|
RELATED
LINKS
For more information
on habitat issues, please contact the WDFW Habitat Program.
habitatprogram@dfw.wa.gov
Phone: 360-902-2534
|
|
Habitat
Science Division: The Water Team
The Water Team of the
Habitat Science Program, is led by Hal Beecher and includes Bob
Vadas, Terra Hegy, Al Wald, Steve Boessow, Paul
LaRiviere, Jonathan Kohr,
and Ryan Murphy.
The purpose of the Water Team is to protect and restore flow-dependent
fish and wildlife habitat and to protect fish and wildlife from
direct impacts of flow modification by people. The water team is
responsible for a wide range of duties that include providing policy
level recommendations on new water laws, conducting instream flow,
hydrology and riverine habitat research, reviewing water rights
applications and working with other agencies to set standards for
flow and water use that allow for healthy populations and/or recovery
of fish and wildlife populations. |
| Hal
Beecher, Ph.D. - Instream Flow Biologist
As the Water
Team lead, Hal conducts instream flow studies using PHABSIM and
other tools, and advises watershed planning units under ESHB 2514
on instream flow. He conducts research on relationships among flow,
fish, and habitat, conducts studies to test assumptions of Instream
Flow Incremental Method (IFIM) and develops instream flow methods.
Hal also reviews instream flow and water legislation. Hal attended
Middlebury College (A.B., 1970, Biology), University of West Florida
(M.S., 1973, Biology), Florida State University (Ph.D., 1979, Biological
Science), and worked as a consultant, for Florida Department of
Pollution Control, and The Nature Conservancy in the Oregon and
Washington Natural Heritage Programs before coming to the Washington
Department of Game in 1979.
|
| Robert
Vadas Jr., PhD. - Research Scientist
Bob is a Research
Scientist with the Science Team in the Habitat Program for the Washington
Department of Fish and Wildlife, addressing instream flow requirements
and research. He has over 12 years of field experience on the habitat
and instream-flow needs of freshwater fishes, over a third of it
in the Pacific Northwest. Much of his research has involved sampling
and modeling the habitat requirements of fishes at various spatial
scales. Bob earned his B.S. in zoology and botany (minor in chemistry)
from Ohio Wesleyan University; M.S. in zoology from University of
Maryland; PhD in fisheries and wildlife sciences from Virginia Polytechnic
Institute and State University. Prior to joining the Habitat Program
in January 2001, Bob worked in research and consulting positions
in the U.S. and Canada.
|
| Paul
LaRiviere – Instream Flow Biologist
Paul is a Fisheries
Biologist stationed in eastern Washington since April 2006. He provides
technical support to land owners, Department of Ecology, Conservation
Districts, Municipalities, and Water Conservancy Boards when water-right
holders want to sell, lease, or donate all or part of their right
to the state to help restore stream flows for the benefit of salmon.
In 1999 Washington State found that 16 watersheds were over-appropriated,
meaning more water has been legally allocated than is available
naturally. Paul is involved in the Water Acquisition Program and
the Irrigation Efficiencies Program, both, which are intended to
help restore stream flows for the benefit of fish life in those
watersheds where water is needed most. Paul has a BS in Fisheries
Science from the University of Washington, 1981. Early in his career,
Paul worked for the Department of Fisheries Fish Program in the
San Juan Islands, Central and Southern Puget Sound, and later as
the Coastal Dungeness Crab Manager for 9 years. He worked on anadromous
and marine fish migration studies on the north slope of Alaska for
the oil companies. Paul has extensive regulatory and habitat experience
in the Yakima Basin and in the Snake and Columbia Rivers as a Hatchery
Evaluation Biologist and as a Habitat Biologist in the Tri-Cities
area. He also worked as consultant and was the fish passage lead
for the largest transportation project in the State, I-405.
|
| Terra
Hegy - Habitat/Instream Flow Biologist
Water Team member
since November 2002. She provides technical assistance to watershed
planning units under RCW
90.82 related to instream flow questions, including advice on
instream flow methods such as IFIM (PHABSIM), recommending instream
flows to protect fish, and assisting in watershed plan preparation.Terra
has a BS in Botany and a MS in geography/resource management from
the University of Washington and has worked for the State of Washington
since 1986 in the fields of aquatic habitat protection and watershed
planning.
|
| Alan R.
Wald, LHg (licensed hydrogeologist)
Water Team technical
assistance, instream flow hydrogeologist. Lead technical expert
on hydrological issues related to instream flow needs for WDFW.
Develops recommendations for channel and valley maintenance flows.
