Scenic River Research Articles

Evaluation and Interpretation of Legacy Major-Ion Chemistry for the Niobrara River Watershed, Northwestern and Northcentral Nebraska, USA

Evaluation and Interpretation of Legacy Major-Ion Chemistry for the Niobrara River Watershed, Northwestern and Northcentral Nebraska, USA

Factors Influencing the Planting Success of Justicia americana (L.) Vahl (American Water Willow) in a State Scenic River in Ohio

Factors Influencing the Planting Success of Justicia americana (L.) Vahl (American Water Willow) in a State Scenic River in Ohio

A multi-spatial analysis and the balanced requirements of freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionidae) and urban inhabitants in the Cuyahoga River watershed

Water quality in the Cuyahoga River, a national heritage river of the United States, has improved greatly since the infamous river fire of 1969, but much of the watershed faces combined demands of a state scenic river valued for nature and the primary water source for surrounding cities. A comparative analysis of mussel abundance was applied to test success between water improvements and mussel assemblages in two similarly sized sub-watersheds, the upper reaches of the Cuyahoga River and an isolated tributary stream, Tinkers Creek. Multivariate GIS/remote sensing tools and government data resources were applied to contrast variation in lands use, soil types, and potential impacts from impoundments. Mussel populations declined in much of the Upper Cuyahoga River from 1990 to present, while in Tinkers Creek and the West Branch Cuyahoga River, both areas surrounded by residential lands, mussel species changed from a slow water species to species associated with flowing streams. Major structural differences among these stream reaches included regulated flow from reservoirs and consequentially poor soil drainage type in much of the Upper Cuyahoga River, while extensive improvements in Tinkers Creek enhanced flow dynamics and produced well-draining soils. Thus, the mussel assemblages appeared sustained despite a trend towards more human use where water flowed free.

The genus Dorofeyukea (Bacillariophyta, Stauroneidaceae) in karst environments in the Brazilian Pantanal: with the description of four new species

In a Brazilian karst environment, composed predominantly of carbonate rocks, diatoms were collected in periphytic habitat (epiphyton, epilithon, epipsammon) in lentic and lotic water bodies from the Serra da Bodoquena. This Pantanal region is known for its tourist and scenic value, covering springs and rivers with extensive formation of active limestone tufa. Six species of <i>Dorofeyukea </i>were investigated under light and electron microscopy. The genus is characterized by a narrow stauroid fascia surrounded by some irregularly shortened striae, uniseriate slightly radiated striae, areolae circular or rectangular covered internally by a hymenes and apical pseudosepta. Four new species are described and compared with similar taxa <i>Dorofeyukea bahlsii </i>sp. nov., <i>D. bodoquenensis sp. nov.</i>, <i>D. calcarea sp. nov.</i>, and <i>D. pantanalensis </i>sp. nov. The new species are distinguished from each other and from similar taxa of <i>Dorofeyukea</i> mainly by the valve contour and shape of the apices. <i>Dorofeyukea kotschyi</i> (Grunow) Kulikovskiy, Kociolek, Tusset et T. Ludwig and <i>D. texana </i>(Patrick) Kulikovskiy et Kociolek were also recorded, described and illustrated in this study.

Changes in the Freshwater Mussels of the Missouri Portion of the Ozark Highlands Eleven Point River, 1982–1985 and 2012–2019

Freshwater mussels are important components of aquatic systems, where they cycle nutrients, stabilize streambeds, increase niche habitats, and are sources of food for mammals, birds, fish, and aquatic invertebrates. The biogeographically distinct Ozark Highlands is one of the oldest terrestrial regions on the planet and is home to over 200 endemic species including freshwater mussels. Key to the conservation and management of this mussel fauna is documenting their distribution and determining if any changes have occurred. In this study, our objectives were to document the diversity and distribution of the mussel fauna of the Missouri portion of the Eleven Point River, a National Wild and Scenic River, and determine if any changes had occurred over a 25+ yr period. During 1982–1985 and 2012–2019 we surveyed 29 locations, including 12 surveyed during both periods, in summer to early fall, during low flow conditions with timed visual and tactile searches. We calculated metrics to measure the status, composition, and abundance of the mussel community, and examined the rate populations were experiencing extirpation or colonization. Historically, 21 freshwater mussel species were known from Eleven Point River; 20 were observed live or as shell material in the present surveys. During both surveys, the Eleven Point River basin was dominated by members of the Lampsilini, which exhibit periodic life history strategies. We detected significant declines in the number of live individuals, CPUE, and richness at the 12 resurveyed locations. Freshwater mussel species in the Eleven Point River are being extirpated at a significantly higher rate than colonizing areas of the Eleven Point River. Causes for this decline remain unknown.

