HYDROECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF SPRINGS ECOSYSTEM CONDITIONS AND RISKS WITH A NEW SPRINGS ECOSYSTEM ASSESSMENT PROTOCOL

Springs support productive, biologically diverse, and highly threatened ecosystems. A comprehensive, broadly applicable assessment protocol is needed to determine their ecological condition and prioritize stewardship at local, regional, national, and global scales. We developed a comprehensive, efficient, and effective springs ecosystem assessment protocol (SEAP) that uses inventory data and an updated springs classification system to evaluate the condition, ecological significance, administrative context, and risks of springs management. SEAP categories include 1) aquifer condition and water quality, 2) geomorphology, 3) habitat, 4) biota, 5) human impacts, and 6) the administrative context, and also function for research and monitoring, permitting comparison of ecological conditions of springs over time. An additional category has been developed specific to tribal resource managers. Some of the condition scores can be generated from a separate springs ecosystem database if a comprehensive, interdisciplinary inventory has been conducted. Scores of individual variables, categories, and whole sites are generated and can be used to evaluate status, trends, and stewardship priorities and effectiveness, as well as research into interrelationships among variables. We tested the SEAP on numerous springs of different types in forested lands of mesic Alberta and in the arid Southwestern U.S., and report fewer springs in good ecological condition and more springs at risk in the arid region. Application of the SEAP will allow a resource manager to develop priorities for management, conservation, or restoration of springs ecosystems.