Evaluates impacts of irrigation and power diversions on riparian
and hyporheic zones. Alan has over 20 years experience in field
hydrology in Washington State. He has a Master's Degree in Forest
Hydrology from the University of Washington and a Bachelor's Degree
in Renewable Natural Resources from the University of California,
Davis. He has worked for the Water Resources Program, Washington
Department of Ecology and the Environmental Affairs Office, Washington
Department of Transportation, before coming to the Habitat Program,
Washington Department if Fish and Wildlife.
|
| Steve
Boessow - Water Rights Biologist
Steve reviews
water rights applications and provides recommendations that minimize
impacts on fish and habitat as per RCW
77.55.050. Steve's recommendations may include information obtained
through site visits, stream measurements, and literature reviews.
Steve also assists with field studies and maintains electronic equipment
for the team. Steve earned a B.S. in environmental science from
The Evergreen State College in 1987. He worked for state and local
organizations prior to starting work with Department of Fisheries
in 1988. Since that time Steve has enjoyed a varied career working
as a scientific technician and biologist. Steve has collected samples
and marked adult and juvenile salmon, and worked in coastal and
Puget Sound management of recreational and commercial fisheries.
Steve joined the Habitat Program- Water Team in February of 2002
and continues to learn the nuances of water rights and instream
flow.
|
| Jonathan
Kohr – Instream Flow Monitoring Biologist
Jonathan joined
the Water Team in May of 2004 and is a member of the team stationed
in eastern Washington. He is involved in the Water Acquisition Program
to restore instream flow in streams where water is a significant
limiting factor to salmonid production. Jonathan monitors statewide
trust water rights acquired through the Acquisition Program and/or
the Irrigation Efficiencies Grant Program. His work involves developing
a biological monitoring program to assess benefits to salmonid recovery
and to monitor the effectiveness of various instream flow augmentations.
Jonathan graduated in 1996 from Central Washington University with
a B.S. in Biology with a fisheries ecology emphasis. He started
working for the National Marine Fisheries Service conducting salmonid
survival studies in Idaho and the Snake/Columbia River systems.
He also worked in scientific technician positions with WDFW’s
Fish Program and the Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Fishery. He
then conducted redd/carcass surveys on the Yakima and Columbia Rivers.
In 2001 Jonathan landed a biologist job working out of Yakima assessing
fish densities and population compositions for the Yakima River
Floodplain Mining study. The following year he was hired as the
lead biologist in eastern Washington for the TAPPS (Technical Applications)
stream passage and screening inventory crew. Jonathan performed
inventories within the Okanogan, Methow, and Ahtanum Creek watersheds
until being hired on the water team out of Yakima Washington.
|
| Ryan
Murphy – Instream Flow Monitoring Technician
Ryan joined the
Water Team in February of 2007 as a Scientific Technician II. He has
a background in GPS and GIS research, river geography, fish identification
through his work with Hydroacoustic Technologies, Inc., and field
methodologies. Ryan has a BA in Geography with an emphasis in Geo-Techniques
from Central Washington University. |
Papers and
Publications
Instream
Flow Study Guidelines [PDF format - 280 Kb]
Technical and Habitat Suitability Issues
Mitigation
for Water Withdrawal [Presentation]
The
Water Team is frequently called upon to review mitigation proposals
or to help guide mitigation for impacts to habitat due to water diversions
and withdrawals. This poster was presented at the 2006 IFC conference
in Parksville B.C. to describe the challenges and possible solutions
to providing water for growth.
Instream
Flows for Riverine Resource Stewardship
"Instream
Flows for Riverine Resource Stewardship is by far the best treatise
on the subject of instream flows to date. The material in the book represents
an exhaustive treatment of a very complex and highly technical subject.
It frequently, and appropriately, stresses the importance of addressing
five riverine components (i.e., hydrology, biology, geomorphology, water
quality, and connectivity) and three policy components (legal, institutional
and public involvement) when developing, commenting on, or designing
instream flow programs. . . The numerous IFC position statements and
critical opinions highlighted throughout the book will definitely be
a considerable help to agencies and others who have long sought such
statements. There is truly something here to address almost every instream
flow issue or opportunity."
Quilcene-Snow
Watershed Wetted Width Study [PDF format - 499 Kb]
Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) staff
used the wetted width, or wetted perimeter, method in the Quilcene-Snow
watershed during 2003 and 2004 as part of watershed planning and instream
flow setting. Data was gathered by representatives of WDFW and Jefferson
County at 8 sites approximately once a month for a year in an attempt
to determine adequate rearing and migration flows. At several transects
an inflection point was clearly evident. This information helped state
agencies and planning unit members develop instream flows which will
eventually be incorporated into state regulation as directed by the
Watershed Planning Act, RCW 90.82, and House Bill 2514 passed by the
state Legislature.