The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act at 50: Managers’ views of actions, barriers and partnerships

The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (WSRA) provides a high level of protection for free flowing rivers in the United States. Yet more than 50 years after its passage, there is little research exploring management of resources under the Act, including across agencies or private partners managing protected rivers. The research presented here used a mixed-method approach consisting of quantitative rankings and interviews to explore river manager and partner perspectives about the most pressing management actions and barriers for continued river management under the WSRA in concert with the 50th anniversary of the Act. We also explore the role of public-private partnerships in continued management of protected rivers. Our approach consisted of a national sample and replicates a similar effort conducted in concert with the 30th anniversary of the WSRA, providing a unique longitudinal perspective. Results indicate that a continued lack of public understanding or support for Wild and Scenic Rivers (WSRs), a need for dedicated agency funds to manage rivers once designated, and additional guidance about flexibly interpreting WSRA provisions as highly prioritized barriers or future actions. Qualitative results illuminate the importance of public partnerships in garnering political support for additional WSR management resources, key needs for manager exchanges or mentorship programs given the retirement of experienced WSR professionals, and the importance of organized, but varied private partnerships in planning or management of rivers across different regions of the United States. We conclude by discussing next steps for systematically gauging appreciation for WSRs among segments of the public, expanding understandings of the unique benefits associated with WSR designation, and further development of agency-public partnership templates surrounding designated river management. Our results suggest the following management opportunities associated with the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (WSRA): • Needs for research surrounding expanded support for Wild and Scenic Rivers (WSRs), including unique resource protections. • Distinguishing WSRs from other protected areas by highlighting flexibility and breadth under the WSRA. • Development of intra- and interagency mentorships or exchanges to improve professional literacy related with WSRA management. • Expanded development of partnership templates or guides that stakeholders can adapt to partner around WSR management.

Freshwater Sponges (Porifera: Spongillidae) of the Wild and Scenic Red River, Kentucky

Freshwater sponges are common inhabitants of rivers, streams, and lakes, but little information exists for the freshwater sponges of Kentucky. During 26 and 27 July 2016, a survey was conducted in the recreational section of the wild and scenic Red River. Thirty-three sponge specimens were collected at five sites from which Radiospongilla crateriformis, Spongilla lacustris, and Trochospongilla horrida were identified. Due to its hydrographic diversity and the considerable diversity of other aquatic fauna, we expect future surveys will reveal Kentucky rivers and streams to support a rich and diversified sponge fauna.

Prioritizing dams for removal to advance restoration and conservation efforts in the western United States

Dams are socio‐ecological structures fundamentally serving human population growth and economic development. Yet, dams have significantly reduced landscape connectivity, altered hydrologic and geomorphic dynamics, and are a leading cause of freshwater biodiversity decline. As dams age and are no longer used for their original intended purpose, they increasingly threaten both humans and ecosystems. Consequently, dam removal is an increasingly accepted strategy to restore river systems across the United States; since the 1970s, more than 1,400 dams have been removed. As the removal trend continues, important decisions must be made regarding which dams are still ecologically and economically viable and which are optimal for removal to facilitate restoration and subsequent protection. Therefore, it is critical to prioritize dams for removal where rivers, freshwater resources, and ecosystem services will benefit most. To that end, this study uses geospatial analysis and a multi‐criteria decision framework to evaluate dams suitable for removal in the western United States in watersheds with existing conservation priorities, and to examine watershed dynamics in which they are situated. Results reveal 24 top‐ranked dams no longer performing essential ecological and social functions as optimal sites for removal to restore waterways. Of these top‐ranked dams, four are already in the planning process for removal, indicating the model is performing as intended. These results are critical for managers and policymakers to understand where dam removals could enhance overall riverine connectivity and where river restoration could result in subsequent protection of newly free‐flowing river segments in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

