Emiquon Science Conference 2015ABSTRACTSFloodplain Restoration and Connection
(order: alphabetical by first author’s last name)
ORAL PRESENTATION ABSTRACTS
CHALLENGES, OPPORTUNITIES AND CURRENT PLANS FOR MANAGING THE NATURE CONSERVANCY’S EMIQUON PRESERVE
Doug Blodgett
The Nature Conservancy
Naturally functioning floodplains provide an abundance of ecosystem services. At the 14,000-acre Emiquon Complex, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and The Nature Conservancy focus management on those ecosystem services that provide habitats and ecological processes important for native biodiversity. Examples include providing quality feeding and resting areas for migratory waterfowl and connectivity to allow aquatic organisms access to carry out life requisites. Working with partners, the Conservancy identified a suite of Key Ecological Attributes (KEAs) for our Emiquon Preserve. We believe the KEAs are the more important biological characteristics and ecological processes that exemplify and shape our conservation targets at the site. Information from monitoring these KEAs provides feedback to assess restoration progress and guide management using an adaptive management framework. Managing to maximize all these KEAs at one time and space is impractical as many conflicts would exist. However, the landscape scale of the Emiquon Complex provides opportunities to provide a broad range of processes and habitats spatially, and this diversity is enhanced with the ability to vary management temporal y as well. While not generally managed specifically for them, the complex provides a variety of additional ecosystem services such as storing storm water and contributing to a more natural hydrology with reduced flood damages, processing nutrients and other pollutants thereby improving water quality, and sequestering carbon and helping alleviate unnatural climate change. As with the KEAs, conflicts would exist if we attempted to maximize all these services concurrently. Being able to control water levels and manage connectivity has been identified as critical management needs to address many of the KEAs at the Emiquon Preserve and likewise would contribute to other ecosystem services. Toward that end, plans have been developed for managed connection with the Illinois River through the Emiquon East Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement Project with the US Army Corps of Engineers and other partners as part of the Upper Mississippi River Restoration Environmental Management Program (UMRR-EMP). While some issues have delayed that project, we are hopeful it will be completed as the first public-private partnership in the UMRR-EMP.
MAINTENANCE OF WILLOW SHRUB AND SCATTERED CANOPY BY BEAVOR HERBIVORY IN A FLOODPLAIN FOREST NEAR DAVENPORT, IOWA
Victoria Green and Susan P. Romano
Departments of Biological Sciences and Geography, Western Illinois University-Quad Cities, Moline, Illinois
Beavers are often described as ecosystem engineers that have profound effects upon the forest community and hydrology. Beavers build dams and lodges which not only remove trees from the surrounding floodplain forest, but also change hydrology and water features. Changes in nutrient cycling, water quality, hydrology, geomorphology, and herbaceous plant species composition have all occurred from manipulation of the natural environment by beavers. The goal of this research near Davenport, Iowa, was to determine tree diameter and species selected by beaver for food and shelter to gauge the impact of this activity on wetland forest ecosystem species composition and diversity. An area of activity (4559.9 m2) for one beaver colony was identified, trees were measured for diameter at 10 cm above the ground, trees identified to species, and location was collected using GPS. Also noted were trees selected by beaver based on tooth and chew markings on the stem. Results show a beaver preference for black willow (Salix nigra, Marshall), box elder (Acer negundo), button bush (Cephalanthus occidentalis L.), green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), rough-leaved dogwood (Cornus drummondii Mey), and silver maple (Acer saccharinum). Beaver avoided Eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides), hackberry (Celtis occidentalis L.), slippery elm (Ulmus rubra Muhl), and white mulberry (Morus alba L.). Smaller diameter trees were preferred by beaver, with a mean diameter of 57.5 mm. Trees with no herbivory had a mean diameter of 94.5 mm. This study indicates that beaver have a preference for smaller diameter trees, and also a favor black willow. Ecologically, repetitive beaver activity in early successional floodplain forests along the Upper Mississippi River could be a reoccurring disturbance that would maintain a willow-shrub habitat. The lack of herbivory on larger diameter trees and certain species also indicate an impact of beaver on strata differences in the floodplain forest, where trees that are not selected by beaver remain to form an overstory canopy, and provide a mosaic of habitat diversity within the area.
