Southwestern Crown Road-Sediment Monitoring
Administering Entity: United States Forest Service (USFS) Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS), United States Geological Survey (USGS)
Entity Type(s): Federal
Water Resource: Rivers, Streams
Primary Data Type(s): Geomorphology, Habitat-Instream, Instream Physical, Substrate
Primary Watershed Monitoring Objective(s): Baseline, Problem identification, Restoration Project Effectiveness
Subbasins: Blackfoot
Aquatic Invasive Species Type:
Counties: Flathead, Missoula, Powell
Volunteers: no
Contact Name: Cory Davis
Summary of Monitoring Objectives:
We are monitoring (a) potential associations between forest road conditions and downstream sediment conditions, (b) the locations of road-stream sediment delivery, with detailed estimates of the quantity of sediment delivered to streams from each source, and (c) long-term changes in aquatic conditions associated with terrestrial restoration treatments in watersheds. We are using two tools: 1) Geomorphic Road Analysis and Inventory Program (GRAIP) and 2) PACFISH-INFISH Biological Opinion (PIBO) monitoring tools. GRAIP is a road inventory procedure that records drainage locations, landslides, and gullies and provides erosion rates based on installed sediment traps. PIBO tools measure in-stream sediment.