Do fishes enjoy the view? A MaxEnt assessment of fish habitat suitability within scenic rivers

Scenic rivers programs are a potential tool to conserve freshwater habitat but few studies have attempted to characterize fish habitat within scenic rivers. Using the Virginia Scenic Rivers Program as a case study, we built species distribution models for a representative set of Virginia freshwater fishes and tested whether model-predicted habitat suitability values for scenic rivers are consistently higher than the range-wide average values. We began by selecting 33 fish species that were broadly representative of the complete functional trait space comprised by Virginia's freshwater ichthyofauna. This subset included 11 state-listed imperiled species. Next, we built maximum entropy species distribution models for each of the 33 fishes and used the models to predict habitat suitability throughout each species' range. Habitat suitability within state-listed scenic rivers was then summarized and compared with the complete, state-wide distribution of habitat suitability for each species. For 21 of 33 species, model-predicted habitat suitability was significantly higher in currently listed Virginia scenic rivers than in the state-wide distribution; of these 21 species, 5 were imperiled taxa. Furthermore, habitat suitability within scenic rivers is predicted to exceed the range-wide average by a significant margin for 25 species, including eight imperiled species, if all pending scenic listing petitions are approved. We conclude that scenic rivers provide important conservation benefits to Virginia's freshwater fishes. We also note that our flexible, model-based process can be applied in other rivers and used to inform other types of freshwater conservation programs that seek to identify and protect the highest quality habitats.

Genetics and the question of purity in cutthroat trout restoration

As molecular techniques become more advanced, scientists and practitioners are calling for restoration to leverage genetic and genomic approaches. We address the role of genetics in the restoration and conservation of cutthroat trout in the western United States, where new genetic insights have upended previous assumptions about trout diversity and distribution. Drawing on a series of examples, we examine how genetically pure trout populations are identified, protected, and produced through restoration practices. In landscapes that have been profoundly impacted by human activities, genetics can offer seemingly objective metrics for restoration projects. Our case studies, however, indicate that (1) genetic purity is fragile and contingent, with notions of what genetics are “pure” for a given species or subspecies continually changing, and (2) restoration focused on achieving “genetically pure” native populations can deliberately or inadvertently obscure the socioecological histories of particular sites and species, even as (3) many “genetically pure” trout populations have endured on the landscape as a result of human modifications such as roads and dams. In addition to raising conceptual questions, designations of genetic purity influence policy. These include tensions between restoring connectivity and restoring genetic purity, influencing Wild and Scenic River Act designations, and the securing of water rights. Cutthroat trout restoration would benefit from adopting a broader, more holistic framework rather than fixating exclusively or primarily on genetic purity and hybridization threats.

An Ohio State Scenic River Shows Elevated Antibiotic Resistance Genes, Including Acinetobacter Tetracycline and Macrolide Resistance, Downstream of Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent.