Ranking
Puget Sound Streams for Low Flow Enhancement:
A Proposed Watershed Based Methodology [PDF
format - 68Kb]
This document is draft guidance to support the selection of stream areas
for watershed based low stream flow enhancement. The proposed process
and methodology have been developed by Washington Departments of Fish
and Wildlife (WDFW) and Ecology, and with cooperative input by staff
from a range of Puget Sound entities. Pilot testing and further evaluation
and refinement of the methodology is being scheduled and is expected
to be completed mid- 2007.
Barker
Creek Instream Flow Study [PDF format -
369Kb]
As part of a 10-year Comprehensive Plan Update process required by the
Growth Management Act (RCW 36.70A) and associated with watershed management
planning conducted in accordance with the Watershed Planning Act (RCW
90.82), Kitsap County Department of Community Development (DCD) seeks
information on how different land use and water management options will
affect the natural resources of Kitsap County. One of the resources
of interest is the fish community of Barker Creek, which flows into
the northern end of Dyes Inlet east of Silverdale. Specifically, Kitsap
County recognized that additional growth could occur in the Barker Creek
watershed, resulting in more impermeable surface, which could be expected
to modify hydrology of Barker Creek. Kitsap County DCD Natural Resources
Division staff asked how changed hydrology would affect fish in Barker
Creek and requested the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW)
Habitat Science Division’s Water Team to conduct an instream flow
study to evaluate how different flows would affect fish habitat. At
the same time, Kitsap County contracted with Dr. Brian Skahill of the
United States Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg Laboratory to model
how different land use management would affect Barker Creek hydrology.
Significant Journal
Publications by members of the Water Team
Beecher, H.A. 1990.
Standards for instream flow. Rivers 1 (2): 97-109.
Beecher, H.A. 1995. Comparison of preference curves and habitat utilization
curves based on simulated habitat use. Rivers 5 (2): 109-120.
Beecher, H.A., B.A. Caldwell, and S.B. DeMond. 2002. Evaluation of depth
and velocity preferences of juvenile coho salmon in Washington streams.
North American Journal of Fisheries Management 22 (3): 785-795.
Beecher, H.A., J.P. Carleton, and T.H. Johnson. 1995. Utility of depth
and velocity preferences for predicting steelhead parr distribution
at different flows. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 124:
935-938.
Beecher, H.A., J.P. Carleton, and T.H. Johnson. 1997. Testing the independence
of microhabitat preferences and flow: response to comments. Transactions
of the American Fisheries Society 126 (3): 541-542.
Beecher, H.A., T.H. Johnson, and J.P. Carleton. 1993. Predicting microdistributions
of steelhead parr from depth and velocity criteria: Test of an assumption
of the Instream Flow Incremental Methodology. Canadian Journal of Fisheries
and Aquatic Sciences 50 (11): 2380- 2387.
Vadas, R.L. Jr.
1991. Seasonal habitat use, species associations, and assemblage structure
of forage fishes in Goose Creek, northern Virginia. I. Macrohabitat
patterns. Journal of Freshwater Ecology 6: 403 417.
Vadas, R.L. Jr.
1992. Seasonal habitat use, species associations, and assemblage structure
of forage fishes in Goose Creek, northern Virginia. II. Mesohabitat
patterns. Journal of Freshwater Ecology 7: 149-164.
Vadas, R.L. Jr.,
and D.J. Orth. 1993. A new technique for estimating the abundance and
habitat use of stream fishes. Journal of Freshwater Ecology 8: 305-317.
Vadas, R.L. Jr.,
and J.E. Sanger. 1997. Lateral zonation of trees along a small Ohio
stream. Ohio Journal of Science 97: 107-112.
Vadas, R.L. Jr.,
and D.J. Orth. 1997. Species associations and habitat use of stream
fishes: the effects of unaggregated-data analysis. Journal of Freshwater
Ecology 12: 27-37.
Vadas, R.L. Jr.,
and D.J. Orth. 1998. Use of physical variables to discriminate visually
determined mesohabitat types in North American streams. Rivers 6: 143-159
(cf. http://www.frii.com/~sel/abstracts/6-3-124.html).
Vadas, R.L. Jr.
2000. Instream-flow needs for anadromous salmonids and lamprey on the
Pacific coast, with special reference to the Pacific Southwest. Environmental
Monitoring and Assessment 64: 331-358.
Vadas, R.L. Jr.,
and D.J. Orth. 2000. Habitat use of fish communities in a Virginia
stream system. Environmental Biology of Fishes 59: 253-269 (cf. http://www.fishwild.vt.edu/North_Fork_Shenandoah/NFS_Presentations/vadas_orth.pdf).
Vadas, R.L. Jr.,
and D.J. Orth. 2001. Formulation of habitat-suitability models for stream-fish
guilds: do the standard methods work? Transactions of the American Fisheries
Society 130: 217-235
|
