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Applications of AIM to RMP and ReclamationEffectiveness Monitoring

Open File Report #169

Developing Quantifiable Management Objectives from Reference Conditions for Wadeable Streams in the Eastern Interior Field Office

Matt Varner, Colin Brady, Jason Post, Nicole Cappuccio and Scott Miller

BLM –

AIMApplication Reporting Unit Policy

National inventories National public lands /States FLPMA (201a); PRIA (1901b1 and 1903a)

Resource Management Plan effectiveness

RMP Area (often Field Office) or subsets (e.g., sage grouse habitat in FO)

FLPMA; Land Use Planning Handbook; IM 2016-139; RMP’s + amendments

Species of management concern

Watershed or groups of watersheds

Biological opinions, RMP amendments, ESA

Land Health Assessments Grazing Allotment, Watershed, Group of Allotments, Herd Management Areas

43 CFR 4180, Land Health Handbook, State water quality standards

Treatment effectiveness (e.g., restoration or reclamation)

Individual or groups of treatments

Depends on treatment type (e.g., 43 CFR 3809.420)

BLM multi-scale assessment & monitoring needsBLM

–A

IM

Local-scale monitoring

$

Landscape-scale

monitoring $

• Different monitoring needs often viewed as competing for finite resources – creating either or type decision

BLM multi-scale assessment & monitoring needs

Grazing permit renewal

Restoration / reclamation effectiveness

RMP effectiveness

Range-wide habitat conditions

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BLM –

AIM

Talk objectives

• Provide examples of how AIM principles applied to address multiple data needs across spatial scales

• Complementary nature of monitoring activities & efficiencies to be gained by coordinating monitoring

• Highlight flexibility in application of the AIM principles

BLM –

AIM

Eastern Interior Field Office (EIFO)

Aquatic context:• 6.7 million acres

• > 17,000 km streams

• Steese NCA, White Mtns NRA

• > 1,000 km of Wild and Scenic Rivers

BLM –

AIM

Eastern Interior Field Office (EIFO)

Aquatic management priorities:• Placer mining• Climate change• Substance harvest• Anadromous fishes• Preserve scenic, scientific and

cultural values

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BLM –

AIM

Monitoring need: RMP effectiveness

• Refine RMP objectives and benchmarks for streams and rivers

• Establish quantitative baseline conditions from which change can be assessed (i.e., trend)

• Assess RMP effectiveness

BLM –

AIM

Analysis of the mngt. situation

Desired future

conditions

Monitor plan effectiveness

Plan adjustments

Applying AIMdata to planning

Planning: IM 2016-139RMP effectiveness will be determined by the status and trend

of terrestrial and aquatic resources following the AIM strategy

RMP policy driverBLM

–A

IMDevelop a consistent approach for assessing placer mine reclamation effectiveness

• Develop benchmarks for assessing the success of reclamation actions

• Use monitoring results to adaptively manage reclamation efforts

• Improve stakeholder understanding of conditions needed for functioning aquatic systems

Monitoring need: Reclamation effectiveness

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BLM –

AIMPlacer mining and stream reclamation

• 43 CFR 3809: prevent UUD when developing mineral resources on public lands; rehabilitation of fisheries habitat

following reclamation

• 1989 Fortymile EIS ROD: “…disturbed areas are to be restored to a stable condition in order to provide for the

recovery of fish and wildlife habitat…”

Reclamation policy drivers

BLM –

AIM

1872 mining law• All citizens 18 years or older

have the right to locate a mining claim (lode or placer) on public lands open to mineral entry

• 100s of active placer mining claims on AK BLM land

Alaska Placer MiningBLM

–A

IM

Alaska Placer MiningMining of alluvial deposits by open pit or other surface

excavation procedures (panning, gold dredge, track excavator)

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BLM –

AIM

Alaska Placer Mining

BLM –

AIM

• Reclamation effectiveness

EIFO summary of monitoring needs

Reach-scale monitoring objectives

Field office-scale monitoring objectives

Application of AIM

principles to meet

multiple objectives

• Establish baseline conditions• Refine RMP objectives• Assess condition and trend

related to RMP objectives

BLM –

AIM

Study design – how were sites selected?

• RMP design: Probability-based sample designo Wadeable, perennial streams

and riverso n = 40

• Reclamation effectiveness: Targeted site selectiono Reclaimed streamso n = 10 (to date)

Green: random RMP sample ptsRed: placer mining reclamation pts

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BLM –

AIM

Study design – what was measured?