ABSTRACTThe entry of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) into aquatic systems has been documented for large municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), but there is less study of the impact of smaller plants that are situated on small rural rivers. We sampled water metagenomes for ARGs and taxa composition from the Kokosing River, a small rural river in Knox County, Ohio, which has been designated an Ohio State Scenic River for retention of natural character. Samples were obtained 1.0 km upstream, 120 m downstream, and 6.4 km downstream from the effluent release of the Mount Vernon WWTP. ARGs were identified in metagenomes using ShortBRED markers from the comprehensive antibiotic resistance database (CARD) screened against UniPROT. Through all seasons, the metagenome just downstream of the WWTP effluent showed a substantial elevation of at least 15 different ARGs, including 6 ARGs commonly associated with Acinetobacter baumannii, such as msrE, mphE (macrolide resistance), and tet(39) (tetracycline resistance). The ARGs most prevalent near the effluent pipe persisted 6.4 km downriver. Using metagenomic phylogenetic analysis (MetaPhlAn2) clade-specific marker genes, the taxa distribution near the effluent showed elevation of reads annotated as Acinetobacter species as well as gut-associated taxa, Bacteroides and Firmicutes. The ARG levels and taxa prevalence showed little dependence on seasonal chlorination of the effluent. Nitrogen and phosphorus were elevated near the effluent pipe but had no consistent correlation with ARG levels. We show that in a rural river microbiome, year-round wastewater effluent substantially elevates ARGs, including those associated with multidrug-resistant A. baumannii.IMPORTANCE Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem worldwide, with frequent transmission between pathogens and environmental organisms. Rural rivers can support high levels of recreational use by people unaware of inputs from treated wastewater, while wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) can generate a small but significant portion of flow volume into a river surrounded by forest and agriculture. There is little information on the rural impacts of WWTP effluent on the delivery and transport of antibiotic resistance genes. In our study, the river water proximal to wastewater effluent shows evidence for the influx of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, an opportunistic pathogen of concern for hospitals but also widespread in natural environments. Our work highlights the importance of wastewater effluent in management of environmental antibiotic resistance, even in high quality, rural river systems.

Using Bioacoustics to Examine Vocal Phenology of Neotropical Migratory Birds on a Wild and Scenic River in Arizona

Passive acoustic recorders have been used successfully as automated survey tools to detect terrestrial wildlife. However, few studies have monitored Neotropical migratory bird use of riparian forest habitat using this technology. Within dryland ecosystems, the forests along rivers support high bird diversity. Many bird species of conservation concern require these floodplain forest habitats for foraging, migration stop-overs, and breeding. Few studies have explored the use of acoustic records in riverine systems designated for conservation for their natural resource value via the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in the USA. Using acoustic recorders, we document vocal activity of four riparian-obligate species (Bell’s Vireo, Vireo bellii; Summer Tanager, Piranga rubra; Yellow Warbler, Setophaga petechial; and Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Coccyzus americanus) to determine species occurrence along a Wild and Scenic River. We established three study reaches along the perennial Lower Verde River, in the Sonoran Desert of central Arizona, USA. Nine acoustic recorders were used over the period of 80–120 days during the summer of 2018. We measured vegetation composition and structure in 100 m2 plots paired with acoustic recorders. Visualizing vocal activity showed that three species were calling and singing at each reach; whereas, one species, the cuckoo, had fewer recordings and occurred later in the summer. We demonstrate the utility of acoustic monitoring even when applied to rare birds in complex riparian habitats. This information is important for land management and conservation efforts concerning these species of interest and identifying important habitat features in Southwestern US riparian woodlands.

Legal Protection Schemes for Free-Flowing Rivers in Europe: An Overview

Most of Europe’s rivers are highly fragmented by barriers. This study examines legal protection schemes, that specifically aim at preserving the free-flowing character of rivers. Based on national legislation, such schemes are found in seven European countries: Slovenia, Finland, Sweden, France and Spain as well as Norway and Iceland. The study provides an overview of the individual schemes and their respective scope, compares their protection mechanisms and assesses their effectiveness. As Europe’s the remaining free-flowing rivers are threatened by hydropower and other development, the need for effective legal protection, comparable to the designation of Wild and Scenic Rivers in the United States, is urgent. Similarly, any ambitious strategy for the restoration of free-flowing rivers should be complemented with a mechanism for their permanent protection once dams and other barriers are removed. The investigated legal protection schemes constitute a starting point for envisioning a more cohesive European network of strictly protected free-flowing rivers.

