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Wyatt Cross of MSU’s Department of Ecology

Q: What brought you to Montana, Wyatt?

A: I’m a newcomer to Montana, but I’ve always been fascinated by Rocky Mountain ecosystems. When the opportunity came to start a local research program in the Department of Ecology at Montana State University, I knew it would be particularly exciting because of the diversity of landscapes and land-use types. There are also the related and important issues surrounding the ecology and management of streams and rivers in the West. I also feel lucky to have many great local and regional colleagues that share a passion for understanding these systems.

West Blacktail Deer Creek is a stream that has experienced a large increase in willow cover over the past decade.

Q: What are some of the details about your work?

A: My graduate student, Jim Junker, and I just initiated a research project in Yellowstone National Park’s Northern Range. This area has a fascinating history of research and management, and offers a unique opportunity to study the dynamics of stream ecosystems outside of direct human influence. One interesting pattern observed over the past decade or so is a large increase in riparian vegetation cover (e.g., willow) along many streams in the area.

Although the causes of this pattern are multifaceted and highly debated (i.e., wolf reintroduction, floods, climate, etc.), the consequences for stream ecosystems are still relatively unclear. Our goal is to quantify the influence of these changes on stream structure (the diversity and composition of the biota) and function (invertebrate production, ecosystem metabolism, nutrient uptake), and to help forecast how these changes will play out over the next few decades. Our initial approach will involve a space-for-time comparison using natural gradients in riparian vegetation to represent different stages of long-term change. However, if we’re able to continue this research over many years, we’ll be able to examine changes in each system over time.

Elk Creek in Yellowstone National Park is representative of stream sites with relatively low willow cover.

Q: What do you hope to learn/accomplish?

A: Through this research we hope to gain clear, objective information about the influence of willow cover on stream ecosystems. For example, litter inputs from willow during autumn may support a significant proportion of invertebrate production and ecosystem metabolism during times of low algal production. Moreover, willow cover may directly influence stream temperature and shading with consequences for invertebrate and fish communities. Although our initial efforts will be centered on just a few streams in the Northern Range, I hope to expand this work in the near future to include streams outside of the park and examine interactive effects of land use and willow cover.

Q: What practical applications do you expect from your findings?

A: Stream restoration projects in the West are becoming more common, and many of them proceed without a solid foundation of empirical knowledge about the consequences of such efforts. In the case of riparian vegetation, our paradigms are largely based on eastern deciduous forests that are fundamentally different from local systems in Montana. We still have a lot to learn about how riparian vegetation in the West interacts with things such as stream size, geomorphology and land use. Hopefully, our work will add to this important knowledge base and be of use to resource managers and policy makers.

Water Sustainability: Challenges for Montana
Conference Update

The executive committee of the Montana AWRA has finalized an excellent list of speakers and presenters for the 25th annual meeting to be held in Big Sky, Montana October 2-3. For the first time in its history, the conference will feature three concurrent sessions Friday morning. Over forty presenters are scheduled, many addressing the conference theme of Water Sustainability: Challenges for Montana. Twenty posters will be available for viewing and discussion during Thursday evening’s social hour.

For the draft agenda, go to http://awra.org/state/montana/events/conference.htm Please note that in order to reduce consumption and expense, all registration will be done electronically this year. No registration packet will be mailed to potential conference attendees. To register, go to http://water.montana.edu/awra/registration . The early registration deadline is September 24! (Note: We are still looking for old AWRA photos for the banquet photo show. Please contact Cam Carstarphen at CCarstarphen@mtech.edu or call her at (406) 496-4633 if you have photos we can use.)

By the way, if you receive this newsletter but do not receive conference notices and would like to, please contact the Water Center at water@montana.edu with your updated contact information.

MT AWRA Conference Volunteers Needed

We need eight volunteers to help at the MT AWRA conference to operate/standby the computers and PowerPoint projectors during the concurrent sessions and the plenary. In exchange for the help, we will reduce your MT AWRA conference registration fee by $35.

Please let us know if you are interested as soon as possible, but no later than Friday, September 5. If you are a presenter and want to volunteer, we can work around your schedule. Please call Steve at (406) 994-1772 or email stephen.guettermann@montana.edu.

