MBSS Site Summary for: DEER-212-R-2017

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site DEER-212-R-2017-MidpointFacingDownstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site DEER-212-R-2017-MidpointFacingUpstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on Little Deer Creek in the Deer Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02120202.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/21/2017 and again in the summer on 7/26/2017.

Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) Results:

An Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) is a scientific tool used to identify and classify stream health. An IBI associates anthropogenic influences on a stream or with biological condition in the stream, and is formulated using data developed from biosurveys.
Details on the development and application of MBSS IBIs are in this document.
Fish IBI Good - 4.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 8,918 acres Cows standing in a stream at a site with high agricultural land use. Cows survey the sampling procedure at this extreme example of a highly agriculturalized site.
Urban Land Use 7.5 %
Agricultural Land Use 57.5 %
Forested Land Use 33 %


Stream showing woody debris, logs, and rocky substrate.
An example of woody debris in a stream.

Physical Stream Habitat

Instream Habitat 7/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 6/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 16/20 (Optimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 72 meters
11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 3 meters
7/20 (Marginal)
Shading 46 %
Embeddedness 60 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 60%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:

pH (lab) 7.37
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity)
531.4 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.6862 mg/L

Biological Stream Condition:

Surveys of the organisms living within a stream can give indications of stream health. Species richness, or the number of different species present, as well as indicator species (species whose presence, absence or abundance can serve as a measure of environmental conditions) are informative for stream health.
Close-up of a mayfly indicator species.

Fish Survey Results:

The following 25 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
White Sucker 188
Creek Chub 123
Spottail Shiner 114
Sea Lamprey 97
Fallfish 94
Blacknose Dace 65
Tessellated Darter 65
Cutlip Minnow 34
Satinfin Shiner 32
Northern Hogsucker 29
American Eel 24
Blue Ridge Sculpin 20
Rosyface Shiner 20
Bluegill 13
Redbreast Sunfish 11
River Chub 10
Largemouth Bass 8
Rosyside Dace 7
Margined Madtom 6
Common Shiner 5
Swallowtail Shiner 5
Notropis Sp. 2
Longnose Dace 1
Smallmouth Bass 1
Spotfin Shiner 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:

Eastern Snapping Turtle
Northern Green Frog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:

Orconectes limosus

Exotic Plants:

Daylily(Common)
Garlic Mustard
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
Oriental Bittersweet
Privet
Tree Of Heaven
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:

Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
CRICOTOPUS Non-Biting Midges 18
CRANGONYX Amphipod 12
POLYCENTROPUS Tube Maker Caddisfly 11
PARATANYTARSUS Non-Biting Midges 8
TANYTARSUS Non-Biting Midges 7
LABRUNDINIA Non-Biting Midges 7
ABLABESMYIA Non-Biting Midge 7
NAIDIDAE Aquatic Worm 4
ANTOCHA Crane Fly 4
HETEROTRISSOCLADIUS European Non-Biting Midge 4
MICROTENDIPES Non-Biting Midges 4
RHEOCRICOTOPUS Non-Biting Midges 4
EPHEMERELLA Sulphur Mayfly 4
RHEOTANYTARSUS Non-Biting Midges 3
NANOCLADIUS Non-Biting Midges 3
CORYNONEURA Non-Biting Midges 3
CHEUMATOPSYCHE Net-Spinning Caddisfly 3
SUBLETTEA 3
MACCAFFERTIUM March Brown And Cahill Mayfly 3
CLINOCERA Aquatic Dance Fly 2
HYDROPSYCHE Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
MUSCULIUM Fingernail Clam 2
HEMERODROMIA Tiny Fly 2
THIENEMANNIELLA Non-Biting Midges 2
ARGIA Narrow-Winged Damselfly 2
THIENEMANNIMYIA GROUP Non-Biting Midges 1
TRIBELOS Non-Biting Midges 1
OPTIOSERVUS Riffle Beetle 1
ISONYCHIA Slate Drake Mayfly 1
PROSTOIA Spring Stonefly 1
POLYPEDILUM Non-Biting Midges 1
CRYPTOCHIRONOMUS Non-Biting Midges 1
DICROTENDIPES Non-Biting Midges 1
SYMPOTTHASTIA Non-Biting Midges 1
TANYTARSINI Non-Biting Midges 1
HEPTAGENIIDAE Flathead Mayfly 1
GIRARDIA Freshwater Flatworm 1
STYGOBROMUS Amphipod 1
GOERA 1
MYSTACIDES 1
ORTHOCLADIINAE Midge 1
STILOCLADIUS Midge 1
Kick net sampling for macroinvertebrates.
Sampling with a kick net.

Information disclaimer: The information and data on this page is for guidance and general planning purposes only. It should not be used to make decisions on specific matters.