Place-based motivations and normative beliefs predict pro-environmental behavior across involvement profiles

Understanding the relationships among social psychological drivers of pro-environmental behavior has been the focus of a long-standing body of research aimed at minimizing human impacts on the environment. Within public land management contexts, empirical evidence has suggested that place-based motivations and normative beliefs explain why people intend to engage in behavior that benefits the environment; however, the personal relevance of outdoor activities varies, in that recreationists often report distinct degrees of involvement that influence patterns of thought and behavior. Therefore, we tested the moderating effect of enduring involvement in outdoor recreation on the relationships among motivations, normative beliefs, and pro-environmental behaviors that reflected tenets of the Leave No Trace (LNT) educational outreach program. We segmented respondents into involvement profiles and tested a series of hypothesized relationships using multi-group structural equation modeling. Data were derived from a study of white water rafters on the Kern Wild and Scenic River in California's Sierra Nevada. Results indicated that both the strength and influence of select motivations on normative beliefs are stronger among individuals with higher involvement in rafting. A relationship between respondents' stated levels of importance for achievement as a motive for activity participation and normative beliefs about LNT also emerged among respondents with medium levels of involvement, whereas normative beliefs about LNT are associated with place-based motives for being with similar people and being in nature among those with high levels of involvement. These results explain the relationships among multiple antecedents of behavior within the context of a high-risk wilderness experience. The behavioral phenomena examined in this research explain the development of stewardship practices to help sustain environments while optimizing visitor experiences in the outdoors.Natural resource recreation managers should consider the personal relevance of activities as defining features that explain variation in motivations and responses to normative pressure. The presented results indicate that framing information in line with the involvement profiles will be more likely to resonate with recreationists in related contexts. Respondents were motivated to engage in white water rafting to be around similar people, enjoy nature, learn, and escape from personal and social pressures, but these motivations vary in accordance with levels of involvement. In settings where recreationists are presented with opportunities to engage in nature-based recreation that requires specialized skills, those with high levels of involvement may be more sensitive to normative pressures to protect the expected outcomes of their nature-based goals and desire to be around other highly involved recreationists.

An unprotected tributary has no detectable impact on macroinvertebrates in a Wild and Scenic River in the southeast (Chattooga)

The use of land in the Stekoa Creek watershed could impact its greater drainage basin, the Chattooga River watershed, Georgia, USA. Leaf litter packs were used to collect invertebrates in Stekoa Creek and in the Chattooga both above and below its confluence with Stekoa Creek. Macroinvertebrate community characteristics can be indicators of the health of the environment that is inhabited. Macroinvertebrates were identified and communities were analyzed to determine similarity, richness, and diversity. Land cover data were analyzed using Geographical Information System to understand land use and subsequent invertebrate community assemblages of the Stekoa and Chattooga watersheds. While no differences were found in invertebrate assemblages, there was a higher amount of urbanized land in the Stekoa watershed. These results suggest that while there are some landscape level differences between watersheds, a response in the invertebrate community was not detected.

Picking Up Where the TMDL Leaves Off: Using the Partnership Wild and Scenic River Framework for Collaborative River Restoration

The National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act protects less than ¼ of a percent of the United States’ river miles, focusing on free-flowing rivers of good water quality with outstandingly remarkable values for recreation, scenery, and other unique river attributes. It predates the enactment of the Clean Water Act, yet includes a clear anti-degradation principle, that pollution should be reduced and eliminated on designated rivers, in cooperation with the federal Environmental Protection Agency and state pollution control agencies. However, the federal Clean Water Act lacks a clear management framework for implementing restoration activities to reduce non-point source pollution, of which bacterial contamination impacts nearly 40% of the Wild and Scenic Rivers. A case study of the Musconetcong River, in rural mountainous New Jersey, indicates that the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act can be utilized to mobilize and align non-governmental, governmental, philanthropic, and private land-owner resources for restoring river water quality. For example, coordinated restoration efforts on one tributary reduced bacterial contamination by 95%, surpassing the TMDL goal of a 93% reduction. Stakeholder interviews and focus groups indicated widespread knowledge and motivation to improve water quality, but resource constraints limited the scale and scope of restoration efforts. The authors postulate that the Partnership framework, enabled in the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, facilitated neo-endogenous rural development through improving water quality for recreational usage, whereby bottom-up restoration activities were catalyzed via federal designation and resource provision. However, further efforts to address water quality via voluntary participatory frameworks were ultimately limited by the public sector’s inadequate funding and inaction with regard to water and wildlife resources in the public trust.

