Dan K. Hinckley, Paul L. Hansen, Scott Miles, Vito Ciliberti 1
In 1987, the Montana State Office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the Montana Riparian and Wetland Association 2, began to develop inventory and evaluation procedures to determine health and functioning condition of riparian wetland (lotic) areas. The procedures have been field tested on more than 2,000 miles of riparian areas in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Alaska, and Idaho. In addition to BLM, the procedures have been used by the Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Atlantic Richfield Corporation, Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and three Native American tribes.
The inventory and evaluation uses information on vegetation, soils/geology, and hydrology/streambanks gathered for specific areas (polygons) identified on a map. Each polygon is rated as "healthy" (proper functioning condition), "at risk", or "unhealthy" (non-functioning). The specific resource conditions that need improvement can be identified and the information used to guide management decisions to correct deficiencies. With the use of a classification document, the potential of the area can be determined and future conditions described for management objectives. The information for each polygon can be relocated and remeasured in the future for monitoring of management progress. An automated data base has been developed.
