MBSS Site Summary for: LIEL-301-B-2008

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site LIEL-301-B-2008-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LIEL-301-B-2008-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on LITTLE ELK CREEK in the Little Elk Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02130605.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/26/2008 and again in the summer on 7/15/2008.

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 - 4.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.7 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
(Hint: Screen readers will announce definitions; mouse users can hover over dotted text.)
Catchment area 15,369 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 4.6 %
Agricultural Land Use 72.1 %
Forested Land Use 22 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 18/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 18/20 (Optimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 16/20 (Optimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 45 meters 		13/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 35 meters 		18/20 (Optimal)
Shading 70 %
Embeddedness 35 %
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 21 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.4 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.61
Conductivity 196 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		698.3 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.4413 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 21 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blue Ridge Sculpin 281
American Eel 209
Tessellated Darter 162
River Chub 142
Common Shiner 115
Longnose Dace 92
White Sucker 86
Creek Chub 54
Rosyside Dace 47
Blacknose Dace 46
Cutlip Minnow 43
Smallmouth Bass 41
Redbreast Sunfish 38
Northern Hogsucker 33
Margined Madtom 28
Swallowtail Shiner 23
Satinfin Shiner 20
Sea Lamprey 9
Bluegill 3
Pumpkinseed 3
Spottail Shiner 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Eastern American Toad
Fowler's Toad
Northern Black Racer
Northern Green Frog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Pickerel Frog
Spotted Salamander
Wood Frog

Crayfish:
Orconectes limosus

Exotic Plants:
Garlic Mustard
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Hops
Japanese Knotweed
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
Oriental Bittersweet
Wineberry
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 14
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 9
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 8
Isonychia Slate Drake Mayfly 6
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 6
Prosimulium Black Fly 6
Ephemerellidae Spiny Crawler Mayfly 5
Antocha Crane Fly 4
Clinocera Aquatic Dance Fly 4
Orthocladiinae Midge 4
Serratella Mayfly 3
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 3
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 3
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 3
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 2
Stenelmis Beetle 2
Neophylax Caddisfly 2
Corydalus Dobsonfly 1
Berosus 1
Petrophila 1
Tanytarsini Non-Biting Midges 1
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 1
Dubiraphia Riffle Beetle 1
Heptageniidae Flathead Mayfly 1
Rhyacophila Free-Living Caddisfly 1
Oulimnius Riffle Beetle 1
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 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.