Predicting Bird Guilds Using Vegetation Composition and Structure on a Wild and Scenic River in Arizona

Riparian areas are among the most ecologically diverse terrestrial ecosystems but make up <2% of landscape area in southwestern USA. Many species of resident and neotropical migratory birds utilize riparian habitats for breeding, foraging, and nesting. We quantified vegetation composition and structure to predict bird guilds on Wild and Scenic portions of the Verde River, Arizona. We grouped plant species into guilds based on similar functional traits to describe composition. We surveyed birds during the breeding and migrating season to determine abundance and categorized species into guilds using preferences of breeding habitat, foraging substrate, and nest placement. Riparian obligate and facultative breeding guilds were most common. Both vegetation composition and structure were useful predictors of birds. Vegetation structure was most complex in gallery riparian forest. Abundance of riparian-obligate birds in the breeding guild were positively associated with vegetation structure of dense, multi-canopy canopy and tall trees. Abundance of most bird guilds were positively associated with composition of tall trees (Populus fremontii, Salix gooddingii) and drought tolerant shrubs (Prosopis velutina, Celtis reticulata). Our findings show complex riparian habitat important to wildlife is created by both composition and structure of near-stream vegetation that is tied to hydrology and sensitive to flow change.

The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act at 50: Overlooked Watershed Protection

The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (WSRA) marked its fiftieth anniversary in 2018 without much fanfare. The WSRA has been somewhat overshadowed by the Wilderness Act, which preceded it by four years, and by the National Environmental Policy Act and the pollution control statutes which followed in the 1970s. But the WSRA was a significant conservation achievement, has now extended its protections to over 200 rivers, and has the potential to provide watershed protection to many more in the future. This article explains the statute and its implementation over the last half-century as well as a number of challenges to fulfilling its laudable goals of protecting free-flowing rivers, their water quality, and their “outstandingly remarkable values.” We make a number of suggestions to the managing agencies and to Congress if the WSRA’s achievements over the next half-century are to match the last fifty years, including reviving congressional interest in study rivers, updating managing agencies’ river plans to focus on non-federal lands within river corridors, and ensuring that those river plans provide the watershed protection Congress envisioned when it included a significant amount of riparian land within WSRA river corridors. We also call for a new emphasis on rivers that should be studied for their restoration potential and for more states to take advantage of the statute’s unusual pathway for state-designated rivers to gain WSRA protections. A postscript briefly explains a recent congressional proposal to expand the WSRA system, and an appendix catalogues all 226 WSRA river segments designated during the statute’s first fifty years.

Population Condition of Populus × smithii, a Pleistocene Relict Aspen of the Niobrara River Valley, Nebraska, USA

At Smith Falls State Park in northern Nebraska, a relict population of Populus × smithii, a hybrid of quaking aspen (P. tremuloides) and bigtooth aspen (P. grandidentata), has been targeted for management due to its rarity and risk of extirpation. This relict occurs under favorable microclimatic conditions in springbranch canyons along the Niobrara National Scenic River, but factors such as climate change, lack of regeneration, and competition with invasive juniper (Juniperus virginiana) make its persistence tenuous. This study was designed to assess the overall health of the Smith Falls aspen population and determine whether individual stands (n = 10) differed in condition, whether these differences in condition were related to environmental or demographic variables, and whether the condition of the stands was worsening. We found evidence of a declining aspen population, with crown loss and limb dieback documented across all size classes and worsening over a period of two y. Trees from younger, smaller size classes displayed less damage than older, larger ones, but accrued more damage over the two-y interval. At the stand level, higher levels of damage occurred in stands with larger area, more individual boles, and larger, older trees. Our findings suggest that this unique relict population of aspen is showing significant signs of decline but has potential to survive if managed with ecological principles of succession in mind.

New Stamps Tell a Wild and Scenic River Story

The U.S. Postal Service has issued a new set of Forever postage stamps that feature evocative photos of some of the rivers protected by the U.S. National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.