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Wetland
Health Evaluation Plan (WHEP) In 2008 the Shingle Creek Commission participated in Hennepin County
Environmental Services’ Wetland Health Evaluation Program (WHEP)
with two wetlands - one in Brooklyn Park, north of Brookdale
Drive and east of Xerxes Avenue, just north of Palmer Lake (BP-2) and the
second in Plymouth at I-494 and Highway 10 (PL-6). In all, eight teams
monitored 32 sites, covering every watershed in Hennepin County. A map of all of the Hennepin County WHEP monitoring sites is found in Appendix 4. WHEP utilizes volunteers to collect macroinvertebrate and plant data on wetlands. The program uses protocols developed by the
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to train
volunteers to assess the condition of the wetlands by sampling, identifying,
and scoring the invertebrate and plant communities. Quality assurance checks
are performed by Hennepin County staff both in the field at the wetland and in
the laboratory by confirming invertebrate identifications. All scoring sheets
are checked for accuracy by the Hennepin County monitoring coordinator. The data is
used to calculate an Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI)
for each monitored wetland. The IBI is a collection of measures or “metrics” that, taken
together, provide a thorough analysis of wetland condition. It has been
researched and proven that an IBI score shows a
strong response to human disturbance or pollution. MPCA
has developed a technical IBI that includes ten
separate measures. For the citizen effort, six measures make up the IBI for invertebrates and seven for vegetation. Results from wetlands BP-2 and PL-6 are shown
in Table 2. The Index of
Biological Integrity (IBI) can be used as an
indicator of general wetland health and also as a metric to help detect change.
Changes in hydrology, water quality, etc., will be reflected in the types of
plant communities in the wetland and by the pollution tolerance of the macroinvertebrates. Using these measures, a final score is
calculated and used to provide a qualitative interpretation to the range of
scores. The 2008 Hennepin Field Season
Summary of the Minnesota Wetland Health Evaluation Program is available by contacting mary.karius@co.hennepin.mn.us. Wetland Management
Plan Minnesota Rules Section 8410.0060
requires watershed management plans to include an inventory of the functional
values of wetlands in the watershed, or to set forth a plan to create that
inventory within a given time frame. The Commissions’ Second Generation
Management Plan requires member cities to prepare the assessments according to
a plan and schedule found in the Water Quality Plan (WQP). In addition, the WQP identifies the need to
establish a management strategy and priority system for wetlands based on their
watershed significance to accomplish the protection, preservation, and possible
restoration of high quality wetlands. To meet state requirements and to
develop a Wetland Management Plan (WMP), an assessment of the existing wetlands
functions and values is needed to prioritize the wetlands in a manner that
allows effective management decisions.
The WMP will use existing wetland data sources and the results of the
wetland functions and values inventory to develop a long term management plan
for wetlands in the two watersheds. The Board of Water and Soil
Resources (BWSR) has developed criteria and a methodology for determining the
functions and values of a wetland, the Minnesota Routine Assessment Methodology
(MnRAM). The
Commissions propose to use the most recent version of MnRAM
in the WMP.
Some MnRAM assessments using an older version
have already been completed and will be incorporated into the WMP as-is or
possibly with additional data collection. Phase I of the WMP is the assessment
of wetland functions and values of Priority Wetlands to identify wetlands that
currently have high intrinsic value to the community, provide needed flood
storage and water quality treatment, have diverse vegetation, and provide
wildlife habitat. This information will
be used in Phase II of the WMP to develop wetland management strategies,
identify water quality improvement projects and wetland restoration
opportunities, improve public recreation and education opportunities, and
evaluate rules and standards for future development and re-development
impacting wetlands. The Wetland Management Plan was identified in previous planning
documents such as the Second Generation Plan as a Wetland Protection and
Preservation Plan. The WMP will have
utility not only to the Commissions but also to the member cities. This task will develop the outline of the WMP
through coordination with the TAC. It is
important to complete this outline early in the process to be sure that the
field data being collected by the cities includes all the data elements
necessary to complete the analysis of wetland conditions and development of
management strategies. Phase II of the Wetland Management Plan will be completed in
2010. Using the data gathered in Phase I
and the outline developed in Task 3 above, the Wetland Management Plan will
summarize findings on the condition of wetlands in the watersheds; set forth
management strategies to protect and preserve the remaining high-quality
wetlands and improve and protect the other wetlands in the watersheds; and
identify programs and projects for consideration for inclusion in the Capital
Improvement Program and the Third Generation Management Plan. What are
Wetland Functions and Values? Extracted from:
“Restoration, Creation, and Recovery of Wetlands: Wetland Functions,
Values, and Assessment” by Richard P. Novitzki,
ManTech Environmental Technology, Inc. , R. Daniel Smith, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Judy D. Fretwell, U.S. Geological
Survey Wetland functions are defined as a process or series of
processes that take place within a wetland.
These include the storage of water, transformation of nutrients, growth
of living matter, and diversity of wetland plants, and they have value for the
wetland itself, for surrounding ecosystems, and for people. Functions can be grouped broadly as habitat,
hydrologic, or water quality, although these distinctions are somewhat
arbitrary and simplistic. For example,
the value of a wetland for recreation (hunting, fishing, bird watching) is a
product of all the processes that work together to create and maintain the
wetland. Not all wetlands perform all
functions nor do they perform all functions equally well. The location and size
of a wetland may determine what functions it will perform. For example, the geographic location may
determine its habitat functions, and the location of a wetland within a
watershed may determine its hydrologic or water-quality functions. Perhaps wetlands are best known for their habitat functions,
which are the functions that benefit wildlife. They provide food, water, and
shelter for fish, shellfish, birds, and mammals, and they serve as a breeding
ground and nursery for numerous species.
Hydrologic functions are those related to the quantity of water
that enters, is stored in, or leaves a wetland.
These functions include such factors as the reduction of flow velocity,
the role of wetlands as ground-water recharge or discharge areas, and the
influence of wetlands on atmospheric processes.
Water-quality functions include the trapping of sediment, pollution
control, and the biochemical processes that take place as water enters, is
stored in, or leaves a wetland. The value of a wetland lies in the benefits that it provides to
the environment or to people, something that is not easily measured. Wetlands
can have ecological, social, or economic values. Wetland products that have an economic value,
such as commercial fish or timber, can be assigned a monetary value. What is MnRAM (Minnesota Routine Assessment Method)? MnRAM is a structured tool for evaluating
wetland function and value that was developed by the Board of Water and Soil
Resources (BWSR) and a Technical Advisory Group and is periodically updated
(most recent version is 3.1). It is a
series of questions that are scored on various scales, with the results
compiled into an index that provides an overall assessment of wetland
condition. The evaluation is best
performed by a trained, experienced field technician with plant identification
skills and an understanding of surface and groundwater hydrology. Wetland functions/value characteristics
evaluated in MnRAM 3.1:
Additional
evaluation information gathered in MnRAM 3.1: § Restoration
Potential § Sensitivity
to Stormwater & Urban Development § Additional Stormwater
Treatment Needs |
Shingle Creek Watershed Management Commission
3235 Fernbrook Lane ▪ Plymouth, MN 55447
(763) 553-1144 ▪ Fax (763) 553-9326
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