream segments and designate those sites as aquatic natural areas where the risk of ecological degradation from both point and non-point source pollutants is minimal and the ecological value of the site is maximal.

This workshop will focus on engaging aquatic biologists to consider what are the criteria and procedures for measuring aquatic community ecological integrity? What are the criteria for aquatic natural area designation? In addition we seek a facilitated group discussion using the results of new GIS-based tools and biologists’ collective expertise to produce a list of “least risk” and most “ecologically viable” candidate aquatic natural areas to guide the Missouri Natural Areas Program in better representing aquatic natural communities within its conservation portfolio.

Session Organizers: Sherry Fischer, Jennifer Girondo, Mike Kruse, Mary Litvan, and Phil Pitts for the Rivers and Streams Technical Committee, Missouri Chapter of the American Fisheries Society

Presentations:

10:20-10:40 am	Relationships between our perception of stream health and the process of designating natural areas . Ken Lubinski, US Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, LaCrosse, WI.
10:40-11:00 am	Patterns and “hot spots” of Missouri’s fish diversity Bob Hrabik, Missouri Department of Conservation,
11:00-11:20 am	Patterns and “hot spots” of Missouri’s benthic macroinvertebrate diversity Barry Poulton US Geological Survey, Columbia Environmental Research Center
11:20-11:50	Selecting candidate aquatic natural areas using a GIS-based aquatic threat data model within an aquatic ecological classification system and GAP framework Gust Annis, MoRAP
11:50 am-12:00 noon	PANEL DISCUSSION or TAKE HOME QUESTIONS: What are the criteria and procedures for measuring aquatic community ecological integrity? What are the criteria for aquatic natural area designation? Which stream segments merit consideration for natural area designation?