ZOOPLANKTON COMMUNITIES IN UNCONNECTED AND CONNECTED BACKWATER HABITATS ALONG THE ILLINOIS RIVER, ILLINOIS
Maria Lemke1, John Beaver2, and Collin Hinz3
1The Nature Conservancy, 2BSA Environmental Services, Inc., 3Illinois River Biological Station
In April 2013, water levels reached historical flood heights that breached and overflowed levees that otherwise had separated backwater habitats from the Illinois River, Illinois for almost 100 years. Zooplankton were collected from two backwater habitats that experienced different levels of flooding as part of a larger study to record the response of floodplain-river ecosystems to different levels of flood disturbance. Our objective was to quantify zooplankton community composition, biomass and secondary production in two backwater habitats that differed in connectivity to the river. Emiquon Preserve had water overtop levees for six days, but the levee was not breached during the flood. Levee failure at Merwin Preserve resulted in an unmanaged connection between the backwater floodplain and the Illinois River. Monthly zooplankton samples were collected for one year (2013-14) from Thompson Lake at Emiquon Preserve and from Long Lake at Merwin Preserve. Preliminary analyses indicate that rotifers comprised about 88% of total annual densities in Thompson Lake and Long Lake. However, the distribution of biomass was very different between the two sites. In Thompson Lake, annual biomass was equally distributed among cladocerans (37% of total annual estimated biomass), copepods (30%) and rotifers (31%); whereas, at Long Lake, annual biomass was dominated by rotifers (57%) followed by copepods (28%) and cladocerans (11%). Comparisons of biomass and density patterns in Thompson Lake (2013-14) to previous years (2008-09, 2011-12) indicate that the flooding had a minimal effect on community structure compared to that of Long Lake.
HYDRAULIC MODELING IN ASSISTING REAL-TIME RESPONSE AND STRATEGIC PLANNING TO FLOODING RISKS ALONG THE ILLINOIS RIVER
Yanqing Lian and Misganaw Demissie
Illinois State Water Survey
The Illinois River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. Historically the Illinois River has experienced major floods in 1943, 1979, 1986, 1993, 2008, and recently in April of this year. Causes of flooding in the Illinois River were due to heavy rains in the Illinois River Basin such as in 1979, or the backwater effect from the Mississippi River as in 1993, but most often flooding from the Illinois River Basin combined with raised water level in the Mississippi River at Grafton. The 2013 flood crested at all-time high in the City of Peoria which is one of the major industrial cities in Illinois. Tributary rivers were also rising, affecting many towns in the state. In the Chicago suburbs, the Des Plaines River was causing flooding worries, while sections of the northern Illinois town of Marseilles were flooded after seven barges broke free on the Illinois River late Thursday and struck a dam and blocked conveyance. In the downstream portion of the river, two of The Nature Conservancy ecosystem restoration levee and drainage districts (Spunky Bottoms and Emiquon) were flooded by the flood. Hydrographs at four gaging stations showed clear drops of flood elevations induced by the Spunky Bottoms levee breach. This talk will present simulations of this historic flood using the one dimensional hydraulic model – UNET and simulation of levee breach at Spunky Bottoms. We have also analyzed alternative levee management options which could have prevented levee overtopping or breach to critical levee and drainage districts.
MEASURING AND MODELING FOOD WEB SUPPORT IN HIGHLY TRANSIENT ECOSYSTEMS: RIVER FLOODPLAINS
Jim Lovvorn
Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois
Perhaps the most striking characteristic of river floodplains is the transience of conditions. Hydroperiod usually varies greatly among seasons and years, making it difficult to generalize about how floodplains function and what services they provide. Although most ecosystems exhibit transience, for floodplains transience is not just variability around long-term tendencies but rather a fundamental driver of structure and function. As a result, studies of transience effects in floodplains may demand conceptual and methodological innovations that could alter research perspectives in other types of ecosystems. In this talk I will suggest a series of steps for studying food webs in highly transient river floodplains: (1) select a finite number of recognizable habitats that are thought to provide important food web support for fish or birds, (2) measure or estimate biomasses, diets, net immigration/import rates, and production rates of most food web components (bacteria to birds) through time relative to season and hydroperiod, (3) do network model simulations through time to infer controls on food web structure and function relative to season and hydroperiod, and (4) identify which of those controls are subject to restoration or manipulation of flooding regime. The goal of this research program is to provide a mechanistic basis for deciding whether reconnecting a given floodplain to the river would enhance food web functions of high priority, depending on the nature and degree of that connection.
