MBSS Site Summary for: STIL-114-R-2001

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site STIL-114-R-2001-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site STIL-114-R-2001-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on FAIRLEE CR UT1 UT1 in the Stillpond-Fairlee watershed, 8-digit code: 02130611.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/27/2001 and again in the summer on 7/12/2001.

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 Poor - 2.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.7 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 218 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 1 %
Agricultural Land Use 83 %
Forested Land Use 14 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 8/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 6/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 8/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 52 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 23 meters 		7/20 (Marginal)
Shading 80 %
Embeddedness 100 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 100%. This is very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 20.8 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 6.2 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.63
Conductivity 170 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		319.9 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 4.2 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 8 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Brown Bullhead 284
Bluegill 88
Eastern Mudminnow 71
Golden Shiner 16
Largemouth Bass 9
Black Crappie 4
Pumpkinseed 2
American Eel 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Fowler's Toad
Northern Green Frog
Pickerel Frog
Southern Leopard Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 21
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 18
Rheosmittia Non-Biting Midges 12
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 9
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 7
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 6
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 6
Lumbriculidae Worm 5
Tribelos Non-Biting Midges 4
Sphaerium Fingernail Clam 4
Sialis Alderfly 3
Naididae Aquatic Worm 2
Paramerina Non-Biting Midge 2
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 2
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 2
Phaenopsectra Non-Biting Midges 2
Hydroporus Water Beetle 2
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 2
Dubiraphia Riffle Beetle 1
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 1
Caecidotea Isopod 1
Planorbella 1
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 1
Dicrotendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 1
Tipulidae Cranefly 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.