Geology topics

Carrie S. Munz

Publications and source records attributed to Carrie S. Munz.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2013

Report A: Fish distribution and population dynamics in Rock Creek, Klickitat County, Washington

The U.S. Geological Survey collaborated with the Yakama Nation starting in fall of 2009 to study the fish populations in Rock Creek, a Washington State tributary of the Columbia River 21 kilometers upstream of John Day Dam. Prior to this study, very little was known about the ESA-listed (threatened) Mid-Columbia River steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) population in this arid watershed with intermittent stream flow. The objectives of the study were to quantify fish habitat, document fish distribution, abundance, and movement, and identify areas of high salmonid productivity. To accomplish these objectives, we electrofished in the spring and fall, documenting the distribution and relative abundance of all fish species to evaluate the influence of biotic factors on salmonid productivity and survival. We surveyed the distribution of perennial pools and established a network of automated temperature recording devices from river kilometer (rkm) 2 to 23 in Rock Creek and rkm 0 to 8 in Squaw Creek, a major tributary entering Rock Creek at rkm 13, to better understand the abiotic factors influencing the salmonid populations. Salmonid abundance estimates were conducted using a mark-recapture method in a systematic subsample of the perennial pools. The proportion and timing of salmonids migrating from these pools were assessed by building, installing, and operating two passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag interrogation systems at rkm 5 and at the confluence with Squaw Creek (rkm 13). From fall 2009 to fall 2012, we PIT-tagged 3,088 O. mykiss and 151 coho salmon (O. kisutch) during electrofishing efforts. In the lowest flow periods of 2010 to 2012, we found that an average of 36% of the surveyed streambed length was dry, and 17% remained as perennial pools. The maximum temperature recorded in those pools was 24.4°C, but most pools had a maximum temperature that was less than 21°C. O. mykiss were present in most pools, and non-native fish species, such as smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), were typically found downstream of rkm 5. Coho salmon were present in nearly every pool that was sampled in 2011, but were rare in 2009, 2010, and 2012. About 27% of the PIT-tagged O. mykiss and 38% of the PIT-tagged coho were detected outmigrating to the Columbia River. Of those fish, 92% (n=695) were detected leaving Rock Creek as smolts in April and May. As of November 2013, 9 O. mykiss and 4 coho that we tagged in Rock Creek as juveniles have returned as adults to Bonneville Dam. Also, an additional 34 PIT-tagged adult steelhead, and 6 PIT-tagged coho that were tagged by other groups have been detected in Rock Creek, of which, 22 were of known origin (tagged as juveniles). Of these, 85% were tagged or released in the Snake River. The PIT-tag interrogation systems will be operated for several more years to allow time for the fish tagged as juveniles to return as adults and complete their life cycles. The Yakama Nation will use the information collected from this study to prioritize and gauge the effectiveness of ongoing and future restoration actions.

Washington↗

USGS2012

Wind River watershed restoration: Annual report of U.S. Geological Survey activities November 2010 – October 2011

This report summarizes work completed by U.S. Geological Survey’s Columbia River Research Laboratory (USGS-CRRL) in the Wind River subbasin during November 2010 through October 2011 under Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) contract 40481. The primary focus of USGS activities during this contract was on tagging of juvenile steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss with Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags, and working toward a network of instream PIT tag detection systems to monitor movements and life histories of these fish.

Report↗

USGS2011

Big Spring spinedace and associated fish populations and habitat conditions in Condor Canyon, Meadow Valley Wash, Nevada

