Water: Monitoring & Assessment
Appendix B. AREM Long Form
User's Manual:
Avian Richness Evaluation Method (AREM)
for Lowland Wetlands of the Colorado Plateau
For each numbered item, check only one response unless noted otherwise. Then proceed to the next question unless noted otherwise. Parenthetical names are the names of fields in the supporting software database (WHRBASE). If a field name is lacking, the information is not used directly.
- LOCATION. Is the area part of, or is it within 0.5 mile of, a major* river or lake?
* river channel wider than 100 ft, or lake larger than 40 acres
____ Yes (field BigWater) ____ No - SURFACE WATER. During this season, does the area contain at least 0.1 acre* of surface water, either obscured by vegetation or not?
* See Figure B-1 for guidance in estimating acreage categories.
____ Yes (field AnyWater). Go to next question.
____ No. Skip to question #5. - OPEN WATER. During this season, how much open* water is present in the area?
* water deeper than 2 inches and mostly lacking vegetation (except submerged plants).
____ > 20 acres and it is mostly wider than 500 ft (field OpenBig)
____ < 1 acre, or, >1 acre but mostly narrower than 3 ft (field OpenSmall)
____ Other conditions (field OpenOther) - SPECIFIC AQUATIC CONDITIONS
Check all that apply during this season:
____ > 0.1 acre of the surface water is still, i.e., usually flows at less than 1 ft/s (field StillWater)
____ The evaluated area can be assumed to contain fish (field Fish)
____ The evaluated area can be assumed to contain frogs, salamanders, and/or crayfish (field Amphibs)
____ Water transparency in the deepest part of the area is (or would be, if depth is shallow) sufficient to see an object 10 inches below the surface, and the area is not known to have problems with metal contamination (field Clear)
____ The evaluated area is highly enriched by direct fertilizer applications, water from nearby feedlots, or other sources (field Enriched)
____ Most of the normally-flooded part of the area goes dry at least one year in five, or, is subject to flooding from a river at least as often (field Drawdown) - BARE SOIL. Is there at least 0.1 acre of mud*, alkali flat, gravel/sand bar, recently tilled soil, and/or heavily grazed open (grassy, non-shrubby) areas during this season?
* includes soil that is continually saturated up to the surface, or which was previously covered by water but has become exposed to the air during this period
____ Yes (field Bare). Go to next question.
____ No. Skip to question #7. - LARGE MUDFLAT. Does the area at this season contain mud that has all these features?:
- At least 1 acre in size
- Maximum dimension is greater than 100 ft
- Salt crust or salt stains are not apparent
- Not recessed within a wash or canal whose depth (relative to surrounding landscape) is greater than half its width.
- TREES. Are there at least 3 trees*:
* woody plants taller than 20 ft.
____ in the evaluation area? (field TreeIn).
____ within 1000 ft of the evaluation area? (field TreeNear). Go to #8.
____ neither of the above. Skip to #11. - TREE COVER. Check one or more responses below that describe the maximum cumulative acreage of various conditions of tree cover in the evaluation area. Also include areas within 300 ft:
____ >1 acre, dense*, and wide** (field ForestDens)
____ >1 acre and open; or, dense but narrow (field ForestOpen)
____ 0.1-1 acre, dense* (field WoodDens)
____ 0.1-1 acre, open (field WoodOpen)
____ <0.1 acre
* Dense= the tree canopy, viewed from the ground during midsummer, appears at least 50% closed, as averaged across an area that is at least as large as the acreage specified.
** Wide= the wooded area is wider than 300 ft (average). - BIG TREES. Are there at least three trees whose trunk diameter 20 ft above the ground is >12 inches?
____ Yes (field TreesBig) ____ No - SNAGS. Are there at least three snags, or trees with dead limbs with diameter >5 inches?
____ Yes (field Snags) ____ No - SHRUBS. Is there at least 0.1 acre of shrubs*:
* woody plants 2-20 ft in height.
____ in the evaluation area? (field ShrubIn).
____ within 1000 ft of the wetland (including the wetland itself)? (field ShrubNear). Go to #12.
____ Neither of the above. Skip to #13.
- SHRUB SPECIES AND DENSITY. Check one or more responses below that describe the maximum cumulative extent of various types and conditions of shrub cover in the evaluation area. Also include areas within 300 ft.
Willow:
____ >1 acre, dense*, and wide** (field WwMuchDens)
____ >1 acre and open; or, dense but narrow (field WwMuchOpen)
____ 0.1-1 acre, dense* (field WwSomeDens)
____ 0.1-1 acre, open (field WwSomeOpen)
____ <0.1 acre; or larger area but height mostly <4 ft and openly spaced
Greasewood or other tall desert shrubs:
____ >1 acre, dense*, and wide** (field GrMuchDens)
____ >1 acre and open; or, dense but narrow (field GrMuchOpen)
____ 0.1-1 acre, dense* (field GrSomeDens)
____ 0.1-1 acre, open (field GrSomeOpen)
____ <0.1 acre
Russian olive, sumac, buffaloberry, wild rose, or others with fleshy fruit:
____ >1 acre, dense*, and wide** (field FrMuchDens)
____ >1 acre, open; or, dense but narrow (field FrMuchOpen)
____ 0.1-1 acre, dense (field FrSomeDens)
____ 0.1-1 acre, open (field FrSomeOpen)
____ <0.1 acre; or larger area but height mostly <4 ft
Tamarisk (salt cedar):
____ >1 acre, dense*, and wide** (field TmMuchDens)
____ >1 acre, open; or, dense but narrow (field TmMuchOpen)
____ 0.1-1 acre, dense (field TmSomeDens)
____ 0.1-1 acre, open (field TmSomeOpen)
____ <0.1 acre; or larger area but height mostly <4 ft
* Dense= the shrub canopy, as viewed from a height of 100 ft during midsummer, appears to be >50% closed, as averaged across an area that is at least as large as the acreage specified.