ILLINOIS RIVER BACKWATER SEDIMENT: PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND POTENTIAL USES
John C. Marlin, PhD.
Illinois Sustainable Technology Center
Sedimentation has been long recognized as a major cause of habitat loss in the Upper Mississippi River Watershed. Optimizing sediment management and removal are, therefore, important considerations for the long-term health of the river system. This presentation will provide some insights on sediment quality and reuse. Fertility, structure and chemical quality of sediment will be discussed, from backwater and side channel locations from Hennepin to Beardstown. Core length often exceeded 250 cm. Some techniques for sediment removal and the results of its use as topsoil at a number of sites will also be mentioned as will potential uses for habitat enhancement.
THE ROLE OF POLICY IN PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT
Silvia Secchi
Associate Professor,Department of Geography and Environmental Resources
Co-Director, Environmental Resources & Policy Ph.D. Program
Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Illinois 62901
In the US, several Federal agencies and programs play roles in floodplain management, under various statutory authorities. Their historical goals have been to ensure navigation and reduce flood damage. It has become apparent that these goals can be at odds with each other, and that other policy objectives, such as habitat protection and water conservation should be considered. We will discuss how recent Federal policy developments address sustainability issues, focusing on two recent bills, the Water Resources Reform and Development Act and the Agricultural Act of 2014, and on the state of the National Floodplain Insurance Program. We will consider the historical context within which these policies were developed, their goals and challenges under current circumstances and potential alternative policy tools.
Ecological responses to restoration efforts in the Cache River, ILLINOIS
M.R. Whiles, H. Rantala, K. Baumann, S. Bonjour, E. A. Scholl
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
The Cache River, located in southernmost Illinois, has been a focal point for river restoration activities. The Cache basin supports high biodiversity, including numerous threatened and endangered species, and wetlands of international importance. Despite its ecological significance, the system has been heavily modified by human activities, with negative ecological consequences. The Post Creek Cutoff, created in 1915, essentially disconnected the upper and lower sections of the river, resulting in channel incision and wetland drainage in the upper Cache River (UCR) and compromised flows and reduced water quality in the lower Cache River (LCR). Recent efforts to ameliorate these negative impacts include installation of numerous rock weirs in the UCR to stabilize the channel, and proposals for partial hydrologic reconnection to enhance flows in the LCR. Our research group has been studying ecological responses to past and planned restorations. Documented responses to weirs in the UCR include increases in sensitive invertebrate taxa, enhanced insect emergences, and positive responses by insectivorous birds. Weirs also appear to benefit fishes in direct and indirect ways. Models of ecological responses to hydrologic reconnection, based on actual data from the UCR and LCR, suggest that restoration of even minimal flows in the LCR could greatly enhance dissolved oxygen levels, with potential cascading responses. Collectively, our studies demonstrate tangible ecological benefits of stream restoration projects and represent one of the few quantitative assessments of ecological responses to stream restoration.
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF ILLINOIS RIVER VALLEY ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
Michael D. Wiant
Illinois State Museum—Dickson Mounds
For thousands of years central Illinois River valley ecosystem services were subject primarily to climate and landscape evolution, and to a significantly lesser extent by humanity. This situation would change profoundly during the mid to late 19th century with urbanization, large-scale cultivation, and efforts to improve river transportation and flood control. But progress has consequence, some anticipated and accepted others not so, and we now find restoration of altered ecosystem services desirable, if not imperative. Is it now time to expand our view and see the future as the past?
POSTER PRESENTATION ABSTRACTS
DATA MANAGEMENT: FILE SYSTEMS, DATABASES, AND METADATA
Karen S. Baker1, Christy A. Troxell-Thomas2, and William G. Pooler1
1Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61820, 2Biology Department, University of Illinois, One University Plaza, Springfield, IL 62703
Data management contributes to the growth of local data infrastructure supporting collaborative research in the natural sciences. An important first step in local data management is the process of data assembly. Providing access by a consortium of researchers to assembled data requires planning with two timeframes in mind. In the short-term, support for data aggregation and access at the local site is a high priority. For the long-term, planning toward processes and procedures that support data migration to new technologies as well as to established data repositories is critical. Differing approaches to data storage, organization, and metadata provide examples of multi-temporal planning. A comparison is made between use of file systems and relational databases for heterogeneous field data. Best practices in data management planning will be used to show the weaknesses and strengths of each method.