ChemicalpH

ConductivityTurbidity

PhysicalTemperature

Pool depth and lengthSubstrate particle sizes

Bank angle/stabilityFloodplain connectivity

LWDLongitudinal profile

Surveyed cross-sections

BiologicalMacroinvertebrates

Vegetative complexity

Riparian alterationFish composition 20 x

BFW

BLM –

AIM

Linking AIM indicators to management objectives

Stream function Stream function indicator

AIM methods/indicator

3 – Geomorphology: transport of sediment and wood to create diverse bed forms and dynamic equilibrium

Sediment transport competency

Slope, hydraulic radius, bed particle sizes

LWD LWD

Bed form diversity Pool frequency, longitudinal profile

Riparian vegetation Riparian veg. type, cover and complexity; bank stability and cover

Study design – what was measured?BLM

–A

IM

Using AIM data to develop benchmarks for measuring success

Steps:1. Sampled random sites

throughout EIFO to characterize natural environmental variability

2. Screen sites to determine best available condition (i.e., reference)a) Road densityb) Mining claimsc) Trailsd) 303(d) listingse) Etc.

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Reference

BLM –

AIMSteps:

1. Sampled random sites throughout EIFO to characterize natural environmental variability

2. Screen sites to determine which best available condition (i.e., reference)

3. Used the range of variability among reference sites to establish degrees of departure

Using AIM data to develop benchmarks for measuring success

Moderate (5th – 25th percentile)

Minimal (> 25th percentile)

Major departurefrom reference

(< 5th percentile)

Reference

BLM –

AIMSteps:

1. Sampled random sites throughout EIFO to characterize natural environmental variability

2. Screen sites to determine which best available condition (i.e., reference)

3. Used the range of variability among reference sites to establish degrees of departure

Using AIM data to develop benchmarks for measuring success

Minimal departure (> 25th percentile)

Major departure from reference (< 5th percentile)

BLM –

AIM

Reference

Using AIM data to develop benchmarks for measuring success

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Stream bank instability<5 - 10%, depending on stream type, for 90% of

stream km with 90% confidence

Revision of RMP objectivesOriginal RMP objectives developed based on science in the

lower 48, because of scarce AK data, were unrealistic for some indicators given physiographic conditions

BLM –

AIM

Example revised RMP benchmarks

Revision of RMP objectivesBLM

–A

IM

Applications of monitoring data and benchmarks

• Establish quantitative baseline conditions from which change can be assessed (i.e., trend) -completed

• Refine RMP objectives and benchmarks - completed

• Assess RMP effectiveness –sampling to be repeated in 2024

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BLM –

AIM

What is the effectiveness of reclamation?

Moderate

Minimal

Major departurefrom reference

Should an operator’s bond be released and permission granted to develop other claims?

BLM –

AIM

What is the effectiveness of reclamation?

Moderate

Minimal

Majordeparturefrom reference

Should an operator’s bond be released and permission granted to develop other claims?

BLM –

AIM

What is the effectiveness of reclamation?

Significant alterations to instream habitat, water quality and riparian conditions persist up to 20 years post-reclamation

Major

Moderate

Minimal

Reclaimed n = 14Reference n = 39

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BLM –

AIM

Demonstration Project: Jack Wade Creek

Adaptive management – used monitoring results, and those of past studies, to show that common approaches to placer mining reclamation not effective. Working to develop and implement

new approaches.

BLM –

AIM

Demonstration Project: Jack Wade CreekBLM

–A

IM

Natural channel design reclamation techniques resulted in a more stable channel with better habitat in < 4 yrs.

Pre-reclamation 2 yrs. Post-reclamation

Demonstration Project: Jack Wade Creek

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BLM –

AIM

Conclusions

• Many monitoring objectives not mutually exclusive, but rather complementary – data can be used across scales

• Efficiencies can be gained by approaching FO monitoring needs comprehensively, across programso Benefits of standardized indicators and methodso Standardized methods + appropriate survey designs =

collect once and use multiple times

• Application of AIM principles is flexible and driven by management and monitoring objectiveso High flexibility: survey design, addition of

supplemental indicatorso Low flexibility: changing of core methods, electronic

data collection and management

Project contacts:

Matt Varner (mvarner@blm.gov)

Scott Miller(swmiller@blm.gov)