** Wide= the shrub area is wider than 300 ft (average). - HERBACEOUS VEGETATION. Is there at least 0.1 acre of herbaceous vegetation*:
* Nonwoody plants such as cattail, bulrush, sedges, grasses, and forbs.
____ in the evaluation area? (field HerbIn).
____ within 1000 ft? (field HerbNear). Go to #14.
____ Neither of the above. Skip to #15.
- HERBACEOUS SPECIES. Check one or more responses below that describe the maximum cumulative extent of various types and conditions of shrub cover in the evaluation area. Also include areas within 300 ft.
Robust emergents (e.g., cattail, phragmites)
____ >1 acre, dense*, and wide** (field RbMuchDens)
____ >1 acre, open; or dense but narrow (field RbMuchOpen)
____ 0.1-1 acre, dense (field RbSomeDens)
____ 0.1-1 acre, open (field RbSomeOpen)
Other wet** emergents (e.g., bulrush, sedge)
____ >1 acre, dense*, wide**, and tall*** (field WEMuchDens)
____ >1 acre, tall, open; or dense but narrow (field WEMuchOpen)
____ >1 acre, dense or open, and short (field WEMuchShrt)
____ 0.1-1 acre, tall, dense (field WESomeDens)
____ 0.1-1 acre, tall, open; or dense but narrow (field WESomeOpen)
____ 0.1-1 acre, dense or open, and short (field WESomeShrt)
Drier emergents (e.g., saltgrass, other grasses)
____ >1 acre, dense*, wide**, and tall*** (field DEMuchDens)
____ >1 acre, tall, open; or dense but narrow (field DEMuchOpen)
____ >1 acre, dense or open, and short (field DEMuchShrt)
____ 0.1-1 acre, tall, dense (field DESomeDens)
____ 0.1-1 acre, tall, open; or dense but narrow (field DESomeOpen)
____ 0.1-1 acre, dense or open, and short (field DESomeShrt)
Broad-leaved Forbs (e.g., milkweed, thistle, alfalfa)
____ >1 acre (field ForbMuch)
____ 0.1-1 acre (field ForbSome)
Aquatic plants (e.g., watercress, sago pondweed, duckweed)
____ >10 acres (field AqMuch)
____ 0.1-10 acres (field AqSome)
* Dense= plants are so close together that the duff layer or soil beneath the plants is mostly obscured by foliage, when looking down from just above the plant tops.
** Wet= water is visible at or above the soil surface during most of the growing season.
*** Wide= the shrub area is wider than 300 ft (average).
**** Tall= taller than 1 ft. - SURROUNDING LAND COVER. Check one:
Within 0.5 mi of the wetland, >60% of the land cover is:
____ Pasture, alfalfa, grain crops, row crops, other wetlands, grass lawns, and/or weed fields (field SurAgwet)
____ Desert shrubs (e.g., sagebrush, shadscale, rabbitbrush)(field SurDesrt)
____ Pinyon-juniper (field SurPJ)
____ Oak scrub (e.g., Gambel oak, serviceberry, skunkbrush)(field SurOak)
____ Other, or none of the above comprise >60% - LOCAL LAND COVER. Check one:
Within 3 mi of the wetland, > 60% of the land cover is:
____ Pasture, alfalfa, grain crops, row crops, other wetlands, grass lawns, and/or weed fields (field LocAgWet)
____ Desert shrubs (e.g., sagebrush, shadscale, rabbitbrush)(field LocDesrt)
____ Pinyon-juniper (field LocPJ)
____ Oak scrub (e.g., Gambel oak, serviceberry, skunkbrush)(field LocOak)
____ Other, or none of the above comprise >60%
- VISUAL SECLUSION
Check only one:
____ Both of the following:
(a) wetland is seldom visited by people on foot or boat (less than once weekly), (b) there are no paved roads within 600 ft, or if there are, wetland is not visible from the roads (field SeclusionH).
____ Either (a) or (b) above (field SeclusionM).
____ Other condition. - PREDATION POTENTIAL
Check only one. The evaluation area:
____ is linear*, adjoins a heavily-traveled road (usual maximum of >1 car/minute), and/or is in a high-density housing area (>1 house/5 acres) (field PredHPot)
____ adjoins a less-traveled road, and/or is in an area with sparser housing density but is closer than 1000 ft to a normally-occupied building (field PredMPot)
____ Other condition.
* at least 90% of the area being evaluated is within 25 ft of a canal, road, railroad tracks, or other artificially linear feature. - GRAZED, BURNED, MOWED. Is the area mowed, burned, or grazed intensively (i.e., with clearly visible effects on vegetation) during this season?
____ Yes (field GrazBurnMo)
____ No - NESTING LOCATIONS
Check all that apply:
____ Semi-open structures (bridges, barns) suitable for nesting swallows are present within 300 ft (field SwallNest)
____ Platforms suitable for nesting geese are present in the wetland or along its perimeter (field GooseNest)
____ Vertical, mostly bare dirt banks at least 5 ft high are present within 0.5 mi., of potential use to nesting kingfishers, barn owls, and swallows (field Banks)
This concludes the initial evaluation. If you intend to infer the value of this wetland at seasons or years other than the present one, you should go back over all your responses and, on a new form, change the responses that would be different at that season/year. Then, proceed to the analysis described by the User's Manual.