Study Plan SUMMARY BACKGROUND. Stream Temperature Monitoring On. Scott Harris, 1

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1 Stream Temperature Monitoring Study Plan Stream Temperature Monitoring On Baranof and Chicagof Islands Southeast Alaska Prepared by: Scott Harris, Conservation Science Director Southeast Alaska Long-term Monitoring Network (SALMoN) Sitka Conservation Society (updated Dec 2014) SUMMARY Scott Harris, 1 The Sitka Conservation Society will establish a stream temperature monitoring program for select streams on Baranof and Chichagof Islands, Southeast Alaska. The goal of this program is to provide high quality, long-term temperature data that will assist in the monitoring and research of impacts to the natural resources surrounding the communities in Southeast Alaska. Streams will be be monitored year-round using Hobo-type temperature loggers. Some sites will be in the West Chichagof- Yakobi and Baranof Wilderness Areas. Program partners include the Tongass National Forest, National Forest Foundation, University of Alaska Southeast, and the Alaska Natural Heritage Program. BACKGROUND Monitoring long-term trends of stream temperatures is critical to understanding the impacts of climate change and development on natural resources. This is particularly salient for Southeast Alaska because anadromous salmon are the foundations of our communities economic sustainability, culture, and quality of life. Salmon are especially vulnerable to increased stream temperatures. Freshwater stream temperatures affect the timing of migration, survivorship of eggs and fry, metabolism, and other lifecycle factors (Richter and Kolmes 2005). This proposed program will partially fill in a significant gap in coverage of stream temperature data in Southeast Alaska, especially when compared to the extensive monitoring networks in the continental United States. For example, according to the USGS National Water Information System database ( USGS has never had a long-term site for stream temperature monitoring on the West Coast of Chichagof Island. Wilderness is an appropriate location for this project. One of our most venerated managers and philosophers on Wilderness, Aldo Leopold, wrote that that Wilderness assumes unexpected importance for the [scientific] study of land health (Leopold 1949). This project supports the idea that Wilderness can serve as a yardstick upon which to understand long-term ecological effects of human activities. The Sitka Conservation Society (SCS) has a long history of stewardship of the West Chichagof-Yakobi Wilderness Area. SCS advocacy efforts since 1967 culminated in this area being established as Wilderness in Most recently, SCS has partnered with the USFS Tongass National Forest to con-

2 2 Stream Temperature Monitoring Scott Harris, Table 1: Minimum data collection standards for stream temperature monitoring. From Mauger et al (draft) duct monitoring activities to meet the Wilderness Stewardship Challenge. For these efforts, SCS was awarded the Bob Marshall Award for Wilderness Stewardship from the USFS. METHODS We will use minimum data collection standards as outlined in Mauger et al. 2014, reproduced in Table 1 above. These standards were developed by Cook Inlet Keeper and the Alaska Natural Heritage Institute, and upon consultation with temperature monitoring networks across Alaska. Different standards for air temperature data Air temperature data will also be collected at some sites. We will use the same standards in Table 1 except for the accuracy and sampling frequency standards. These 2 standards will be dictated by the specifications of the device being used. As of December 2014, we are using 2 devices with the associated standards shown in Table 2. We are in the process of replacing all DS1921G models with the 1922L models. Manufacturer Model accuracy accuracy check sampling frequency Maxim I-button DS1921G ± 1 o C varies 1 o C 2 hour Maxim I-button DS1922L ± 0.5 o C varies 0.5 o C 2 hour Table 2. Standards for air temperature measurements that are different from Table 1.

3 Stream Temperature Monitoring Scott Harris, 3 Site Selection Loggers will be installed in the streams in the Table 3. Sites were chosen based on the following criteria: 1. anadromous according to the Alaska State Anadromous Waters Catalog 2. existence of any historical USGS data (e.g. Black River) 3. important subsistence sockeye streams where some historical data may exist but has yet to be identified (e.g. Necker, Ford Arm, and Leo Creeks) 4. areas of special interest due to high local or recreational use (Starrigavan and Waterfall Cove Creeks) 5. Access for installation and maintenance trips Stream Name AWC code HUC-8 AWC species present Latitude Longitude historical data Black River CH, CO, P 57deg deg USGS site no , discharge Ford Arm CH, CO, P, 57deg deg none Creek S, CT, SH Goulding CH, CO, P, deg deg none River S, DV Leo Creek CO, P, S, CT deg deg none Nakwasina River Starrigavan Creek CH, CO, P, S CH, CO, P, DV deg deg USGS site no temp/ discharge deg deg USGS site no , temp/ discharge WaterFall CH, CO, P, 57deg deg none Cove Creek SH Necker Bay alternate CH, CO, P, alternate alternate none site S, DV, SH site site AWC codes: CH = chum, CO = coho, P = pink, S = sockeye, CT = cuttrhroat trout, SH = steelhead, DV = dolly varden Table 3. Stream temperature logger sites. Sites within congressionally-established Wilderness are permitted with the Tongass National Forest (Special Use Permit SIT764). Loggers were also installed in the locations listed in Table 4. These loggers will be maintained by SCS in partnership with the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS). UAS selected the sites and provided all equipment, and UAS (Michael Winfree, Eran Hood) will act as Principal Investigator for these sites. Installation Each site will have up to 2 Hobo Pro V2 stream temperature loggers installed year-round. Installation consists of a small logger inside a pvc/abs tube, secured to a submerged rock, large log, or streamside structure with steel cable and fasteners. The tube is completely submerged at all stream levels. A small portion of the cable may be visible above water level depending on the specific situation for each