Executive Summary: This project was designed to document habitat conditions and populations of native and non-native fish within the 8-kilometer Condor Canyon section of Meadow Valley Wash, Nevada, with an emphasis on Big Spring spinedace (Lepidomeda mollispinis pratensis). Other native fish present were speckled dace (Rhinichthys osculus) and desert sucker (Catostomus clarki). Big Spring spinedace were known to exist only within this drainage and were known to have been extirpated from a portion of their former habitat located downstream of Condor Canyon. Because of this extirpation and the limited distribution of Big Spring spinedace, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed this species as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1985. Prior to our effort, little was known about Big Spring spinedace populations or life histories and habitat associations. In 2008, personnel from the U.S. Geological Survey's Columbia River Research Laboratory began surveys of Meadow Valley Wash in Condor Canyon. Habitat surveys characterized numerous variables within 13 reaches, thermologgers were deployed at 9 locations to record water temperatures, and fish populations were surveyed at 22 individual sites. Additionally, fish were tagged with Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags, which allowed movement and growth information to be collected on individual fish. The movements of tagged fish were monitored with a combination of recapture events and stationary in-stream antennas, which detected tagged fish. Meadow Valley Wash within Condor Canyon was divided by a 12-meter (m) waterfall known as Delmue Falls. About 6,100 m of stream were surveyed downstream of the falls and about 2,200 m of stream were surveyed upstream of the falls. Although about three-quarters of the surveyed stream length was downstream of Delmue Falls, the highest densities and abundance of native fish were upstream of the falls. Big Spring spinedace and desert sucker populations were highest near the upper end of Condor Canyon, where a tributary known as Kill Wash, and several springs, contribute flow and moderate high and low water temperature. Kill Wash and the area around its confluence with Meadow Valley Wash appeared important for spawning of all three native species. Detections of PIT-tagged fish indicated that there were substantial movements to this area during the spring. Our surveys included about 700 m of Meadow Valley Wash upstream of Kill Wash. A small falls about 2 m high was about 560 m upstream of Kill Wash. This falls is likely a barrier to upstream fish movement at most flows. Populations of all three native species were found upstream of this small falls. Age-0 fish of all three species were present, indicating successful spawning. The maximum upstream extent of native fish within Meadow Valley Wash was not determined. Our surveys included about 700 m of Meadow Valley Wash upstream of Kill Wash. A small falls about 2 m high was about 560 m upstream of Kill Wash. This falls is likely a barrier to upstream fish movement at most flows. Populations of all three native species were found upstream of this small falls. Age-0 fish of all three species were present, indicating successful spawning. The maximum upstream extent of native fish within Meadow Valley Wash was not determined. A population of non-native rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) was found within the 2,000 m of stream immediately downstream of Delmue Falls. Non-native crayfish were very common both upstream and downstream of Delmue Falls. We were not able to quantify crayfish populations, but they compose a significant portion of the biomass of aquatic species in Condor Canyon. There were some distinctive habitat features that may have favored native fish upstream of Delmue Falls. Upstream of the falls, water temperatures were moderated by inputs from springs, turbidity was lower, pool habitat was more prevalent, substrate heterogeneity was higher, and there was less fine sediment than

Open-File Report↗

USGS2011

Movement of bull trout in the upper Jarbidge River watershed, Idaho and Nevada, 2008-09--A supplement to Open-File Report 2010-1033

We monitored bull trout ( Salvelinus confluentus ) in 2008 and 2009 as a continuation of our work in 2006 and 2007, which involved the tagging of 1,536 bull trout with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags in the East Fork Jarbidge River and West Fork Jarbidge River and their tributaries in northeastern Nevada and southern Idaho. We installed PIT tag interrogation systems (PTISs) at established locations soon after ice-out, and maintained the PTISs in order to collect information on bull trout movements through December of each year. We observed a marked increase of movement in 2008 and 2009. Bull trout tagged in the uppermost portions of the East Fork Jarbidge River at altitudes greater than 2,100 meters moved to the confluence of the East Fork Jarbidge River and West Fork Jarbidge River in summer and autumn. Ten bull trout tagged upstream of the confluence of Pine Creek and the West Fork Jarbidge River moved downstream and then upstream in the East Fork Jarbidge River, and then past the PTIS at Murphy Hot Springs (river kilometer [rkm] 4.1). Two of these fish ascended Dave Creek, a tributary of the East Fork Jarbidge River, past the PTIS at rkm 0.4. One bull trout that was tagged at rkm 11 in Dave Creek on June 28, 2007 moved downstream to the confluence of the East Fork Jarbidge River and West Fork Jarbidge River (rkm 0) on July 28, 2007, and it was then detected in the West Fork Jarbidge River moving past our PTIS at rkm 15 on May 4, 2008. Combined, the extent and types of bull trout movements observed indicated that the primarily age-1 and age-2 bull trout that we tagged in 2006 and 2007 showed increased movement with age and evidence of a substantial amount of fluvial life history. The movements suggest strong connectivity between spawning areas and downstream mainstem areas, as well as between the East Fork Jarbidge River and West Fork Jarbidge River.

Open-File Report↗

USGS2007

Wind River Watershed Restoration: Annual report April 2006 to March 2007

This report summarizes work completed by U.S. Geological Survey’s Columbia River Research Laboratory (USGS-CRRL) in the Wind River subbasin during the period April 2006 through March 2007 under Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) contract 26922. During this period, we collected temperature, flow, and habitat data to characterize physical habitat condition and variation within and among tributaries and mainstem sections in the Wind River subbasin. We also conducted electrofishing and snorkeling surveys to determine juvenile salmonid populations within select study areas throughout the subbasin. Portions of this work were completed with additional funding from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Lower Columbia Fish Enhancement Group (LCFEG). Funding from USFWS was for work to contribute to a study of potential interactions between introduced Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha and wild steelhead O. mykiss. Funding from LCFEG was for work to evaluate the effects of nutrient enrichment in small streams. A statement of work (SOW) was submitted to BPA in March 2006 that outlined work to be performed by USGS-CRRL. The SOW was organized by work elements, with each describing a research task. This report summarizes the progress completed under each work element.

Washington↗