The 75th Annual Water School for water and wastewater operators and managers will be held September 22-26, 2008 at Montana State University. It will feature an array of topics from wells and lagoons to process control for water treatment and activated sludge facilities. Preventative maintenance, safety and current regulations are other examples of topics covered. Speakers of national and local acclaim will be on site to work with you. An agenda will be posted by September 1, 2008. Visit http://www.deq.state.mt.us/wqinfo/opcert and the METC website at http://www.msun.edu/grants/metc for more information. To register for the water school call (406) 994-3081 or email toni.lee@montana.edu.

Water and wastewater exams will be administered separately by the DEQ Certification Office on Friday, September 26. The exam requires separate registration. To register for the exam call Reta Therriault at DEQ at (406) 444-3434.

For more information about the forum contact Chuck Tooley at ctooley@msubillings.edu or Christine Pierce at matija@earthlink.net, or visit the website at http://www.msubillings.edu/urban/news/2008Aug20Water.htm.

New technologies and increasing regulations make operating a water or wastewater utility difficult. The National Environmental Services Center now offers answers to questions about a particular technology or about other aspects of running systems. Call them with questions at (800) 624-8301 and select option 3. All calls and information are free.

This handbook is designed to assist anyone in identifying and using land use planning tools, both to advance local interests and to contribute to the protection of wetland and riparian resources. Topics include: why local governments should protect wetlands and riparian areas, Montana’s wetland and riparian resources, how to build a local protection program, how to develop on-the-ground conservation measures, how Montana’s land use planning tools can be used in protection efforts, and other tools and resources that may help local governments in their conservation work.

The book can be viewed and downloaded at http://www.mtwatercourse.org/
Publications/Publications.htm. A free hardcopy can be ordered by calling Montana Watercourse at (406) 994-6671.

Volunteer Water Monitoring Guidebook

This guidebook is designed to serve both community and educational groups who are either initiating volunteer monitoring programs or expanding a well-established program. The guidebook supports the Montana Watercourse's Volunteer Water Monitoring program to promote knowledge and stewardship of aquatic resources by teaching local citizen volunteers the skills needed to gather accurate, non-biased water quality information.

The book can be viewed and downloaded at http://www.mtwatercourse.org/Publications/Publications.htm. A copy can be ordered by calling Montana Watercourse at (406) 994-6671. There is a $15 fee for this publication for those who have not attended monitoring trainings offered by Montana Watercourse.

Do you have more news?

Take special note of upcoming national and local water meetings on the Events Calendar at MONTANA WATER.

The Ecology of Pacific Salmonids Workshop, Seattle, WA, September 2-3, 2008 [INFO]

Pacific Salmonid Spawning Habitat Restoration Workshop, Seattle, WA, September 4-5, 2008 [INFO]

Dam Safety 2008, Indian Wells, CA, September 7-11, 2008 [INFO]

23rd Annual WateReuse Symposium, Dallas, TX, September 7-10, 2008 [INFO]

Fall Watershed Coordinator's Training, Fort Peck, September 14-16, 2008 [INFO]

Drought Advisory Committee Meeting, Helena, September 17, 2008 [INFO]

Introduction to Engineered Log Jam Technology, Olympic Peninsula, La Push, WA, September 17, 2008 [INFO]

The River Center Conference 2008, Missoula, September 25-26, 2008 [INFO]

Billings Water Forum: h2o08, Billings, September 25-26, 2008 [INFO]

MT Section AWRA 25th Annual Conference, Big Sky, October 2-3, 2008 [INFO]

Pacific Salmonid Spawning Habitat Restoration Workshop, Portland, OR, October 2-3, 2008 [INFO]

Flow 2008: Science, Policy, Public, Dialogue, San Antonio, TX, October 7-9, 2008 [INFO]

8th Annual Montana Water Law Seminar, Helena, October 9-10, 2008 [INFO]

NGWA International Conference on Nonrenewable Ground Water Resources, Portland, OR, October 13-14, 2008 [INFO]