4 Scott Harris, 4 Stream Temperature Monitoring Table 4: Additional Streams in partnership with University of Alaska Southeast. Stream Name AWC code Cascade Creek No Name Creek - Sitka Salmon Lake Creek HUC-8 AWC species present CH, CO, P CH, CO, P Latitude Longitude deg deg deg deg CH, CO, P, S, CT, DV, SH deg deg historical data AWC codes: CH = chum, CO = coho, P = pink, S = sockeye, CT = cuttrhroat trout, SH = steelhead, DV = dolly varden Figure 1: Typical Hobo logger installation. The left photo shows the logger underwater. Most of the loggers are now installed with white pvc. The red arrow in the right photo shows the location of the cable securing the logger. Figure 2: Typical I-button installation. The researcher in this photo is approximately 4 feet tall. I-buttons in Wilderness are covered in camouflage tape.

5 Stream Temperature Monitoring Scott Harris, 5 site. Some of the UAS loggers will be installed by attaching them to a rebar pounded into the stream substrate, as per UAS protocols. Each site will also have up to 2 Maxim I-Button air temperature loggers installed year-round and on the stream bank near each stream logger. Due to the low storage capacity of the I-Buttons and the infrequency of trips to maintain and download data, the air temperature data is usually not continuous. The purpose of this data is to assess the coupling of air and stream temperatures. The I-Buttons will be secured to a tree at breast height, on the north aspect. The I-Buttons are the size of a quarter, double-bagged in small jewelry-sized ziploc bags (for waterproofing), and covered with white tape (camouflage tape in Wilderness as per our Special Use Permit). Data Evaluation As soon as possible after downloading data, all data will be checked and erroneous data will be deleted. Data checks will include consideration of the following causes for erroneous data: 1. data logged before or after the logger was in place 2. dewatering (exposed to air) or burial of the logger 3. logger encased in ice Toohey et al is a good reference for conducting data checks. This reference has example graphs of erroneous data. Data Management and Storage Metadata of site locations and standards are shared with the Tongass National Forest and the Alaska Online Aquatic Temperature Site (AKOATS) Program of the USFWS Western Alaska Landscape Conservation Cooperative ( For each site, metadata and temperature data are stored in.csv and.xls format on the hard drive of the Principal Investigator, and on a CD stored at the office of the Sitka Conservation Society at 201 Lincoln Street, Sitka, Alaska. Metadata and temperature data in.xls format are also stored online and publicly-available on the SALMoN website at We recognize that our data storage procedures are inadequate for long-term storage. Therefore, we are engaged with regional stream temperature networks in trying to develop a more reliable system. PERSONNEL Scott Harris will be the Principal Investigator and supervise all activities related to this study. Scott is the Conservation Science Director for Sitka Conservation Society and the Coordinator of the Southeast Alaska Long-term Monitoring Network (SALMoN, SALMoN has a research advisory committee composed of federal, university, and non-profit researchers. Results and outreach will be shared with the public through the SALMoN website.

6 6 Stream Temperature Monitoring Scott Harris, WILDERNESS ACCESS Researchers will need to access the sites at least once per year, and no more than twice per year. Depending on logistical and financial constraints, access could be achieved by sea kayak, motor boat, or floatplane. The research team would consists of 1-6 people. The higher number of people would only be involved if we combined the field site visit with a volunteer citizen science trip with Sitka Conservation Society. If we did combine this project with a volunteer trip, access would be by sea kayak and researchers and volunteers would camp near each site. Involving volunteers will provide an outreach opportunity to discuss the values of the National Wilderness System. The Project Manager, Scott Harris, is a Leave No Trace (LNT) Master Educator Instructor. LNT principles will be followed during all field portions of this project. REFERENCES Alaska Dept. of Environmental Conservation Elements of a tier 2 water quality monitoring quality assurance project plan. Alaska DEC, Division of Water. Hubbart J, Link T, Campbell C, and Cobos D Evaluation of low-cost temperature measurement system for environmental applications. Hydrological Processes, 19: Leopold A A Sand County Almanac, and sketches here and there. Oxford University Press. Mauger S, Shaftel R, Trammell EJ, Geist M, and Bogan D Stream temperature data collection standards and protocols for Alaska: minimum standards to generate data useful for regional-scale analyses. Cook Inletkeeper, Homer, AK and Alaska Natural Heritage Program, UAA, Anchorage, AK. 51 pp. Richter A, Kolmes SA Maximum temperature limits for chinook, coho, and chum salmon, and steelhead trout in the Pacific Northwest. Reviews in Fisheries Science, 13: Toohey RC, Neal EG, and Solin GL, 2014, Guidelines for the collection of continuous stream watertemperature data in Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report , 34 p., org/ /ofr

7 Stream Temperature Monitoring Scott Harris, 7 Appendix 1: Logger case construction Equipment list per installation: 5/16 quick link 5/16 x 3.25 SS eye bolt 5/16 washer (2) 5/16 galvanized chain, approx. 3 ft long 5/16 nylon lock-nut 1-1/2 plug 1-1/2 female adapter 1-1/2 dia pipe, approx. 8 long 1-1/2 cap 5/16 quick link (this 2nd link is optional) Also: 1/8 x 3/16 x 12 feet (approx.) vinyl coated galvanized cable (also called aircraft cable 3/16 wire clamps (4 per installation) zip tie

8 8 Stream Temperature Monitoring Scott Harris, INSTALLING WIRE CLIPS Mnemonic to remember: NEVER SADDLE A DEAD HORSE! source: